Labour accuses Tories over secret ‘US talks’

Bloomberg

Jeremy Corbyn accused Boris Johnson’s government of secretly negotiating with the US over the National Health Service (NHS) as he sought to shift the focus from a spat over antisemitism that has embroiled his campaign. “This election is now a fight for the survival of our National Health Service,” Corbyn said as he unveiled previously redacted documents about the talks. Time is running out for the Labour leader to claw back Boris Johnson’s lead; a closely watched YouGov poll is expected to provide an indicator of how realistic that is.
Jeremy Corbyn’s speech was heavily infused with the name of the Donald Trump, as he sought to capitalise on Britons’ suspicions of the US president.
The document Corbyn referred to includes accounts of trade meetings between US and UK officials. He said the account of one meeting showed US officials refusing to include reference to climate change in the trade discussions.
“This is not only a plot against our NHS, it’s a plot against our country,” Corbyn said. “What’s at stake in a deal with Trump could not be more important for the country.”
“These documents confirm the US is demanding the NHS is on the table in the trade talks,” Corbyn said.
“Big pharma has ripped off and imperiled the health of the American people for years. Now these secret reports show they’re looking to do the same to us if the conservatives are elected on December 12”
Jeremy Corbyn sought to turn attention to the fate of the National Health Service after his party was hammered over its record on antisemitism.
At an event, he held up a 451-page unredacted document, which he said showed information Boris Johnson’s government wouldn’t reveal about the status of health care in US trade talks. He said the secret document — previously only available in a heavily redacted form — showed that under Johnson, “the NHS is up for sale” in trade talks with the US. The PM’s denials that it isn’t are “in tatters,” he said.