Migrants from outside Europe will see the annual fees for using the NHS double under new plans, the Government has announced.

Upfront charges for the health service will rise from £200 to £400 each year for overseas visitors who stay in the UK for six months or longer, which ministers say will generate an extra £220m a year for the NHS.

Students and those on the youth mobility scheme for people aged 18 to 30 will see their charges increase from £150 to £300.

The fees were originally brought in to combat so-called "health tourism", where people travel to the UK to access free healthcare. Deliberate health tourism accounts for about 0.3 per cent of the NHS budget, according to FullFact, an independent fact checking organisation.

The move represents a watering-down of a key Conservative manifesto pledge, which promised to hike the annual surcharge to £600 for overseas visitors using the service.

After a disastrous election campaign, Theresa May was forced to row back on several commitments including the overhaul of social care policy that was branded a "dementia tax" by opponents.

Health Minister Lord O'Shaughnessy said: "Our NHS is always there when you need it, paid for by British taxpayers.

"We welcome long-term migrants using the NHS, but it is only right that they make a fair contribution to its long-term sustainability.

"By increasing the surcharge so that it better reflects the actual costs of using health services, this Government is providing an extra £220 million a year to support the NHS."

It comes after thousands of campaigners marched on Downing Street on Saturday to protest NHS funding shortages, as the health service was embroiled in a deepening winter crisis.

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Immigration minister Caroline Nokes said: “It is only right that people who come to the UK should contribute to the running of the NHS.

"The surcharge offers access to healthcare services that are far more comprehensive and at a much lower cost than many other countries.

“The income generated goes directly to NHS services, helping to protect and sustain our world-class healthcare system for everyone who uses it.”