NH-YES NHS £624 migrant surcharge scrapped for health care workers after U-turn from Boris Johnson

Boris Johnson has scrapped the migrant surcharge for NHS workers

BORIS Johnson has u-turned on making NHS workers pay the £624 migrant surcharge and will scrap it as soon as possible.

The PM has asked the Home Office and the Department for Health and Social Care to remove NHS and care workers from the extra charge whenever they can.

It comes just hours before the nation will again clap to show appreciation of our hard-working carers, tonight at 8pm.

The PM is said to have been "thinking" about the issue for some time - after doctors in the NHS saved his life earlier this year.

After getting out of intensive care Boris was reported to have said to doctors: “I owe you my life.”

And the PM showed his appreciation by clapping his medics just two hours after being wheeled out of intensive care and back to a normal ward at St Thomas’ Hospital.

No10 confirmed this evening that work is now underway, and the full details of the changes will be released in the coming days.

A spokesperson said: "[Boris Johnson] been a personal beneficiary of carers from abroad and understands the difficulties faced by our amazing NHS staff.

"The purpose of the NHS surcharge is to benefit the NHS, help to care for the sick and save lives.

"NHS and care workers from abroad who are granted visas are doing this already by the fantastic contribution which they make."

The U-turn will mean that all NHS workers - everyone from medical staff down to porters and cleaners - won't have to pay the levy.

But the surcharge will go up for everyone else in October as planned.

The Government thinks its fair to expect people arriving in the UK to pay towards the NHS.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said today he's already been in talks about how to scrap the charge.

He told the Downing Street briefing: "The PM has clearly himself been a beneficiary of carers from abroad and talked many times about the enormous contribution  they give.

"The purpose of immigration health surcharge is a fair one; the purpose is to ensure everybody contributes.
"The PM has made that decision and asked us to make it happen ."