Our NHS is facing a huge new threat. The governments eyeing up new trade deals with countries like America – and Theresa May is refusing to rule out putting the NHS on the negotiating table. [1] That could mean US private healthcare companies taking over parts of our NHS, and getting new powers to sue the UK government to demand more NHS contracts. [2]
But we’ve got a chance to stop it. A law going through parliament right now would let the government do these kinds of trade deals in secret, and stop MPs and the public from having a say on them. MPs get a vote on this new law in the next few weeks. We don’t have long to convince them to stand up for their right to have a say on trade deals that could put our NHS at risk.
Already over 260,000 of us have signed a petition against the plans for closed door trade deals. But more people need to get involved if we’re going to stop this threat to the NHS. Every extra signature shows MPs that the public is against trade deals being done in secret.
Getting trade deals right might not sound like something that affects you day to day. But it couldn’t be more important. Good trade deals can boost the economy, create jobs, and improve opportunities for all of us. [4] But when trade deals are done badly, it can be a disaster. It could mean lost jobs, lower standards for food, and threats to our public services. [5]
Together we’ve made the government back down on things like this before. When the government wanted to use so-called “Henry VIII” powers to pass new laws after Brexit in secret, hundreds of thousands of us spoke out and forced the government to change its mind. [6] And now MPs will be given a vote on all our laws after Brexit. Let’s make sure the people we choose as our voices in parliament have a say on our future trade deals too.