A petition warned the government not to risk the NHS in an attempt to form a trade deal with President Trump EVAN VUCCI/APMinisters have vowed to defend the National Health Service against White House attempts to use post-Brexit trade negotiations to force it to pay more for prescription drugs. There is a “real threat” that the United States will force the NHS to pay billions of pounds more for drugs after a senior Trump administration official pledged to increase pressure during forthcoming trade talks. Greg Hands, the international trade minister, insisted that the government would protect the health service during negotiations with the US. “I think the most important thing to understand, with all trade agreements, is that no trade agreement prevents a country from having the domestic right to regulate,” he told The Times. “We have always been clear that, in all trade agreements, the NHS…

Source: The Times May 18, 2018 23:03 UTC