"Corbyn's US document shows more than the NHS to worry about"
27 November 2019, 13:18
Jeremy Corbyn says he has found proof that the NHS will be part of trade talks between the UK and US after Brexit. But the man who originally got hold of the document said there's even worse
Nick Dearden is the Director of Global Justice Now, who received the papers after putting in a Freedom of Information request.
The government originally refused to give any details, before sending a heavily-redacted version of the 451-page document. A whistleblower then sent the full version to both Global Justice Now and the Labour Party.
Mr Corbyn focused on the fact that it shows the US had demanded pharmaceuticals are on the table as part of any trade deal. But Nick pointed out that there are other elements that are just as concerning.
Speaking to James O'Brien, he said: "When we flicked through it, we were desperately concerned.
"Not just about the NHS and the health system, but about our food standards, about the kind of laws that may be brought in to regulate big tech - Facebook, Google and Amazon - under a US trade deal."
One thing mentioned is around food standards, stating the US is not keen on food warning labels - largely based on the fact that the more warnings something has, the less likely people are to buy it.
James added to his commentary, saying: "I note one Financial Times journalist is pointing out correctly that the NHS is only mentioned four times throughout all the leaked documents.
"But it's very interesting to see that you, as someone who got their hands on this document early, recognising that there is lots and lots of other stuff in there that is really interesting and important."
Nick pointed out a line in the document saying that the phrase NHS shouldn't be used because they recognise that it would cause controversy. He said: "Part of the reason the NHS is only mentioned four times is that we have told people not to use the phrase very much."
