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The government plans to more than halve the number of NHS staff being recruited from abroad in the next 15 years, according to its long term workforce plan.

On Thursday, a preview of the plan announced the intention to funnel £2.4bn into solving the severe staffing crisis in NHS England.

The full document, which was published this morning, said the service aims to train more NHS staff domestically to “reduce reliance on international recruitment and agency staff”.

Politics latest: ‘Hugely important day for NHS’, minister says

“In 15 years’ time, we expect around 9-10.5% of our workforce to be recruited from overseas, compared to nearly a quarter now,” the NHS plan said.

The report also says:

• Half a million trainees will begin clinical training over the next six years
• The NHS hopes to recruit 300,000 new staff and retain 130,000 extra healthcare workers
• Training places will be expanded across the sector including: GPs (50%), adult nurses (92%), pharmacists (29%), dentists (40%), dental therapy and hygiene professionals (28%), healthcare scientists (13%)
• From autumn, recently retired consultant doctors will be given the option to return to work across England through the NHS Emeritus Doctor Scheme
• Almost a quarter of NHS staff (22%) will be trained via apprenticeship by 2031/32
• New medical degree apprenticeships will train 2,000 doctors by 2031/32
• Staff will be supported to access the new childcare measures announced in the recent budget
• The shortfall in mental health nursing is of “particular concern”, with plans to boost this by 73%

NHS ‘reliant on overseas staff’

The NHS, the report said, is “particularly reliant on international recruitment” to fill workforce gaps. The total proportion of NHS workers with non-UK nationalities – across all professions – has grown to more than 17%.

Since 2017, there has been a 2% increase in UK-trained medical graduates joining the workforce. By comparison, in the same time period, there has been a 121% rise in international medical graduates.

Of the doctors who joined the UK workforce in 2023, 50% were international medical graduates.

And, in 2022/23, about half of new nursing registrants in England were trained overseas.

“This leaves the NHS exposed to high marginal labour costs and risks the sustainability of services in the longer term given the growing global demand for skilled healthcare staff,” the report said.

But achieving the productivity improvements outlined in the plan is depending on ” a sustained increase in capital investment in the ageing NHS estate” and investing in digital infrastructure to allow the NHS to make the most of new technologies.

This includes replacing equipment that has passed its recommended lifespan and expanding “capacity to accommodate the increased demand for healthcare from an ageing population”.

“This would enable staff to function more efficiently, and shorten diagnosis and treatment times in areas such as cancer,” the report said.

New roles will be ‘trained and regulated properly’

Vacancies currently stand at 112,000, and there are fears shortfalls could grow to 360,000 by 2037.

Shorter medical degrees, apprenticeships so staff can “earn while they learn” and more medical school places in the areas of greatest need were among the previous headline announcements.

The Prime Minister has insisted people being brought into new roles in the NHS will be “trained properly and they’ll be regulated properly”.

Rishi Sunak said the General Medical Council (GMC) will bring new roles like physician associates into its remit as regulator.

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PM: ‘We’re improving culture, leadership and wellbeing’ in NHS

As the Conservatives have now been in power for 13 years, critics – including Labour’s shadow health secretary Wes Streeting – have been asking why the party hasn’t acted sooner.

He said governments from all parties had “ducked” the workforce challenge for decades but said “overcoming this won’t be quick or easy”.

He added: “It’s only possible because of the difficult decisions we’re taking elsewhere to cut the debt and by prioritising the NHS there will be other things that we can’t afford.

“But the NHS is too important. So we’re making the tough calls, and doing things differently, to protect the long term future of the NHS and this country.”

No mention of pay

And while the plan focuses on retention and training, as waves of strikes continue across the health service, the preview contained no mention of pay other than to say: “Everyone working in the NHS should be recognised and rewarded fairly to help ensure we attract and retain the staff we need to provide the best possible care for patients.”

In response to questions about this, the prime minister said everyone would like to be paid more, but the government’s job is to “make sure that we reward people fairly and well for the work they are doing” but also bring down inflation.

He said he is “really pleased” the NHS staff council, which represents over a million NHS workers, voted to accept the government’s pay offer, adding: “I think they did recognise that it was fair and reasonable and rewarded their members for their hard work.

“”And I’m very grateful to all them for doing that because I know that fundamentally what they care about is working really hard, to deliver excellent healthcare.”

Unite General Secretary Sharon Graham said: “This looks like a bold plan to transform the training of new staff in the NHS. But the devil is in the detail as usual. There is a promise of funding for training for three years, but nothing about money for current staff.

“If there is not enough money to pay NHS staff a decent wage now, and transform current wage structures, then all the aspirations for more staffing in the training plan will fail to address the current crisis in the recruitment and retention of staff. That is what is at the heart of the current staff exodus”.

Analysis: No benefits in the short term

England will not see the benefits of the NHS workforce plan in the short term.

Essentially what this plan does is to grow the workforce, to retrain the workforce where it needs to with the addition of extra technology, and essentially to retain that workforce.

The government wants to work towards a plan over the next five, 10 and 15 years where it is less dependent on overseas-trained health professionals.

Essentially what this means is that we won’t see the benefits of this long-term workforce plan in the short term and it won’t do anything to address things like social care or NHS estates.

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Diogo Jota: Liverpool players join mourners as Premier League star and his brother Andre Silva buried in Portugal

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Diogo Jota: Liverpool players join mourners as Premier League star and his brother Andre Silva buried in Portugal

Liverpool players past and present have joined the family and friends of Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva for their funeral in Portugal.

A service was held in the Igreja Matriz de Gondomar church in their hometown of Gondomar near Porto in northern Portugal on Saturday morning.

Mourners lined the streets and some in the crowd clapped as the brothers’ coffins were carried into the church.

The funeral – in pictures


Liverpool's captain Virgil van Dijk arrives on the day of the funeral ceremony of Liverpool's Portuguese soccer player Diogo Jota and his b
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Liverpool’s captain Virgil van Dijk. Pic: Reuters

Liverpool's Ryan Gravenberch and Cody Gakpo (right) arrive at the funeral of Diogo Jota and Andre Silva
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Liverpool’s Ryan Gravenberch and Cody Gakpo (right) arrive at the funeral of Diogo Jota and Andre Silva. Pic: PA

Jota, 28, leaves behind his wife of only 11 days, Rute Cardoso, and three young children.

His younger brother, 25, was an attacking midfielder for Penafiel in the second tier of Portuguese football.

Liverpool manager Arne Slot, captain Virgil Van Dijk and teammates including Andy Robertson, Conor Bradley, Ryan Gravenberch, Cody Gakpo, Curtis Jones, Darwin Nunez and Joe Gomez were seen at the service.

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Former teammates Jordan Henderson, James Milner and Fabinho were also there.

Van Dijk carried a red wreath with Jota’s number 20, while Robertson had a wreath featuring number 30, Silva’s number at Penafiel.

Diogo Jota funeral
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Manchester United and Portugal player Bruno Fernandes. Pic: PA


Liverpool's captain Virgil van Dijk and Liverpool's player Andrew Robertson arrive on the day of the funeral ceremony of Liverpool's Portug
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Liverpool’s captain Virgil van Dijk and Liverpool’s player Andrew Robertson. Pic: Reuters

Some of Jota’s teammates in the Portuguese national side also attended, including Bruno Fernandes, of Manchester United, Ruben Dias and Bernardo Silva, of Manchester City, Joao Felix and Renato Veiga, of Chelsea, Nelson Semedo, from Wolves, Joao Moutinho and Rui Patricio.

Ruben Neves was one of the pallbearers after flying in from Florida where he played for Al Hilal in the Club World Cup quarter-final on Friday night.

‘More than a friend’

In a post published on Instagram before the service, he told Jota he had been “more than a friend, we’re family, and we won’t stop being that way just because you’ve decided to sign a contract a little further away from us!”

Jota’s fellow Liverpool midfielder, Alexis Mac Allister, said on Instagram: “I can’t believe it. I’ll always remember your smiles, your anger, your intelligence, your camaraderie, and everything that made you a person. It hurts so much; we’ll miss you. Rest in peace, dear Diogo.”

Porto FC president Andre Villas-Boas and Portugal national team manager Roberto Martinez were also in attendance.

‘With us forever’

Speaking after the ceremony, Martinez said the period since their deaths had been “really, really sad days, as you can imagine, but today we showed we are a large, close family.

“Their spirit will be with us forever.”

The service was private, but the words spoken by the Bishop of Porto, Manuel Linda, were broadcast to those standing outside the church.

He told Jota’s children, who were not at the service, that he was praying for them specifically, as well as their mother and grandparents.

“There are no words, but there are feelings,” he said, adding: “We also suffer a lot and we are with you emotionally.”

The brothers died after a Lamborghini they were travelling in burst into flames following a suspected tyre blowout in the early hours of Thursday morning.

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No other vehicles are said to have been involved in the incident.

Liverpool have delayed the return of their players for pre-season following Jota’s death and players past and present paid tribute to him and his brother on social media.

Flowers have been left outside Anfield, where flags have been lowered to half-mast and all club shops, museums and tours have been closed until Monday.

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Rachel Reeves hints at tax rises in autumn budget after welfare bill U-turn

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Rachel Reeves hints at tax rises in autumn budget after welfare bill U-turn

Rachel Reeves has hinted that taxes are likely to be raised this autumn after a major U-turn on the government’s controversial welfare bill.

Sir Keir Starmer’s Universal Credit and Personal Independent Payment Bill passed through the House of Commons on Tuesday after multiple concessions and threats of a major rebellion.

MPs ended up voting for only one part of the plan: a cut to universal credit (UC) sickness benefits for new claimants from £97 a week to £50 from 2026/7.

Initially aimed at saving £5.5bn, it now leaves the government with an estimated £5.5bn black hole – close to breaching Ms Reeves’s fiscal rules set out last year.

Read more:
Yet another fiscal ‘black hole’? Here’s why this one matters

Success or failure: One year of Keir in nine charts

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Rachel Reeves’s fiscal dilemma

In an interview with The Guardian, the chancellor did not rule out tax rises later in the year, saying there were “costs” to watering down the welfare bill.

“I’m not going to [rule out tax rises], because it would be irresponsible for a chancellor to do that,” Ms Reeves told the outlet.

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“We took the decisions last year to draw a line under unfunded commitments and economic mismanagement.

“So we’ll never have to do something like that again. But there are costs to what happened.”

Meanwhile, The Times reported that, ahead of the Commons vote on the welfare bill, Ms Reeves told cabinet ministers the decision to offer concessions would mean taxes would have to be raised.

The outlet reported that the chancellor said the tax rises would be smaller than those announced in the 2024 budget, but that she is expected to have to raise tens of billions more.

It comes after Ms Reeves said she was “totally” up to continuing as chancellor after appearing tearful at Prime Minister’s Questions.

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Why was the chancellor crying at PMQs?

Criticising Sir Keir for the U-turns on benefit reform during PMQs, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said the chancellor looked “absolutely miserable”, and questioned whether she would remain in post until the next election.

Sir Keir did not explicitly say that she would, and Ms Badenoch interjected to say: “How awful for the chancellor that he couldn’t confirm that she would stay in place.”

In her first comments after the incident, Ms Reeves said she was having a “tough day” before adding: “People saw I was upset, but that was yesterday.

“Today’s a new day and I’m just cracking on with the job.”

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Reeves is ‘totally’ up for the job

Sir Keir also told Sky News’ political editor Beth Rigby on Thursday that he “didn’t appreciate” that Ms Reeves was crying in the Commons.

“In PMQs, it is bang, bang, bang,” he said. “That’s what it was yesterday.

“And therefore, I was probably the last to appreciate anything else going on in the chamber, and that’s just a straightforward human explanation, common sense explanation.”

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Diogo Jota and Andre Silva’s funeral in pictures

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Diogo Jota and Andre Silva's funeral in pictures

The family and friends of Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva have been joined by Liverpool stars past and present and other Portuguese players at the pair’s funeral near Porto.

The Liverpool forward, 28, and his brother died in a car crash in Spain on Thursday.

Pictures below show the funeral at the Igreja Matriz de Gondomar church in the town of Gondomar near Porto. Click here for our liveblog coverage of the day’s events.

Jota's wife Rute Cardoso arrives for the funeral of him and his brother his brother Andre Silva. Pic: Reuters
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Diogo Jota’s wife Rute Cardoso arrives for the funeral of him and his brother Andre Silva. Pic: Reuters


Liverpool's captain Virgil van Dijk and Liverpool's player Andrew Robertson arrive on the day of the funeral ceremony of Liverpool's Portug
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Liverpool players Virgil van Dijk and Andrew Robertson arrive for the funeral. Pic: Reuters

Liverpool's captain Virgil van Dijk and Liverpool's player Andrew Robertson arrive for the funeral of Diogo Jota. Pic: Reuters
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Van Dijk carried a wreath with Jota’s number 20 while Andrew Robertson’s had a 30 for Andre Silva. Pic: Reuters


Liverpool's captain Virgil van Dijk arrives on the day of the funeral ceremony of Liverpool's Portuguese soccer player Diogo Jota and his b
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Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk. Pic: Reuters

Portugal's Ruben Neves arrives at the funeral of Diogo Jota and Andre Silva being held at Igreja Matriz de Gondomar in the town of Gondomar near Porto. The Liverpool and Portugal forward died along with his younger brother Andre Silva in the accident in Zamora on Thursday morning. Picture date: Saturday July 5, 2025. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: PA Wire.
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Portugal player Ruben Neves arrives at the funeral. Pic: PA

Liverpool's Joe Gomez and Arne Slot arrive at the funeral of Diogo Jota and Andre Silva being held at Igreja Matriz de Gondomar in the town of Gondomar near Porto. The Liverpool and Portugal forward died along with his younger brother Andre Silva in the accident in Zamora on Thursday morning. Picture date: Saturday July 5, 2025. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: PA Wire.
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Liverpool’s Joe Gomez and manager Arne Slot arrive at the funeral of Diogo Jota and Andre Silva. Pic; PA

Liverpool's Ryan Gravenberch and Cody Gakpo (right) arrive at the funeral of Diogo Jota and Andre Silva
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Liverpool’s Ryan Gravenberch and Cody Gakpo (right) arrive at the funeral of Diogo Jota and Andre Silva

Manchester City and Portugal player Bernardo Silva arrives at the funeral of Diogo Jota and Andre Silva being held at Igreja Matriz de Gondomar in the town of Gondomar near Porto. The Liverpool and Portugal forward died along with his younger brother Andre Silva in the accident in Zamora on Thursday morning. Picture date: Saturday July 5, 2025. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: PA Wire.
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Manchester City and Portugal player Bernardo Silva arrives at the funeral. Pic: AP

The coffins of Diogo Jota and Andre Silva are brought into the Igreja Matriz de Gondomar in the town of Gondomar near Porto. The Liverpool and Portugal forward died along with his younger brother Andre Silva in the accident in Zamora on Thursday morning. Picture date: Saturday July 5, 2025. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: PA Wire.
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The coffins are carried to the church. Pic: PA

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Miguell Rocha played with Jota for around ten years with Gondomar Sport Clube in Portugal.

People line up as they wait to enter at a church where the bodies of Liverpool forward Diogo Jota and his brother Andr.. Silva have been brought for a wake and funeral in Gondomar, near Porto, Portugal, on Friday, July 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
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People line up to enter the church. Pic: AP


Pallbearers carry the coffins of Liverpool's Portuguese soccer player Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva, who died in a car crash near
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Pallbearers carry the coffins of Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva

Pallbearers carry the coffins of Liverpool's Portuguese soccer player Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva, who died in a car crash near Z
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Pic: Reuters

People crowd outside the church during the funeral of Diogo Jota and his brother Andr.. Silva, in Gondomar, near Porto, Portugal, on Saturday, July 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
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Pic: AP


People gather outside the Chapel of the Resurrection, on the day of the funeral ceremony of Liverpool's Portuguese soccer player Diogo Jota
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People gather outside the Chapel of the Resurrection. Pic: Reuters

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The former captain was seen wiping away tears as he read messages and laid his tribute down.

Fans pay their respects outside Anfield Stadium, on the day of the funeral of Liverpool soccer player Diogo Jota in Portugal, in Liverpool,
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Fans pay their respects outside Anfield in Liverpool. Pic: Reuters


A board displays a picture of Liverpool soccer player Diogo Jota as tribute on the day of his funeral in Portugal, outside Anfield Stadium
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A board with a picture of Diogo Jota outside Anfield Stadium. Pic: PA

The coffins of Diogo Jota and Andre Silva are brought into the Igreja Matriz de Gondomar in the town of Gondomar near Porto. The Liverpool and Portugal forward died along with his younger brother Andre Silva in the accident in Zamora on Thursday morning. Picture date: Saturday July 5, 2025. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: PA Wire.
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The coffins are carried to the church. Pic: PA

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