Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has doubled down on his 2015 pledge to ban asylum seekers with HIV from receiving NHS treatment.
Mr Farage, who led Ukip when he first made the controversial pledge, sparked fury from left-wing politicians during a televised debate held before the 2015 General Election after warning migrants were costing taxpayers tens of thousands of pounds a year by receiving treatment for the retrovirus infection.
Reiterating his position at a rally in Aberdeen, Mr Farage said: “The idea that somebody can newly arrive in Britain and get expensive NHS treatment, whether it’s for HIV or hepatitis or whatever it is [...].
“Truth of it is: this is a national health service. It is not an international health service.”
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NHS guidelines currently allow asylum seekers to receive NHS treatment for HIV even if the Home Office has refused their claims.
Mr Farage suggested in 2015 that British taxpayers were paying around £25,000 a year for each migrant receiving HIV treatment on the NHS.
He said at the time: “You can come into Britain from anywhere in the world and get diagnosed with HIV and get the retro-viral drugs that cost up to £25,000 per year per patient.
“What we need to do is to put the NHS there for British people and families, who in many cases have paid into the system for decades.”
Nigel Farage suggested in 2015 that British taxpayers were paying around £25,000 a year for each migrant receiving HIV treatment on the NHS
|PA
Ed Miliband, who was leader of the Labour Party at the time, described the comments as "disgusting".
Meanwhile, then-Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood accused Mr Farage of "scaremongering".
She added: "It divides communities and it creates stigma to people who are ill and I think you ought to be ashamed of yourself."
Following the HIV row, Mr Farage claimed more than 60 per cent of the 7,000 patients diagnosed with HIV annually were not British.
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Data released by Public Health England in 2021 revealed 62 per cent of all new HIV diagnoses in 2019 were also among migrants
|GETTY
Data released by Public Health England in 2021 revealed 62 per cent of all new HIV diagnoses in 2019 were also detected among migrants.
The World Health Organization has suggested 350,000 people in Pakistan are living with HIV, with the Asian nation ranking top for asylum seekers arriving in Britain.
Meanwhile, Eritrea recorded around 12,000 cases last year, and Iran's total hit 40,000.
During Mr Farage's Aberdeen rally, the Reform UK leader also appeared to concede the Scottish National Party will likely emerge victorious on May 7.
Nigel Farage sparked a furious backlash when he made similar comments in 2015
|PA
Mr Farage instead insisted Reform would be “an effective voice of opposition” in the Scottish Parliament over the next five years.
He also set his sights on challenging for power in Scotland "next time around", which is scheduled to take place in 2031.
However, Scottish Reform leader Malcolm Offord rejected Mr Farage's pessimistic view.
The former Tory peer said: “We’re an unscripted party. We believe in what we’re saying. And he’s got an opinion and I’ve got an opinion.”
Ministers are struggling to cut NHS waiting lists | PAOpinion polls suggest Reform UK could emerge as the opposition north of the border following a poll surge for Mr Farage.
Despite Ukip always struggling to pick up votes, Reform UK polled 19 per cent in YouGov's latest survey.
Meanwhile, the SNP is expected to rake in around 41 per cent – increasing the likelihood of John Swinney commanding a majority in Holyrood.
Labour registered 18 per cent, compared to 10 per cent for the Liberal Democrats and just eight per cent for the Tories.