Jeremy Corbyn will tell Trump that NHS is not for sale under Labour
3 December 2019, 12:05
Jeremy Corbyn will attend a reception at Buckingham Palace hosted by the Queen which the US President is also set to attend.
On Tuesday The Queen, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall will formally greet the Nato leaders at a State reception to mark 70 years of the alliance.
Prince Charles and the monarch will then join the politicians for a group photograph. But the Labour leader has made it clear if he speaks with the US President he will make his views known.
Mr Corbyn, speaking outside Soas University of London during a speech on workers’ rights as part of his election campaign, said: “In any trade deal with the United States with a Labour government public services will not be put on the table. Our NHS will not be put up for sale because public services are there for a reason."
He added: "Obviously we want a good relationship with the USA but the trade talks that have been undertaken by the Government have been done in secret and we do not accept any idea of US companies coming in to run our NHS or the idea of extending the patents of medicine that will increase the costs for our NHS."
Donald Trump has denied the NHS would be on the table during UK-US trade talks and said the US would not be interested in even if it was "handed to us on a silver platter".
On a visit to the UK to mark the 70th anniversary of Nato, the US President was asked about the possibility of the NHS being opened up to US pharmaceutical companies post-Brexit.
The US President also claimed he would “stay out” of the General Election campaign because he does not want to “complicate it”, but went on to describe the PM as “very capable."
Protesters are expected to gather outside the Palace, with a wide range of groups planning to demonstrate. While pro-NHS activists will march from Trafalgar Square down the Mall to the gates of the Queen's London residence, they will also be joined by anti-war campaigners who will stage a 'No To Trump - No To NATO' demonstration as leaders assemble inside.
Earlier the Labour leader published a letter he had sent to the US President to ask him to clarify that his administration will not try to include selling higher-priced US drugs to the NHS on its trade wish list.
Jeremy Corbyn used a press conference last week to claim he had 'proof' that the NHS would be on the table in any post-Brexit US-UK trade talks, he also voiced concerns that American pharmaceutical companies would try to drive up prices of drugs sold to the NHS.
President Trump spoke to Nigel Farage on his LBC show hitting out at Jeremy Corbyn saying the Labour leader would be "so so bad" for the UK as Prime Minister.
Mr Corbyn told reporters on Tuesday he felt visitors should be treated with “respect and politeness”, referring to President Trump, but he said that he would “very gently, quite simply, but extremely firmly” say Labour would not put the NHS “up for sale."
Meanwhile, Donald Trump has said he would be able to "work with anybody" when asked whether he could work with Jeremy Corbyn as Prime Minister.
He replied: "I can work with anybody, I'm a very easy person to work with."
Boris Johnson dismissed the claims by the Labour leader, saying he could "categorically rule out" that "any part of the NHS will be on the table in any trade negotiations", adding this included pharmaceuticals.
He said: "This is pure Loch Ness Monster, Bermuda Triangle stuff."
