Green Party launches Five Demands For Racial Justice with call to ban NHS surcharge for migrants

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15 June 2020

The Green Party has called on the Government to scrap the costly and immoral NHS surcharge for all migrants as it launches its Five Demands for Racial Justice campaign.

From October, the current surcharge of £400 is due to rise to £624, which will be levied alongside all visas, regardless of income. Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordered the removal of the surcharge for health and care workers last month, after he found himself under immense pressure to do so. [1]

Now the Greens have launched a petition calling for the surcharge to be scrapped for all migrants. [2] The petition says the NHS should instead be funded by tax, according to people’s ability to pay.

Benali Hamdache, Green Party London Assembly candidate, said:

“This surcharge amounts to the exploitation of migrants and simply has to stop. To increase the cost of healthcare, which people already pay for through their taxes, is immoral at any time, but to do so during a pandemic is simply cruel.

“The NHS should be funded by a fairer tax system that has millionaires, billionaires and corporations pay their fair share. Not by double charging migrant workers.”

The petition also marks the launch of the Green Party’s Five Demands for Racial Justice campaign which will promote five different policy proposals to tackle racism and reform society to reduce inequality. [3]

Greens of Colour chairperson Azzees Minott said:

“The momentum we have seen over the last few weeks cannot stop here. We have seen people from all walks of life express their solidarity for the Black Lives Matter movement, and now we need to use the energy from the protests and online activism to make some clear demands.

“This is why we are putting forward five essential changes we need to see to start addressing the prejudice and inequity communities of colour face every day.”

ENDS

Notes

1

https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-7274/

2

https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/end-the-nhs-surcharge-2

3

https://greensofcolour.greenparty.org.uk/five-demands-for-racial-justice/

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