Jeremy Hunt has been photographed holding a briefing note that says a “hard Brexit means people fleeing UK”.
The health secretary was on his way to a cabinet meeting in Downing Street when he was pictured with the folded note, written in large type, which appeared to be preparation for health questions in the House of Commons.
In response to an opening question from the Liberal Democrat Alistair Carmichael, it reads: “The 150,000 EU nationals working in our health and care services do a brilliant job and we want them to continue doing it. I am in regular talks with cabinet colleagues to inform both domestic workforce plans and the government negotiations with the EU.”
Further down, it adds: “Hard Brexit means people fleeing UK. 26 June PM made clear that we intend to protect the rights of EU nationals in the UK and UK nationals in the EU … the Lib Dem approach means ignoring what people voted for.”
Hunt did not give that answer when he later appeared in the House of Commons, reading out only the first paragraph in response to Carmichael.
An aide to Hunt insisted the warning about hard Brexit was intended to be a suggestion for a possible supplementary question from the opposition, followed by his possible reply.
Some cabinet ministers are increasingly emboldened to speak out against a hard Brexit following the general election, which saw Theresa May lose her majority.
There have been numerous warnings that exiting the EU could leave the NHS with staff shortages as a result of its reliance on European workers. The most recent figures showed a 96% fall in arrivals of European nurses to work in the NHS since the referendum.
Amid concerns it could cause a labour crisis, the health secretary used his first speech after being reappointed to try to reassure health workers from the EU that they were needed and “part of the NHS family”.
“It’s an early priority for this government to secure rights which we would like to be broadly the same as the rights that they have now – and I want to reassure them now that this will be absolutely top of our list as the Brexit negotiations start,” he said at the time.
On Monday, Hunt also struck out with Greg Clark, the business secretary, who is another opponent of hard Brexit, with a joint letter to the FT promising to work towards a close relationship with the EU on medicine regulation in an attempt to reassure the pharmaceuticals industry.
Several hours later, Hunt tweeted to clarify: “For avoidance of doubt I have never been advised or believed Brexit means people ‘fleeing UK’. I was anticipating a question along those lines from MPs at health orals – which is why the phrase appears in my briefing note.
“The below is evidence people are COMING to UK post Brexit vote – 2,200 doctors and 4,000 nurses arriving from EU in year to March 17.”
