Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Mr Streeting reiterated that the NHS “isn’t on the table” in terms of trade discussions, but said the UK has a “large and diverse patient population” that could offer a lot in terms of research.
He said: “We’ve always been clear that the NHS isn’t on the table, but if I think about the ingredients that are key to the NHS’s success, particularly in terms of life sciences and medical technology, there’s a lot that we’ve got to offer the United States and there’s a lot that we could get from the United States given our two countries’ strengths.”.
Asked whether the NHS would be involved in any deal, a Downing Street spokesman said on Friday: “The Government’s clear that we’ll only ever sign trade agreements which align with the UK national interest and the NHS will never be on the table for any trade agreement.”.
Asked what the UK could contribute, he said: “We’ve got great science, we’ve got a large and diverse patient population that in terms of medical research and clinical trials has a lot to offer the world.”.
After a meeting at the White House with Sir Keir Starmer on Thursday, the US president said he thinks “there’s a very good chance that in the case of these two great, friendly countries, I think we could very well end up with a real trade deal where the tariffs wouldn’t be necessary”.
