“The NHS is not up for grabs, it’s not on the table in the context of trade, but there are a number of areas where we can and should work together to deepen the trading relationship between our two countries.”
Health Secretary Wes Streeting has said that the NHS is “not on the table” in any potential US trade deal, as President Trump announced that the UK and the US could end up with a “real trade deal” that would make tariffs unnecessary.
Trump met with Prime Minister Keir Starmer yesterday, where the pair discussed a range of issues, including potential security guarantees for Ukraine as well as trade. Trump has made clear his desire to impose tariffs, hitting a number of other countries with tariffs just weeks into his second term.
Keen to avoid any economic hit to the UK economy, Starmer met with the President, presenting him with a letter from King Charles inviting him to an “unprecedented” second state visit to the UK.
During an interview on Sky News, Streeting was asked whether he would be prepared to ‘give ground’ in order to secure a trade deal with the U.S.
Streeting replied: “The NHS is not up for grabs, it’s not on the table in the context of trade, but there are a number of areas where we can and should work together to deepen the trading relationship between our two countries.”
The Health Secretary also appeared on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, to reiterate his position, saying that the NHS “isn’t on the table” in terms of trade discussions, but said the UK has a “large and diverse patient population” that could offer a lot in terms of research.
He said: “We’ve always been clear that the NHS isn’t on the table, but if I think about the ingredients that are key to the NHS’s success, particularly in terms of life sciences and medical technology, there’s a lot that we’ve got to offer the United States and there’s a lot that we could get from the United States given our two countries’ strengths.”
Basit Mahmood is editor of Left Foot Forward
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