2015/09/01 by James Dennison, Matthew Goodwin · 130 citations
Social Sciences · #Social Policy and Reform Studies #Labor Movements and Unions #Immigration #Political science #Law #Sociology #Media studies #Economic history #History
paper · doi:10.1093/pa/gsv034
published in Parliamentary Affairs 68(suppl 1), 168-187 (Oxford University Press)
openalex publication_date 2015/09/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/19
On 2 April 2015, in the televised leaders' debate, the UKIP leader, Nigel Farage, used a question to argue that HIV patients from outside of the UK should be excluded from accessing NHS treatment. ‘What we need to do’, said Farage, ‘is to put the NHS there for British people and families, who in many cases have paid into the system for years’.1 Farage's comments were the most tweeted about moment of the debate and attracted widespread coverage throughout the campaign. The intervention underlined UKIP's decision to target its core supporters at the election—older, white and working-class voters, who mainly reside in England, and were united by anxiety over immigration, opposition to Britain's EU membership and dissatisfaction with the established parties.2 Farage's comments were quickly condemned by the leader of Plaid Cymru, Leanne Wood, as ‘scaremongering’, ‘dangerous’ and ‘divisive’. These were echoed by the leader of the Scottish National Party, Nicola Sturgeon, although the Labour leader Ed Miliband said nothing at the time. Yet there was evidence to suggest that some voters took a different view. According to one opinion poll by YouGov, which gave respondents Farage's quotation and asked whether or not they agreed with ‘people coming to live in the UK being banned from receiving treatment on the NHS for a period of five years’, 50% agreed while 34% disagreed with Farage.3