A month ago, I wrote of my queasiness clapping for NHS staff while they are generally treated so poorly. I had little idea then that the government would insist on including them in a considerably increased surcharge for foreign workers to access British health care. It demonstrated an emotional honesty, the extent to which this current crop of ministers believe that xenophobia is a key to popularity. Their unctuous expressions of thanks to the Poles, the Filipinos, the Colombians and the Canadians for keeping our health service going was exposed for the hypocrisy that it always was. Just three hours before last night’s weekly national clap, the government backed down.

Source: The Times May 21, 2020 23:03 UTC