HIV Charities including the Terrence Higgins Trust have said that Nigel Farage's remarks about refusing free HIV care for all illegitimate asylum seekers will ultimately backfire by prolonging the HIV pandemic.

Richard Angell OBE, the Chief Executive of THT, responded to Mr Farage, saying "Nigel Farage told a rally in Scotland that people seeking asylum in the UK should not receive HIV treatment free on the NHS. The remarks echo comments he made in 2015, saying that no migrants should be able to access free HIV care in the UK.

We can't let comments like this stand. With treatment, people living with HIV can live a long, healthy life and can't pass it on. Without it, their health is at risk, and they could pass on the virus. That's why HIV is one of the conditions for which treatment is free for everyone in the UK."

Not only were Mr Farage's comments deeply stigmatising, they go against what all the evidence tells us – that people are far more likely to seek HIV prevention and treatment if they don't have to worry about the bill. Any changes to the principle of universal free HIV treatment would roll back decades of progress on HIV in the UK.

That's why we're calling on Nigel Farage to put down the dog-whistle and join the cross-party effort to end new HIV cases in England by 2030."