Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp Slams Home Office for Giving Migrants 'Red-Carpet Treatment'

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp criticised the Home Office for its alleged treatment of migrants who are set to be deported. Philp accused the Home Office of providing migrants with 'red-carpet treatment' in terms of healthcare.

Speaking to The Telegraph, Philp criticised the Home Office and the British government's treatment towards migrants. Philp, who has long favoured anti-immigration policies, accused the British government of providing soon-to-be deported migrants with high-quality healthcare. The comments referenced job posts for General Practitioners to provide 'first class' healthcare for illegal migrants and, as the report describes, 'foreign criminals.' Philp called the job posts a 'disgrace' that the government is providing migrants with 'red-carpet treatment.'

High Annual Salaries to Care for Migrants

According to the report, GPs are being offered annual salaries of £135,000 (estimated $182,250) to care for patients at the Heathrow Immigration Removal Centre. The salaries are provided by the contractor Mitie on behalf of the Home Office. These taxpayer-funded salaries are known to be significantly higher compared to the average pay per annum of GPs under the National Health Service (NHS) of £79,000 ($106,650) and the maximum salary of around £120,000 ($162,000).

'Hard-working British taxpayers have to wait ages to see a GP, get a hospital appointment or have an operation, but the Government is giving red-carpet treatment to illegal immigrants,' said Philp. 'No wonder illegal immigrants from all over Europe flood across the English Channel when the Government spends billions of pounds of our money to cosset them,' Philp continued. 'We need to leave the ECHR and then these illegal immigrants can be deported within a week of arrival.'

Home Office Responds

A spokesperson for the Home Office seemed to respond to Philp's accusations. 'The Home Office does not directly fund these roles,' they said. 'We are making sweeping reforms to tackle illegal immigration, which will make Britain a less attractive destination for illegal migrants and allow us to remove and deport people more easily.'

'We have already returned nearly 50,000 people with no right to be here and delivered millions of pounds in savings across the immigration system,' they added.

Migrants are Entitled to Same Quality of Healthcare in NHS

Under the rules of the Home Office, migrants are also entitled to receive the same quality of care from the NHS as the general public. According to healthcare insiders, migrants cited immigration detention rule 35 – requiring doctors to alert the Home Office should they see signs that the detention is harming a detainee's health, a risk of self-harm, or signs that the detainees were being tortured.

In some cases, a bail may be granted or a transfer to another detention centre before deportation. It is very rare, however, that an asylum case may be reopened.

The principal pharmacist at the Heathrow Centre, Anuradha, was quoted by the Practice Plus Group, urging potential applicants not to be hindered by stereotypes. 'Our residents are vulnerable, and they deserve the same level of care as anyone else,' she said. 'Working in a secure environment is often misunderstood. Many assume it's unsafe, but in truth the safety measures here are stricter than in a community setting.'