Former UK Independence Party leader Nigel Farage identified high immigration levels as a significant factor contributing to financial issues related to the British National Health Service (NHS). While introducing a segment on Fox and Friends, Steve Doocy mentioned protestors in London who wanted more money for their country’s NHS, “the same universal system that Democrats have continued to push for here in the United States.”
Farage, a Fox News Contributor, explained that his nation has “a population crisis caused by government policy on immigration,” noting that it adds five hundred thousand people per year, “so we with a population of 65 million are now increasing by half a million people every single year, over three quarters of that directly attributable to immigration over the last few years.” He continued, “And the problem is, you know, we just haven’t got enough hospitals, we haven’t got enough doctors, we haven’t got enough facilities, that’s one problem we’ve got.”
Pointing to what he considers another large issue, he said, “the National Health Service has kinda moved into becoming the International Health Service.” He said the country is “providing a lot a healthcare for people coming into Britain from all over the world.”
He averred that the system requires “some absolutely fundamental reforms,” noting that it “was set up in 1948, and actually, surprisingly, for a state run thing” people for many years “had great faith in it,” but “right now, it’s pretty much at breaking point.”
The politicians responsible for the nation’s immigration influx “are in denial as to why there’s a problem in the health service,” Farage said, noting that the country will “have to go on spending more and more money.” He said that “There are reforms we could make within the service,” specifically mentioning that he “worried about the cost we’re paying for some drugs, elements like that.”
Once government provided benefits are implemented, “any attempt in the future to reform it or take those benefits back becomes politically impossible,” Farage asserted. He said that Americans must have a debate about this issue, because if the US adopts “universal healthcare paid for centrally out a taxes, you would never ever be able to remove it.”
When Steve Doocy mentioned wait times for procedures due to the volume of people seeking them, and the additional element of longer life spans, Farage noted that there are also many more procedures “now available to people for conditions that were untreatable when the NHS was set up 70 years ago.”
Farage predicted that “over time” the wealthy will exit the public system in favor of private options “because the waiting times have become that long.”
“But let’s be in no doubt, you know, we’ve got a big problem, really big problem now with our NHS,” he concluded.
Some British politicians attacked President Donald Trump after he weighed in on Twitter. The president tweeted saying, “The Democrats are pushing for Universal HealthCare while thousands of people are marching in the UK because their U system is going broke and not working. Dems want to greatly raise taxes for really bad and non-personal medical care. No thanks!”
He then praised Fox and Friends in the next tweet: “Thank you to @foxandfriends for exposing the truth. Perhaps that’s why your ratings are soooo much better than your untruthful competition!”
Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of Britain’s Labour party, retorted: “Wrong. People were marching because we love our NHS and hate what the Tories are doing to it. Healthcare is a human right.”
Jonathan Ashworth, also of the Labour party, tweeted: “Labour will take no lessons from Donald Trump who wants to deny healthcare to millions in America with a system that checks your purse before it checks your pulse.”
Angela Rayner, another member of the Labour party, lashed out at Trump, saying that his “regime is plotting to deny vital healthcare to millions of fellow Americans.” She then referred to the duly elected US leader as “a phoney president” asserting: “The last thing our NHS needs is a phoney president making comments to undermine it! Just butt out for once.”
Some media outlets said that Trump’s tweet was incorrect. CBS News said in a tweet: “Pres. Trump mischaracterizes protests over health care funding in Britain to attack Democrats for "pushing for Universal HealthCare"; London demonstrations were in support of National Health Service, calling for more funding”
A Washington Post piece titled “Trump thought the British were protesting their health service. They weren’t” said that “the thousands of Britons who took to the streets over the weekend were marching in support of the NHS and calling for greater government funding.”
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