NHS has become 'over-reliant' on migrant 'health surcharge' cash and is losing £100m a year because immigration is falling

Health Secretary Yvette Cooper asked the Treasury for extra money to plug the gap, but Andy Burnham and Chancellor John Healey rejected her plea. Immigration health surcharge income fell from a £2.42bn peak to about £2.32bn in 2025-26 and is projected to drop further. The Nuffield Trust warns the slump 'threatens to further destabilise already precarious NHS finances'. Net migration fell 48 per cent last year under Shabana Mahmood's reforms.

Visa applicants now pay £1,035 a year for NHS access, up from £200 a decade ago.

According to the Nuffield Trust, migrants put 60 per cent more into the NHS than they take out.

Student visa holders cover only around three-quarters of the average cost of their care.