Maajid Nawaz has furious row with caller over immigrants working in the NHS
13 April 2020, 12:11 | Updated: 7 June 2023, 08:56
Maajid Nawaz has fiery row with caller over immigrants working in the NHS
When this caller insisted that the nurses from overseas who treated Boris Johnson came to the UK for selfish reasons, Maajid Nawaz wouldn't let him get away with it.
The Prime Minister thanked Jenny from New Zealand and Luis from Portugal for his round-the-clock monitoring and saving his life.
Maajid was asking if his intervention would change the way listeners think about immigration. Then John called in.
John said: "We constantly hear about these people who have come here to help us. I think we need to remember people from Asian countries and other countries around the world - they came here for better prospects, better work conditions, better wages.
"They didn't come here because they had a calling from us or the NHS. Many of these people will be in even higher risk back in their country of origin than they are here. We should remember that."
Maajid asked how that was relevant and John continued: "I get the impression that we've got to praise these people for coming here, a lot of Asian and African doctors and nurses in the medical profession, who have come here for another reason other than we need them."
But Maajid told him: "It sounds to me like you're begrudging having to thank 'these people' meaning foreigners.
"Why have you decided to call a radio show to make the point of why do we have to thank these people if they came here for their own selfish reasons? Why?"
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John responded: "I'm constantly hearing that the NHS would fall apart if we didn't have all the migrants working. And you're right. But it's not the reason they've come here."
A frustrated Maajid said: "There you go again. 'Thank you, but... thank you, but...'
"Why are you driven to tell the nation that any thanks to 'these people' must come with a caveat?"
The conversation got even more heated after that - hear it in full at the top of the page.
