NHS migrant worker thanks James O'Brien and public for government policy U-turn

21 May 2020, 18:26 | Updated: 21 May 2020, 18:46

This is the touching moment Hassan Akkad thanks James O'Brien, Piers Morgan and the British public for encouraging the government's U-turn on the treatment of NHS migrant workers.

Hassan - himself a Syrian refugee - was visibly emotional as he gave his latest message to the British public, after his video pleading with the government to include migrant NHS workers in the coronavirus bereavement scheme went viral yesterday.

Since posting it, the government has made a U-turn on two policies - including care workers and NHS cleaners and porters in the bereavement scheme, and scrapping the NHS surcharge for migrant workers working within the national healthcare system.

In his latest video he said: "Hi it's Hassan again. Yesterday's message was to the Prime Minister, but today's message is to you. To the British public.

"Thanks to you, and the unions and the campaigners, and to the journalists who helped us get our messages across like Piers Morgan and James O'Brien to name a few.

"Thanks to all of you who tweeted and put pressure on the government, they U-turned."

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"Migrant workers on the front lines are now exempt from the surcharges and my colleagues and I, the cleaners and the porters and the healthcare assistants, we are no longer excluded form the bereavement scheme.

"Yesterday I'm going to be honest I lost my faith, but you restored my faith and my colleague's faith in this country.

"I want to share a small story with you. Today I was walking around the hospital and my colleagues were giving me virtual high fives.

"I hope that I played a very small role in making this happen and this will not be the last time you hear from me, because I have a platform now and I'm going to use it for the greater good.

"I am feeling proud and happy and grateful. thank you. Britain is great because of you."