Last week, Mrs May decided that the NHS could do without 100 doctors from India. 

Now every day the news reminds us that the NHS has 10,000 unfilled posts, and is stretched to the very limit.  So you’d think these doctors would be welcomed.  But it seems not. The fact is that to admit these much needed doctors would break immigration limits.  The immigration limits which she set up.  So bad luck for the NHS and another reason for privatisation. 

Reports say that, in the relevant cabinet meeting, at least three departments objected to this decision and Mrs May had to exert her personal authority to get it agreed.  It’s good to know that there was a bit of sense somewhere in the system, but, unfortunately, it had no effect on her.

Unfortunately that is not the end of the story. There are unintended consequences for this decision, well beyond the health service.

We have been told that Brexit will give the government (Mrs May’s government, she hopes) freedom to negotiate new trade deals with up and coming economies across the world.  And the fastest growing of these is India. So how much goodwill will we get from Indian trade negotiators when we treat their skilled workers in this way? And bear in mind it’s almost certain that some of the doctors (who we’ve just rejected) are relatives of people we will negotiate with.  So that should make a friendly start to the process.

So, a good decision from Mrs May – less doctors for the hard-pressed NHS as well as serious problems on the horizon when negotiating with India.  And all from one decision!

All this is consistent with her “very hostile environment” policy which makes landlords, doctors and employers act as immigration control (with endless paperwork ) before allowing people to access services.  Not to mention the citizenship test which Mrs May beefed up because 80% of us were able to pass it.  That was much too many so she had the test revamped and it now classes 40% of us as ‘unfit’ to be British citizens. I’ve tried it, and I had real trouble with several of the questions. 

But all these things keep out nasty foreigners – as she intended.