Scrap drugs deal with ‘bully’ Trump and use money to fund social care, Lib Dems say
Liberal Democrats have called on the government to scrap its contentious drugs deal with Donald Trump’s US, saying billions of dollars saved should be directed to the country’s social care system.
The deal currently provides for duty-free imports of medicines from the UK for three years.
In response, the NHS must increase the spending threshold on new medicines by 25 per cent.
But Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper criticized the arrangement, saying money used “to pay off the tyrant in the White House” could instead be allocated to fund social care.
The party has called on Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to personally lead cross-party discussions on the future of the social care system. The approach was announced 12 months ago, but the Liberal Democrats noted that only one cross-party meeting had taken place as part of Baroness Casey’s independent commission into adult social care.
The government has downplayed reports that the drug deal could cost the NHS an extra £3bn a year; No 10 and Health Secretary Wes Streeting have suggested the figure will be around £1bn by March 2029.
Ms Cooper said: “Keir Starmer has found billions of pounds to pay off the tyrant in the White House but still hasn’t found the money to fix social care.
“He needs to personally address this crisis, put an end to this neglect and finally show whose side he is on.
“A year after the adult social care commission was announced, families are still trying to pick up the pieces of a broken social care system and taxpayers are footing the bill for patients needlessly stuck in hospital beds.”
In response to the Liberal Democrat attack, the Government repeated that the alleged £3bn cost of the deal was inaccurate and that no money would be cut from frontline NHS services to fund the deal.
A spokesman said: “This deal is a vital investment that builds on the strength of the NHS and our world-leading life sciences sector to increase access to life-saving medicines.
“After more than a decade of damage done to our NHS by both the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats, we have experienced shocking delays in hospital discharges and we are working to reverse this.
“Thanks to our record investment, millions more appointments have been made and NHS efficiency is improving.
“As well as working with Baroness Casey to tackle our social care crisis, the NHS is also working closely with local authorities and social care colleagues to ensure discharge capacity can be increased at times of peak demand.
“We have published clear guidance to support faster and safer discharge from hospital, and we are combining the NHS and social care through neighborhood health teams so more people can get the care they need at home.”
