Diluting data privacy rules after Brexit, as US negotiators have urged, could give companies access to 55 million health records

A leading trade economist has warned that NHS patient data may be exploited by US technology companies under a trade deal with America.

Alan Winters, director of the Trade Policy Observatory at Sussex University, said clauses on data sharing and algorithms that US negotiators want inserted into a deal could be used to capture the value in NHS patient records, estimated at £10 billion a year.

A leaked cache of official government files on the private discussions released by Jeremy Corbyn last week revealed “the free flow of data is a top priority” for the US in any trade talks. US negotiators also urged the UK to dilute data privacy rules after Brexit and “to avoid forcing companies to disclose algorithms”.

The arrangements could