this is a joke. once again the government or the 'higher classes' are proving that british people are 3 rd rate citizens ih their own country. we are constantly being replaced with foregin nationals.

Mark Stuart, wallasey, England

I read with interest your story about doctors. It is worst for barristers! After expensive education and very difficult exams, I cannot get pupillage and I am British. Worst still I will be disqualified and have to resit the Bar exam again if I did not get pupillage within 5 years of graduation.

Les, London, UK

Politicians love to mess about with things. They often break it and then leave the medical profession to pick up the pieces and the blame. What Patricia Hewitt did was wrong.

Dr Timothy Chan, Carmarthen, UK

ABG,
Your information is obviously out-of-date. I am a Brit with a UK degree and an MRCP and yet struggling to get a training job. I have been to interviews where there were several of us Brits and yet the job went to an overseas (i.e. outside Europe) doctor on a work permit.

A.T, London, United Kingdom

We should treat foreigners the same way that they treat us.

MP Allen, Thiruvananthapuram, India

Absolutely bonkers an yother country would just say NO
What a kick in the teeth fo our own junior doctors

John, N Yorks,

Why is everyone ignoring the issue of patients' interests? It should be the NHS' number 1 priority. When hiring, hospitals should do everything they can to employ the most able and competent doctors they can find, wherever they're from. Otherwise they are needlessly endangering patients.

Rowan, Oxford,

What a waste of money, time and effort spent on training our own doctors, for them to be forced to find work abroad. British doctors should come first!

Sara, London, London

Can't the law Lords be had up for Treason?

Bry Barnes, Somerset, Uk

The overturned guidance did not favour UK doctors, it favoured EU doctors. It was certainly no guarantee of British jobs for the British. Rest assured that these highly trained people (trained at another country's expense!) will continue to have plenty of difficulty in competing for any posts.

Bernadette, Oxford, UK

I thought it is the best interest of the patients to have many trainied doctors competeing for consultant posts than junior doctors competing for training posts at the begining of their career. Most of the hospital patient care are done by junior doctors. How can you recruit junior doctors now?

Sam Edirisinghe, Gravesend, Kent

After 5 years in O&G I have been asked to change speciality and start at the begining in order to get a training post. I am not asking the DoH to increase the consultant numbers but to break the current training at ST3 level and create an entry point to those doctors without training posts.

Dona Edirisinghe, Gravesend, Kent

Why should doctors not have to compete with overseas labour, along with the rest of us. All this whingeing about not having a guaranteed job!

Pat, London, UK

Why do people complain about the law lords? They are the ultimate authority in setting out the boundaries of the law as decided by Parliament. If the Government breaks the law it is right that people have access to appropriate recourse to set things right.

Rob, Leeds, UK

The influx of non UK graduates has led to a poorer work ethic and poorer communication with patients. There has been short term attempts to improve things without foresight to look at long term options YET AGAIN. Too many poor doctors are progressing through without penalising poor performance.

Peter Bull, Leeds, UK

I know it is unfair to say that a IMG will get a job ahead of a british doctor.Only who are in the system will understand these issues and for all others it might seem that with this ruling british doctors are at a disadvantage. I can assure they r not and saga will continue unfortunately for IMGs

Krishna, Cardiff,

Michelle go!! There is a much better world out here!

Richard, Plymouth,

Another fine mess Labour have got us into!!! They are so weak on managment imigration and economy.

steve tea, manchester, cheshire

I am fed up with this Government making decisions which end up in court and are subsequently reversed. On this one you wouldn't need to be a lawyer to conclude that the Government was in breach of human rights. This is complete incompetence and two faced to be frank.

mike lincoln, wakefield,

I don't want to have to work abroad but due to this mess it is becoming a very real prospect. How disappointing. I have trained for 8 years and now am not even guaranteed a job.... with all of the corresponding hard work, sacrifices and debt.

Michelle, london,

The law lords have placed the interests of foreign doctors above those of british doctors, and ignored the wishes of the elected government, and people.
Could we not export them (the Law Lords), and instead import foreign judges, possibly French, who have the interests of British citizens at heart

william, deal, kent

So Mr Brown, what happened to British jobs for British people? Yet more tripe from our unelected P.M.

Matt, Blackburn,

Who is in charge - the law lords or government ? I don't remember voting for 4 judges to rule us !!!

Ian Payne, WALSALL,

This will only affect the expats who are residents of UK and are being trained at UK madical schools. I am unaware of an instance where a foreign doctor was selected in an interview also attended by a Brit in the past!

ABG, Chennai, India

Australia will be rubbing its hands in glee - 1000 Doctors
available each year trained at UK tax payers expense! Why spend £250 million when the UK will pay it for them? On the other hand what else should we expect from Patricia Hewitt?

D Stokoe, Liverpool, UK

Arthur,
We don't vote Government in, we vote Parliament in.
The article describes how Lord Rodger of Earlsferry explains that the Government could have put rules before Parliament (Those we voted in) but chose not to do so.
It's good to see that you and the Law Lords seem to agree on this one!

M M , London,

Since when did we vote the Law Lords into power?

Everything the government does (for good or bad), the Law Lords can change. I thought we voted the government in, to do as we wish, not the Law Lords, as they appear to be the real power in this country.

Arthur, Newcastle,

I take it then that the 20 thousand or so IMGs who had to leave the country while this policy was in place during the last 2 years will be compensated. Oh, silly me, of course no such thing will happen & this was the whole point, to implement illegal procedures expecting IMGs to be passive.

S. A, London, United Kingdom