This week you’ll have seen the usual false rumours circulating on social media about the NHS being sold off as part of the new Trade Bill.
It won’t surprise you to hear that this is not happening and isn’t going to happen in the future either.
The Prime Minister has also stated this on numerous occasions.
It’s the job of Government to pass various Bills to allow the smooth functioning and legality of things such as trade.
Considering Britain has left EU and will be nearing the end of the transition period it’s obvious that we will need to introduce legislation to allow this to happen.
When a Government introduces a Bill, it is normal for the opposition to try and introduce amendments or changes which they wish to propose.
Sometimes these make genuinely useful suggestions, but the vast majority of the time they are designed to make the government look bad and grab headlines.
I don’t have a problem with the Opposition doing this – it’s part of their job and I’m sure if I were in opposition I would also be tabling amendments.
In this case, it has been done with the intention of making out that the NHS is being sold to the Americans as part of a trade deal and that we must immediately legislate to stop this from happening.
Of course, this is absolute nonsense.
Imagine promising you were going to do something and then being asked to pass a law every time you did it.
Governments of any colour would not normally accept Opposition amendments to their own Bills and the same is the case for Opposition Day motions.
It would be really easy for me to state that I will be voting against all Opposition amendments and motions for the next four years.
However, I won’t say this, because I think that is unfair on backbench members from all parties who make genuinely constructive and sensible proposals (sometimes on non-political issues).
So to be clear, the Trade Bill has absolutely nothing to do with the NHS and the Government’s commitment to it remains the same.
You’ll see this first-hand with the investment in Bassetlaw Hospital.
