Confidential cabinet papers reveal serious splits at the heart of government over Brexit, as Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt was photographed entering Number 10 Downing Street for this morning’s cabinet meeting holding notes including the phrase: "Hard Brexit means people fleeing UK."
Mr Hunt’s notes are headed with the question: “What recent discussions have been had with Home Secretary on ensuring the NHS has the workforce it needs after UK leaves the EU?”
In his answer, Mr Hunt states: "Hard Brexit means people fleeing UK."
Elsewhere in Mr Hunt’s notes are statistics on the number of EU nationals working in the NHS.
They include 10,700 doctors, estimated at 9 per cent of the total. It also states that 2,200 doctors joined the NHS in the year up to March 2017. It states that 62,000 nurses are EU nationals, approximately 19 per cent of the total, 4,000 of whom joined the NHS in the year to March 2017. The photographer who took the picture later tweeted, "Trust me, it was no accident."
Since Theresa May’s disastrous election result, pro-single market, so called "soft" Brexit forces within the cabinet are wielding greater influence, particularly Chancellor Philip Hammond, who was sidelined during the election campaign and widely expected to be sacked.
In the Financial Times this morning, former Deputy Prime Minister and EU trade negotiator Nick Clegg said that a path can be found to allow limits of free movement while staying within the EU single market.
He cited Belgium, which “aggressively deports” EU migrants without a job after six months, and Germany, who have moved to protect German nationals in particular industries like construction.
