Fact checked by: fullfact

Notes

In my research this doesn’t seem to be true.

My understanding is that the starting point for negotiations in US, any negotiations, are that everything is on the table. Then things get taken off. As opposed to the other way round. So by default the NHS would be on the table at the beginning, as would everything else.

The documents Jeremy Corbyn showed as evidence are reference from meetings before Boris Johnson was PM, and he was never present.

There’s no evidence that the conservatives want to “sell the NHS”, only possible evidence that the US want drugs to be part of any future trade negotiations.

You could say the NHS isn’t protected, other than Boris Johnson’s assurances, from US big pharma.

Regarding the £500 million a week, it’s possible drug prices will increase post brexit. However labour’s figure is a “fairly extreme scenario” according to the Nuffield Trust. And based on other countries who have trade deals with the US, like Australia, not a likely scenario.

However, Full Fact says “US has long argued that other countries pay too little for pharmaceuticals, and was likely to seek to address this in a trade agreement”.