We only redacted NHS discussions with US because we knew people would interpret them correctly, insist Tories

The Conservatives have defended their decision to redact the minutes and notes of meetings with US trade negotiators regarding the NHS, insisting the public’s reaction to their release shows they were right.

After Jeremy Corbyn released 400 pages of unredacted notes for the press and public to read for themselves, Tory strategists pointed to everyone seeing how the NHS is ‘on the table’ in any future trade negotiations as the obvious reason they kept it secret.

A Conservative spokesperson told us, “Thanks to Jeremy Corbyn everyone now knows what was discussed – and how is that possibly something that is going to help us? This can only hurt us. Obviously we have been proven right in our decision to keep these documents redacted.”

However, they went on to argue that people might have misinterpreted what is in the documents.

They went on, “The US is only asking for a review of drug pricing and patents and access to various other markets inside the NHS. And they’re only insisting this is part of any post-Brexit trade deal we do with them. Why people think this means the NHS is definitely ‘on the table’ for our future trade deal we have no idea.

“We can obviously just say ‘no’ to the US and still get the quick and beneficial trade deal we all told you we’d get.

“Please stop laughing.”

Meanwhile, voters have been left wondering if maybe someone could now leak the report into Russian interference in our democracy, the one that the government insists contains nothing whatsoever of interest.