Piers Morgan has slammed Boris Johnson after he rejected calls to scrap the health surcharge for overseas NHS and social care workers.
The Good Morning Britain host launched into the Prime Minister on live television, branding the fee “completely outrageous” and "unbelievable."
All adult migrants arriving in the UK from outside the European Economic Area, including health workers, have to pay a £400 annual health fee whether or not they use the NHS.
The immigration health surcharge (IHS) is due to be hiked to £624 a year in October, with parents also expected to pay an additional £470 for each dependent child.
Mr Morgan fumed on GMB this morning: “Everyone knows it’s outrageous.
"But for Boris Johnson to stand there and say ‘yeah, yeah I know I’ve been praising the NHS for weeks and they saved my life but you know what? I’m going to sting them, because we need their cash… thanks Boris.”
The ITV star added: “Will you be out clapping tonight, Boris, outside Number 10? Doing your big clap for the NHS workers that you're going to be stinging for £624 a year, on top of their taxes and National Insurance? Really Boris, you’re going to do that tonight?"
Mr Morgan mocked the PM on the steps of Downing Street for the weekly applause for NHS wokers tonight saying: "Hey, Jenny thanks Jenny, thanks Luis, thanks so much, here's your reward, I'm going to punish you financially because I need your money."
In a video shortly after his discharge from intensive care, Mr Johnson name-checked two NHS nurses - Jenny and Luis - who "saved my life, no question".
Ministers are under mounting pressure to ditch the charge, with Labour, the SNP and the Royal College of Nursing all branding it "unjust" how health workers have to pay.
Leading Tory MPs have backed the calls, including former party vice-chairman Sir Roger Gale who warned the PM it would be seen as "mean-spirited, doctrinaire and petty".
The Royal College of Nursing said there are a total of 77,065 non-EEA nurses who work in health and care nationwide.
Dame Donna Kinnair, its chief executive, said: "The immigration health surcharge is a grossly unfair financial burden on our international workforce and we're pleased to see the issue being taken seriously by politicians.
"The government must drop this charge as a matter of urgency."
But at Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, Mr Johnson rejected calls from Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer to scrap the fee, saying the Government could not afford it.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said that a care worker on the National Living Wage would have to work for 70 hours "to pay off the fee".
But Mr Johnson replied: “I do accept and understand the difficulties faced by our amazing NHS staff and, like him, I've been a personal beneficiary of carers who have come from abroad and, frankly, saved my life.
"On the other hand we must look at the realities - this is a great national service, it's a national institution, it needs funding and those contributions actually help us to raise about £900m, and it's very difficult in the current circumstances to find alternative sources.”
