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Our nation is going to have to decide what it values most. Its health and the provision of affordable healthcare, or closed borders.

The right wing of our ruling party has made clear what they want, demanding that the Department of Health find an alternative way to address the staffing shortfall in the National Health Service.

But I dare suggest that this particular group of millionaires is not well placed to judge what is best for the country.

Quite how they believe the health service will reduce growing waiting lists or address the looming mental health crisis without filling the vast number of vacancies for health professional nationwide is unclear.

With no immediate solution from central goverment, health trusts have instead employed dedicated teams to recruit from overseas.

Even if the country starts today encouraging school leavers to pursue careers in healthcare and increases the numbers of training places, it will be several years until they have sufficient qualified and experienced professionals to fill present vacancies.

So what does our nation want? A healthcare service capable of addressing the needs of its citizens? Or to sacrifice that requirement for the sake of keeping migrant numbers low?

This dilemma is of the government’s making. They have had thirteen years to address the needs of the nation. But instead they chose to play the game of slash and burn in their ideological pursuit of a small state.

But you can’t both play culture wars to make Britain great again, and break everything to make it small. You have to decide what it is you really want. It’s time to choose.