Jeremy Corbyn reveals 451 page secret documents he claims show Boris Johnson is putting NHS 'up for sale' in Brexit trade talks with Trump

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Jeremy Corbyn reveals 451 page secret documents he claims show Boris Johnson is putting NHS 'up for sale' in Brexit trade talks with Trump

Jeremy Corbyn

DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP/Getty Images

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  • The UK government has been engaged in secret talks with the US about including the National Health Service in a post-Brexit trade deal with Trump, according to secret documents released on Wednesday.
  • Opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn released 451 pages of confidential government documents detailing the talks.
  • He claimed that they reveal that the NHS is "up for sale" in talks with Trump.
  • Prime Minister Boris Johnson denies the NHS will be including in any deal.
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Boris Johnson's government has been engaged in secret talks with the US over the role of the National Health Service in a post-Brexit trade deal, according to 451-pages of official documents released by Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn, who claimed they show the NHS is "up for sale" in a post-Brexit trade deal with Trump

Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Corbyn handed out swathes of unredacted material showing that the Conservative government has discussed including the NHS in a post-Brexit trade deal with the United States.

"We have now got evidence that under Boris Johnson the NHS is on the table and will be up for sale," he said.

"He tried to cover it up in a secret agenda and today it has been exposed."

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Corbyn said that the document reveals six rounds of talks dating back to July 2017 as part of an ongoing negotiation.

He said they revealed that both sides had completed "initial discussions" about medicine patents being part of a post-Brexit free trade agreement, which if agreed could lead to UK medicine prices rising.

"Longer patents mean only one thing - more expensive drugs," Corbyn said.

"Lives will be put at risk as a result of this."

Prime Minister Johnson has repeatedly denied that the United Kingdom's free healthcare service would be on the table in trade negotiations with the US and President Donald Trump.

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However, Corbyn said the documents leave Johnson's denials "in tatters."

"These uncensored reports leave Boris Johnson's denials in tatters."

"This election is now a battle of survival for our NHS."

This is a developing story...

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