The results of the Conservative Leadership election have been announced.
The former London Mayor, Foreign Secretary and Brexiteer, Boris Johnson, has been appointed as the Leader of the Conservative Party beating the former and longest-serving Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Jeremy Hunt, in the leadership content.
He will assume office as Prime Minister on Wednesday, with a cabinet reshuffle likely to follow soon after his appointment.
Mr Johnson is well-known for his outspoken and controversial views on Brexit. During a recent interview, Mr Johnson said Brexit was ‘do or die’ and insisted the UK would leave the EU on 31st of October, deal or no deal.
Exacerbating a medical staffing crisis.
The number of EU-trained nurses and midwives working in the UK fell from a record high of 38,024 in March 2017 to 33,035 in March this year, a drop of nearly 5,000, according to official figures released by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).
When the NMC asked these staff why they were leaving, 51% said Brexit was a key contributing factor.
Experts have consistently warned that Britain’s decision to leave the EU is exacerbating the NHS’s growing staffing crisis and ‘urgent’ action is needed.
Figures suggest the NHS is short of nearly 40,000 registered nurses.
Earlier this month, Dame Donna Kinnair, General Secretary of Chief Executive of the Royal College of Nursing, wrote to Mr Johnson asking for a commit to substantially investing in and supporting the nursing profession and patient care.