A pro-Brexit group is exploiting the death of an old man to push its anti-immigrant agenda

Westmonster, a Brexit-supporting website, published an article that blamed mass immigration for the fact that an 85-year-old man died in hospital due to ‘dangerous overcrowding’. Leave.EU, one of the most influential pro-Brexit campaign groups, retweeted the story and likewise decided to scapegoat immigrants.

Mass immigration is totally unsustainable and places an unacceptable burden on our public services. Now an 85-year-old man has died waiting in A&E because of 'dangerous overcrowding'.

When will politicians wake up to the human cost of our open borders?https://t.co/FYzI7NpS1l

— Leave.EU (@LeaveEUOfficial) March 10, 2018

Immigrants blamed for stretched services

Millionaire Arron Banks co-founded Leave.EU. He reportedly gave the campaign group “the biggest donation in British political history” in the run-up to the Brexit vote. The Electoral Commission is now investigating him over whether he broke campaign finance rules in his donations to pro-Leave organisations. Banks has given millions to UKIP, and also set up Westmonster – which describes itself as “pro-Brexit, pro-Farage, pro-Trump”.

Many Twitter users were outraged that Leave.EU and Westmonster were exploiting the death of an old man in order to push their agenda.

No shame in using someone death to peddle xenophobic agendas. 🙄

— Nick Ferran (@NickFerran) March 10, 2018

https://twitter.com/johnleremainer/status/972425007363063808

In the Westmonster piece, it reads:

The population rose by 538,000 in the year ending June 2016, 62% of that was down to migration. Unless this government can regain control of borders, UK infrastructure will continue to crumble.

Others on Twitter pointed out how immigrants form the backbone of the NHS.

https://twitter.com/SteBobRoughley/status/972510434552156160

https://twitter.com/onlyconnect71/status/972489452651253760

Have you been to a hospital recently? I have, lots. At least 50% of the excellent staff who have looked after me have been EU immigrants. And the govt's figures show clearly that post referendum more are leaving than coming, so the is NHS understaffed. This will get worse.

— Peter Gray (@PeterTAGray) March 11, 2018

NHS Digital previously highlighted that nearly 10,000 EU NHS staff had quit following the Brexit vote.

NHS underfunding

Instead of seeing mass immigration as the reason for NHS failings, scores of Twitter users said underfunding was the problem. As a case in point, Germany has more immigration than the UK, but more doctors per 1,000 people. And the same disparity holds for nurses too, as the UK has 7.9 per 1,000 people, while Germany has 13.3.

It is Tory underfunding, not the EU. Germany has more immigration from outside the EU and from within, but Germany has 4.1 doctors per 1000 people, UK 2.8; Germany has 13.3 nurses; UK 7,9.

— Alessandra Asteriti 𒊩 (@AlessandraAster) March 10, 2018

According to the article, the hospital said there had been a 30% increase in admissions since this time last year. There has not been a 30% increase in population in one year. So more likely the cause of overcrowding in the #NHS is underfunding and understaffing.

— Peter Golton (@petergolton) March 10, 2018

This is dangerously wrong. Immigrants pay more into public services thru tax then they take out. Don’t let the government off the hook by blaming the problems in the NHS on immigration rather than underfunding and understaffing which is entirely the government’s fault

— Rod Kelly (@rodkelly50) March 10, 2018

As The Canary has consistently reported, the NHS is facing a funding crisis. But Leave.EU and Westmonster are ignoring how a dangerous lack of resources and staff are putting the health and lives of elderly people at risk.

Rather than face the facts, they have chosen to peddle myths and xenophobia instead. It’s reassuring to see so many people calling out these dodgy tactics.

Get Involved!

– Read more articles from The Canary on the NHS.

– Join us, so we can keep holding the powerful to account.

Featured image via Flickr