MPs from all political parties have demanded the early dismissal of chief executive Martin Yeates and other senior managers found to be responsible for the devastating failures at Stafford Hospital.

Mr Yeates, paid £169,000-a-year, is suspended on full pay pending an investigation. Faced with a barrage of angry questions in the Commons, Health Secretary Alan Johnson pledged that the roles of all senior managers would be investigated but would not condone “knee-jerk” sackings.

He again turned down Labour, Tory and Liberal Democrat MPs’ demands for an independent inquiry.

Stafford MP David Kidney asked: “In Stafford’s case, where there is already a thorough and damning report already available, why is the chief executive not sacked already?”

The Labour MP wanted “due process” brought to an end soon “so that we can stop paying taxpayers’ money and the hospital’s budget to someone who is doing nothing”.

Bill Cash, Stone Tory MP, said: “All those in that trust who are culpable, including other senior management besides the chairman and chief executive at the time, must be removed and not merely suspended on full pay.”

South Staffordshire Tory MP Sir Patrick Cormack and shadow health secretary Andrew Lansley backed Mr Cash’s call for an independent inquiry.

Wolverhampton North East MP Ken Purchase said the Stafford trust board was “stacked with accountants and solicitors not elected, not responsible, taking no notice of what’s going on – and we end up with this particular tragedy”.

Mr Lansley said Mr Johnson should have acted as soon as he learned of failings at Stafford in May, but Mr Johnson said it would have been wrong to rush into dismissing and disciplining the chief executive when they did not even have any evidence from the Healthcare Commission.

He said it was no use acting in haste and having a tribunal decision against the Government. There would not be “a knee-jerk reaction by me or anybody else.”