Jeremy Corbyn is ‘deeply suspicious’ at Boris Johnson’s plans for the NHS The PM has not ruled out further privatisation

Jeremy Corbyn declared he was was “deeply suspicious” of Boris Johnson’s plans for the National Health Service.

He said the Tories were willing to work with US drug companies, potentially opening up the NHS to market forces, after December’s general election.

President Donald Trump and Mr Johnson have both publicly distanced themselves from the Labour leader’s comments that the NHS should be kept out of US hands.

The i politics newsletter cut through the noise Email address is invalid Email address is invalid Thank you for subscribing! Sorry, there was a problem with your subscription.

Mr Corbyn said: “I want our NHS to be ours, publicly owned and publicly run. And that’s exactly what will happen with a Labour government.”

Concerns for the NHS

Mr Trump has said, at various points, that the NHS needs to be on the table during trade talks and that the NHS won’t be part of negotiations.

The Prime Minister has also not ruled out further privatisation of the service.

Mr Corbyn brushed off recent criticism from the US president, saying: “I’m much more concerned about the relationship of the Tory party with the US government and the US on our public services.

“And the deals they’ve been apparently prepared to do with US pharmaceutical companies for our NHS.”

He added: “When Trump and the US ambassador and others have said repeatedly that any trade deal with Britain would require their access to the British healthcare market, as they call it, I’m deeply, deeply suspicious.”

With no Brexit and no current US trade deal it is not known what could eventually be in a US-UK pact and what access it might allow US companies to the NHS, which buys everything from pens to drugs to the latest high tech equipment.

When Mr Trump spoke to Brexit Party leader and radio host Nigel Farage on LBC he denied the allegation he was aiming to take over the UK health service, calling the claim “so ridiculous”.

But in June he said: “When you’re dealing in trade, everything is on the table – so NHS or anything else, a lot more than that, but everything will be on the table, absolutely.”

Johnson dodged answer

Mr Corbyn, spoke in Swindon, at Commonweal Sixth Form College, after the Prime Minister failed to rule out expanding private provisioning in the NHS in future.

In an interview with BBC News on Friday, Mr Johnson was asked whether he would rule out further use of the private sector in the health service.

He did not directly answer the question, instead replying: “What I will tell you, well of course there are dentists and optometrists and so on who are providers to the NHS, of course, that’s how it works.

“But we are, we believe, I believe passionately in an NHS free at the point of use for everybody in this country.”

Mr Johnson also said he was “absolutely determined” to increase taxpayer funding of the health service and accused Labour of trying to divert the campaign narrative away from Brexit.