Donald Trump has appeared to backtrack on his controversial comments that the NHS would be “on the table” in any post-Brexit trade talks with the UK.
“I think everything with a trade deal is on the table,” he had said at a news conference with Theresa May.
“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.”
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
However, speaking earlier today to Good Morning Britain he struck a different note.
Asked about the issue, he told Piers Morgan: “I don’t see it being on the table. Somebody asked me a question today and I said everything’s up for negotiation because everything is.
“But I don’t see that as being… that’s not something that I would consider being part of trade. That’s not trade.”
Trump’s original remarks about the NHS were the most eye-catching to come from his news conference. According to The Sun, they sparked a “massive row” as well as provoking a “cross-party backlash”, The Guardian says.
Several Tory leadership contenders rejected the idea. “If Boris Johnson is prime minister the NHS will never be on the negotiating table,” a source close to the former foreign secretary told The Times.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock tweeted: “Dear Mr President. The NHS isn't on the table in trade talks - and never will be. Not on my watch.” Esther McVey echoed the comments: “The NHS would not be on the table in any trade deal I negotiated with the US.”
Rory Stewart declared he would not be “offering up” the NHS in any trade deal, Dominic Raab said the NHS “is not for sale” and “never would be if I was prime minister”, while Sam Gyimah said the health service should not be used as a “bargaining chip”.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn tweeted that a sell-off of the NHS is “what Tory leadership contenders and Farage are lining up for the no-deal disaster capitalism plans they have”. He added: “They all need to understand: our NHS is not for sale.”
The Brexit spokesman for the Liberal Democrats, Tom Brake, said Trump’s suggestion was a “disgrace”. But Nigel Farage, the Brexit Party leader said it was “wilful misinterpretation” to suggest a US trade deal would open the NHS to privatisation.
Today, on the final day of his visit to the UK, Trump will join the Queen and the prime minister in Portsmouth to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings.
Commenting on how Trump’s three-day visit has been treated by Theresa May, the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg said: “For any prime minister, handling a president like Donald Trump is like trying to hold on to a Ming vase walking across a recently polished, slippery parquet floor.”
-
Film reviews: ‘Send Help’ and ‘Private Life’Feature An office doormat is stranded alone with her awful boss and a frazzled therapist turns amateur murder investigator
-
Movies to watch in Februarythe week recommends Time travelers, multiverse hoppers and an Iraqi parable highlight this month’s offerings during the depths of winter
-
ICE’s facial scanning is the tip of the surveillance icebergIN THE SPOTLIGHT Federal troops are increasingly turning to high-tech tracking tools that push the boundaries of personal privacy
-
Trump’s Kennedy Center closure plan draws ireSpeed Read Trump said he will close the center for two years for ‘renovations’
-
Trump's ‘weaponization czar’ demoted at DOJSpeed Read Ed Martin lost his title as assistant attorney general
-
Gabbard faces questions on vote raid, secret complaintSpeed Read This comes as Trump has pushed Republicans to ‘take over’ voting
-
Greenland: The lasting damage of Trump’s tantrumFeature His desire for Greenland has seemingly faded away
-
The price of forgivenessFeature Trump’s unprecedented use of pardons has turned clemency into a big business.
-
Will Peter Mandelson and Andrew testify to US Congress?Today's Big Question Could political pressure overcome legal obstacles and force either man to give evidence over their relationship with Jeffrey Epstein?
-
The ‘mad king’: has Trump finally lost it?Talking Point Rambling speeches, wind turbine obsession, and an ‘unhinged’ letter to Norway’s prime minister have caused concern whether the rest of his term is ‘sustainable’
-
A running list of everything Donald Trump’s administration, including the president, has said about his healthIn Depth Some in the White House have claimed Trump has near-superhuman abilities
