Congleton's MP Fiona Bruce has defended her decision to vote against an amendment to the Trade Bill, which included efforts to protect the NHS, stating the UK would never "agree to any free trade deal that put the NHS on the table".

MPs voted against the amendment New Clause 17 last Monday (20th July), which aimed to protect the NHS in England, as well as health and care services in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, from any form of control from outside the UK.

It was created to protect the NHS and also included assurances that in any trade deal the ability to provide a free-at-the-point-of-delivery service was not compromised, staff would not have wages cut, medicine pricing was controlled and patient data was not sold off.

Similar to fellow Conservative MPs Kieran Mullen (Crewe and Nantwich) and David Rutley (Macclesfield), Fiona Bruce voted down the amendment. It was voted down by 340 votes to 251 in parliament.

Explaining her decision Mrs Bruce, told Nub News: "The NHS is one of the greatest assets of our country, something which has been particularly highlighted by the dedication and resolve of NHS workers during the coronavirus outbreak, and therefore protecting the NHS is of the utmost importance to this Conservative Government.

"The Conservative Manifesto which I stood on in the December 2019 General Election was clear when it said: 'When we are negotiating trade deals, the NHS will not be on the table. The price the NHS pays for drugs will not be on the table. The services the NHS provides will not be on the table'.

"The Prime Minister, Boris Johnson MP, has repeatedly been clear that under no circumstances would the UK agree to any free trade deal that put the NHS on the table.

"These sentiments have been further emphasised by senior Government Ministers, including both the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and the Secretary of State for International Trade who, in a joint statement, confirmed the following -

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- We will never accept changes to the NHS being free at the point of need.

- We will never accept any trade deal that changes our ability to regulate the NHS or any public services – to do so would be undemocratic.

- We will never accept any trade deal that decreased control of procurement and competition rules by forcing the NHS to provide preferential access to foreign companies.

- Will never accept changes to the UK's medicines pricing and reimbursement system which negatively impact the NHS. The sustainability of the NHS is an absolute priority for this Government.

"This Government's commitment to the future of the NHS has further been reiterated in the NHS Long Term Plan which will see £33.9 billion invested into the NHS by this Government by 2023/24 – the largest, longest funding settlement in the history of the NHS, the recruitment of more than 12,000 nurses, 6,000 more doctors, the building of 40 new hospitals and the upgrade of a further 20."