****THIS IS AN ARCHIVED WEBPAGE****
****The information below relates to past actions****
**** Please feel free to browse!!****
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UPDATE – 19th JANUARY 2021
The House of Lords put forward Amendments to the Trade Bill – if passed, these Amendments would have provided some protection to our NHS. Click here for an overview of the Amendments, and the Amendments in detail are here
The Bill and Amendments returned to the Commons on Tuesday 19th January; Tory MPs voted against the amendment to protect the NHS from trade deals by 357 to 266 (The NHS Amendment), and they voted against giving themselves a say over trade deals in the future by 353 to 277 (The Scrutiny Amendment).
The six North East MPs who voted AGAINST the amendment to protect the NHS and increase Scrutiny are:
SHAMEFUL: Ian Levy MP (Blyth), Dehenna Davison MP (Bishop Auckland), Paul Howell MP (Sedgefield), Richard Holden MP (NW Durham), Guy Opperman MP (Hexham) and Anne-Marie Trevelyan MP (Berwick)
It’s an absolute scandal that while our hospitals are working hard to protect us all, this government and these six North East MPs refused to protect our NHS from trade deals.
Click here to see report and full list of MPs who voted the Amendments down at
Tories vote down protections for NHS in trade deals on deadliest day in pandemic (The London Economic, January 19th 2021)
Tory MPs reject amendment to protect NHS from international trade deals (The National, January 19th 2021)
Tory MPs vote down legal bid to ‘protect the NHS’ in post-Brexit trade deals (The Mirror, January 19th 2021)
Tory MPs rip out NHS protections from trade bill (The Independent, January 20th 2021)
Zara Sultana MP made an excellent speech in support of the Amendments – hear this speech on video here
Read this article from KONPNE member Dr Sarah Walpole, published in The Independent (21st January 2021): I’m a junior doctor, it’s clear to me the Conservatives just voted to end the NHS
We are grateful to all KONPNE supporters for taking action, in many different ways, over 2020 – placing posters in key locations across the North East (June and November), at the event at the Millenium Bridge (July), at the Monument (October), making videos, developing posts, sharing and retweeting, writing articles, writing to papers, writing to members of the Lords, emailing MPs, sending Christmas Cards to MPs, signing petitions, attending meetings, sitting on planning groups, getting friends and family involved and remaining strong throughout. You are wonderful. In our local KONPNE Campaign, we have worked very closely with “We Own It”, national “Keep Our NHS Public” (Trade subgroup) and the “Trade Justice Movement”, and we are grateful for their guidance, advice, support and solidarity.
This is not the end. Keep Our NHS Public continues, and we will continue to fight and stand up for our NHS until it returns to be, once again, publicly accountable and publicly provided.
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****ARCHIVE****
****The information below relates to past actions****
KEEP INTERNATIONAL CORPORATIONS AWAY FROM OUR NHS
Our NHS urgently needs our help
Boris Johnson is keen to work out a trade deal with the USA, and discussions are well in progress….and a Trade Bill is currently passing through Parliament which will allow deals to be made. The dangers are very clear – large-scale take-overs by US private companies, reduced access to medication (US politicians have already made it clear that they want to”pressure” the UK through trade negotiations to “pay more” for drugs), the harvesting of our UK patient data by US firms (many US corporations are keen to develop global business models for new markets) and the lowering of standards in medication, technology, and the numbers / skills / pay and conditions of staff (all could be lowered to make our NHS more profitable to US corporations).
Read this briefing from national Keep Our NHS Public: What do the US election results mean for a US-UK trade deal? (20th November 2020) and this update from the Trade Justice Movement: Protecting the NHS in UK Trade Policy (May 2020)
JANUARY 2021: URGENT ACTION NEEDED – The Trade Bill will be voted on sooner than expected
Update from “We Own It”
The Trade Bill will be voted on in the Commons on TUESDAY 19th January. This gives us just 4 DAYS to make sure the NHS protection amendment passes. All the campaigning we’ve done for the last year on the NHS protection amendment to the Trade Bill comes down to this moment.
Whether you’ve taken every action we’ve asked you to take or this would be your first time, it’s so vital you take THIS action in the next 24-48 hours.
You can help force Boris Johnson’s hand by making a video today that will get this demand spread far and quickly. All you need is to film yourself 1) thanking our wonderful NHS staff 2) Asking Boris Johnson to protect them and the NHS by instructing Conservative MPs to vote for the NHS protection amendment.
Will you join the Thank you NHS campaign and make a video right now?
Here’s how to make your video in under 5 minutes:
> Record a 30-second video in which you thank the NHS and ask Boris Johnson to instruct Tory MPs to vote for the NHS protection amendment.
> Share your video or picture on social media (Twitter, Facebook or Instagram) and tag Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) and nominate two more people to do the same – that way we can get this spreading!
This is the final push of our trade bill campaign and it is our one opportunity throughout this campaign to speak directly to Boris Johnson before MPs finally vote on the NHS protection amendment.
You can find more details, and what to do if you don’t have social media accounts, or if you can’t make a video, on this link:
CLICK HERE
or
send this pre-formatted email to your MP – this will take ONE MINUTE this weekend….
CLICK HERE
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….and an urgent update from the “Trade Justice Movement”
The Government has unexpectedly brought the Trade Bill’s ping pong stages forward to next Tuesday (19th January).
Given this, we are scrambling to contact as many Conservative backbench MPs as we can before next week, urging them to support the scrutiny amendment which passed in the Lords.
CLICK HERE
for email addresses of North East MPs
and
CLICK HERE
for TJMs briefing for the debate
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CLICK HERE for a recent message from KONPNE (Saturday 16th January 2021)
and then please share it by clicking on facebook here, twitter here and youtube here
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Trade Bill Campaign information from “Keep Our NHS Public North East”
Ten ways to protect the NHS from trade deals
****The current Campaign focus****Time is running short****
The good news is that Amendments to the Trade Bill which protect our NHS have very recently been supported by the Lords (December 2020). This is an excellent development. The Bill and these Amendments now go straight to the Commons for the vote. The Commons debate and vote is imminent – Tuesday January 19th 2021 – so your help and assistance is URGENTLY needed in carrying out up to ten actions asap.
Our activity and main focus is now on intensifying our lobby of North East MPs, especially on the six North East Conservative MPs who voted AGAINST protecting the NHS when the Trade Bill first came to Parliament in the summer of 2020. In early 2021, it is crucial that ALL of our MPs vote in favour of the Amendments proposed by the Lords.
(Interested in the Parliamentary process? Specific information about the ongoing passage of the Bill through the Commons and the Lords is in the supplementary information towards the end of this page)
Ten ways to protect the NHS from trade deals
1:
Email your own local MP, and ask him / her to take the Scrutiny Pledge
Whatever political party s/he belongs to, get your own local MP to support the Scrutiny Amendment to the Trade Bill.
For Parliament’s powers to be meaningful, our representatives MUST be able to scrutinise and make input to trade deals BEFORE they are finalised and signed. The principles of democratic transparency and accountability are at stake on this issue.
A template letter from “We Own It” is here – all you need to do is add your postcode, and then follow the guidance….it takes two minutes!!
Find out which MPs have signed the pledge here
2:
Email the six North East Conservative MPs – this Bill affects us all, so we want EVERYONE to email these six MPs, from wherever you live in the NE…see the link below for ideas regarding the content of your email
It is a disgrace that, in the initial passage of the Bill through the Commons earlier this year, these SIX North East Conservative MPs voted AGAINST Amendments which would have safeguarded the NHS:
1) Guy Opperman (Hexham) guy.opperman.mp@parliament.uk
2) Anne-Marie Trevelyan (Berwick) annemarie.trevelyan.mp@parliament.uk
3) Ian Levy (Blyth) ian.levy.mp@parliament.uk
4) Dehenna Davison (Bishop Auckland) dehenna.davison.mp@parliament.uk
5) Richard Holden (NW Durham) richard.holden.mp@parliament.uk
6) Paul Howell (Sedgefield) paul.howell.mp@parliament.uk
See the full list of MPs who voted down the Amendment here.
There is now an opportunity for each of these six North East MPs to do the right thing and vote in favour of Amendments which support the NHS when the Bill returns to the Commons in early (probably January) 2021.
We need to create noise waves, loud and clear, to let these six MPs know that their vote in favour of the NHS and scrutiny is CRUCIALLY IMPORTANT to the people of the North East. Please send six separate emails (although the content can be the same), and we need EVERYONE to write – no need to live in their constituency.
Please email now….and ask your neighbours to do the same….
Mix and match!! Please feel free to mix and match the ideas in the draft email here: Letter to MP December 2020 revised 23.12.20
(In this attachment, we have highlighted a number of key issues, so please feel free to select around 1 – 3 sections for your email, piece together, and reword to your liking! Please personalise – this document is a framework only. Please don’t be tempted to cut and paste all of it!!! It is much too long, and there is overlap between some paragraphs – it would be great if you would keep your email succinct and to the point …And to save you time and effort, please feel free to send the same email to each of the six MPs, but please email these separately….. and, finally, we need EVERYONE to write from all over the North East – no need to live in their constituency. Many thanks, KONPNE)
Also please attach the following information sheet from the Trade Justice Movement to your email: Protecting the NHS in UK Trade Policy
3:
Print off, take a selfie and circulate
You already know the danger that the NHS is in, but thousands more around the country don’t. Please take a photo of yourself with this sign and post it to your social media – and then tag us on facebook or twitter, or email or Whatsapp the photo to us, and we will share further
A printable A4 version is here: KONPNE trade deals poster
*******Please send your photo or video to us via facebook messenger (NHSPublicNorthEast), twitter tag (@KONPNorthEast), email (konpnortheast@gmail.com) or Whatsapp (07780654359)*******
4:
Record your short video statement
Smartphones make videos easy!! Stand up for our NHS!! Please send us a selfie video, stating why the NHS is important to you and why it must be protected in the Trade Bill. 20 – 30 seconds max!! And then leave it to us – we will be happy to circulate it further on our social media.
*******Please send your photo or video to us via facebook messenger (NHSPublicNorthEast), twitter tag (@KONPNorthEast), email (konpnortheast@gmail.com) or Whatsapp (07780654359)*******
5:
Live in BLYTH, SEDGEFIELD, BISHOP AUCKLAND, NORTH WEST DURHAM, BERWICK OR HEXHAM CONSTITUENCY????
You are in the unenviable position of having a MP who, in July this year, voted against protecting our NHS in trade deals (see here) ….BUT you are in a strong position in being a constituent, and it is vital that your voice is heard about this matter – we know that, by far, the vast majority of constituents support the NHS, and wish for it to remain publicly funded and publicly provided. If you are already involved in the Campaign, many thanks for what you have already done. It is a disgrace that, earlier this year, six of our MPs in the North East voted AGAINST Amendments which would have safeguarded the NHS. We need to join forces to ensure that ALL of our North East MPs are on side, and that the NHS lives on.
If you live in one of the above constituencies, in addition to writing to your MP (please see action 2, above), please take a photo selfie of the above sign, or record a 20-30 second video message (preferably outside the Tory constituency office or at a local landmark), provide your location in the text, and send it to us. We will circulate your photo or video on our media and we also aim to splice together all messages in video form, to maximise impact.
Feel free to print off the sign above, or make your own – other ideas for slogans include ” (MP name) says the NHS is safe – I don’t agree” /// “We don’t want an American health system here” /// “I didn’t vote for an American health system in (name your town) /// “NO to NHS sell-off in (name your town)” /// “I am counting on (MP name) to protect the NHS in the Trade Bill”
*******Please send your photo or video to us via facebook messenger (NHSPublicNorthEast), twitter tag (@KONPNorthEast), email (konpnortheast@gmail.com) or Whatsapp (07780654359)*******
Additionally….
….look out for our A1-size posters which keep popping up in the six Tory constituencies, take a selfie and send it to us….
6:
Share widely on social media
Please help in circulating all these selfies, videos and posts!! Watch out for all of our social media posts (we post daily on facebook and twitter) and please make it your aim to post far and wide. We are on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/NHSPublicNorthEast, and twitter at https://twitter.com/KONPNorthEast
also….
Click here, like and share the following facebook posts AS WIDELY AS POSSIBLE NOW !!!
– KONPNE VIDEO from Greys Monument – 6 North East MPs voted against protecting the NHS in the Trade Bill
– KONPNE PHOTOS – delivering a Christmas card to Ian Levy’s office – the Blyth MP who voted against protecting the NHS in July 2020
– “We Own It” VIDEO and PHOTOS of “We Own It” Christmas card initiative – and spot KONPNE members at Blyth…
– “We Own It” VIDEO on the need for Scrutiny
– KONPNE WRITTEN INFO POST highlighting healthcare in America and need to protect the NHS in the Trade Bill
– “We Own It” MP LINK , for you to request that your MP signs the Scrutiny pledge
– KONPNE INFORMATION POST, signposting to the Trade Bill website and highlights that 6 North East MPs voted against protecting the NHS in previous vote
– KONPNE (variation) INFORMATION POST, highlighting that 6 North East MPs voted against protecting the NHS and gives link to Trade Bill page on website
– KONPNE 2021 VIDEO “SELL-OFF IN BLYTH”, outlining the risks to the NHS and highlighting the need for Ian Levy MP to Vote NHS
– KONPNE 2021 VIDEO “IMPORTANT MESSAGE FOR IAN LEVY MP (Blyth Valley)” re 4 key problems with Trade Bill
….and the same videos and posts are available on twitter….PLEASE RETWEET AS WIDELY AS POSSIBLE NOW !!!
– KONPNE VIDEO from Greys Monument – 6 North East MPs voted against protecting the NHS in the Trade Bill
– KONPNE PHOTOS – delivering a Christmas card to Ian Levys office – the Blyth MP who voted against protecting the NHS in July 2020
– “We Own It” VIDEO and PHOTOS OF “We Own It” Christmas card initiative – and spot KONPNE members at Blyth
– “We Own It” VIDEO on the need for Scrutiny
– KONPNE WRITTEN INFO POST highlighting healthcare in America and need to protect the NHS in the Trade Bill
– “We Own It” MP LINK , for you to request that your MP signs the Scrutiny pledge
– KONPNE INFORMATION POST, signposting to the Trade Bill website and highlights that 6 North East MPs voted against protecting the NHS in previous vote
– KONPNE (variation) INFORMATION POST, highlighting that 6 North East MPs voted against protecting the NHS and gives link to Trade Bill page on website
– KONPNE 2021 VIDEO “SELL-OFF IN BLYTH”, outlining the risks to the NHS and highlighting the need for Ian Levy MP to Vote NHS
– KONPNE 2021 VIDEO “IMPORTANT MESSAGE FOR IAN LEVY MP (Blyth Valley)” re 4 key problems with Trade Bill
– and…..
……the following six separate posts are on both KONPNE facebook and twitter – please share and retweet one or more of these!!!! Find them at https://www.facebook.com/NHSPublicNorthEast and https://twitter.com/KONPNorthEast (all originally posted on 22nd December 2020)
……and you will find the following six separate images / posts on our facebook and twitter, originally posted on 30th December 2020. Will they do what is right for their constituency, or as instructed by their party? Please share and retweet one or more of these posts from our social media accounts at https://www.facebook.com/NHSPublicNorthEast and https://twitter.com/KONPNorthEast
….the next six separate images / posts were circulated on our facebook and twitter on 9th January 2021. If these six individuals are pro-NHS, then why not protect the NHS in law? It doesn’t stack up. Please go to 9th January on https://www.facebook.com/NHSPublicNorthEast and https://twitter.com/KONPNorthEast and share / retweet one or more of these posts on your own social media:
….and, please click here to go directly to our “Boris” posts in facebook and twitter…please share “In July 2020, Ian Levy MP (Blyth Valley) voted AGAINST protecting the NHS in trade deals with the US. Unbelievable – but true. There is now an opportunity for him to do the right thing – when the Trade Bill vote returns to the Commons in early 2021, this time he must follow the wishes of his constituents in Blyth by voting for Amendments which safeguard the NHS….and not play “follow the leader”….”
7:
Sign and share the 38degrees petition
https://speakout.38degrees.org.uk/campaigns/protect-our-nhs-in-law-now
8:
Get your family, friends and contacts involved
….your network will MASSIVELY increase the reach of the Campaign
and link us with your political group or Union
….write / email / Zoom / facebook / tweet your political group or Union, and request that the Trade Bill is flagged up and included on the agenda URGENTLY. Provide this website page address and attach the “Trade Justice Movement” briefing linked here: Protecting the NHS in UK Trade Policy
9:
Email your local paper / media….this week….
to highlight your concerns – the more letters that get submitted to local papers, the more MPs will realise that they must protect our NHS. If you’ve never emailed a letter to a newspaper before, it is a straightforward, quick and easy action to take.
We’ve linked a draft letter here , and additional guidance from national KONP is here and here – please feel free to change / adapt / use as a guide / personalise it as much as you wish. You will find the email address of your local paper on its website – typically, this will be listed in the “contact us” section.
Metro, 20th November 2020
Teesdale Mercury, 14th December 2020
and finally
10:
Keep in touch
“Keep Our NHS Public North East” and “We Own It” are keen to know what you are doing – please contact us at konpnortheast@gmail.com and info@weownit.org.uk
Our NHS CAN be protected from adverse trade deals – there is now our opportunity to achieve this by creating a huge wave of support. Please assist in whatever way you can. Thank you.
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Below: Please find SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION which may be of interest…
…House of Lords vote – see the latest media reports on the Lords vote (December 2020)
…Links – to a range of articles and videos
…The passage of the Bill through Parliament – interested in the Parliamentary process?….then read on…
…Halloween 2020 – the real horror story….filmed at the Monument in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, October 2020
…Alerting the North East – the North East in pix
House of Lords voted on 7th December 2020 to protect NHS from trade deals ….now it’s up to MPs in the Commons to do the same
> Keep Our NHS Public report (9th December 2020): House of Lords votes to protect NHS from trade deals
> The Mirror (8th December 2020): Lords defeat Boris Johnson with vote to ‘protect the NHS’ in a trade deal
> We Own It video: https://www.facebook.com/NHSPublicNorthEast/posts/3410623755672318
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Links
Please check out the following links for more information:
> The KONP position statement on the Trade Bill is here: https://keepournhspublic.com/keep-our-nhs-out-of-all-trade-deals/
> Trade Justice Movement brief on the NHS Amendment
> Trade Justice Movement brief on the Scrutiny Amendment
> Students for Global Health (3rd December 2020): Parliamentary Scrutiny and Universal Health Care – What’s the link? Article written by KONP members Sarah Walpole and Jan Savage
> Information from We Own It is here: https://weownit.org.uk/nhsphoto
> Click here to read the KONPNE blog article from Dr Sarah Walpole, Newcastle upon Tyne (12th November 2020)
> Guardian article: A toxic UK-US deal is just as likely under President Biden (11th November 2020)
> Read this excerpt from Kamala Harris re the state of healthcare in the US (2019): The Truths We Hold – An American Journey
> Guardian: Patient data from GP surgeries sold to US companies (7th December 2019)
> In summer 2020, an open letter was sent to MPs from over 500 health professionals – this has been devised by local KONPNE member Dr Sarah Walpole and can be seen here: NHS_Staff_OpenLetterToMPs_FINAL
> Again, earlier on this year in June / July, KONPNE wrote to all 22 North East MPs to get their support for the Bill which was passing through Parliament for the first time. After the vote in the Commons in July, we found that six North East MPs (their names are listed above) voted against Amendments which would have safe-guarded the NHS. This is a disgrace. Read one of our letters to one of these six MPs here: BLYTH MP email communication It is not yet too late – we are counting on all 22 North East MPs to vote in favour of Amendments proposed by the Lords in winter 2020. Please see the guidance above re writing to your MP.
> For info, we are looking for these five principles to be included in the Trade Bill: Trade Bill amendment 5 principles
> The Peoples Assembly discussion “The Future of Our NHS” centres around the 2020 Trade Bill, is extremely informative, and is linked here. Panelists are Jeremy Corbyn (Labour MP for Islington North), John Lister (Health Campaigns Together), Ellen Lees (We Own It) and Laura Pidcock (host)
> See this video from “We Own It” – succinctly outlines the main issues
> Report in the Chronicle (21st July 2020) is here: Labour MPs warn of NHS sell-off after Tories vote down laws to protect the health service
> This Halloween short from KONPNE, filmed at Grey’s Monument in Newcastle-upon-Tyne in October 2020, records the real horror story
> Watch the following news item featuring KONPNE member Dr Sarah Walpole: the youtube link is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJqsb83bZ3g
> A direct link to the KONPNE video about the Trade Bill is on youtube here: https://youtu.be/lgKa7IShjeI (Accompanying music track Rumble is from www.bensound.com)
> HEAR STEPHEN FRY: Are Johnson and Trump trying to privatise the NHS? Which healthcare system is most likely to save you? Killer facts are hidden by carefully constructed illusions…..click here
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The passage of the Bill through Parliament
HOUSE OF COMMONS: The Bill was introduced to Parliament in the First Reading on 19th March 2020, at which there was no debate. The Second Reading of the Trade Bill took place on 20th May 2020, and the Hansard record of discussions is here – see contribution of Margaret Greenwood at 4.49pm. So – the risks continue.
The Bill then went through the Committee Stage during w/c 15th and 22nd June; this Committee of 17 selected MPs (10 Conservative, 5 Labour, 2 SNP) scrutinised the Bill and debated a series of possible Amendments. The proposed Amendments included NC12, from the two SNP MP’s (Stewart Hosie MP and Drew Hendry MP), which aimed to ‘ensure that HMG has a duty to restrict market access to healthcare services, including medicines and medical devices. The proposed Amendment is here (see page 21, NC12). This would have achieved much in terms of protecting the NHS but, very disappointingly, the Amendment was voted down by the Committee: 10 votes against, 7 in favour. The record of the committee discussion and voting is here. The membership of this Committee is here .
The Bill thereafter went through the crucial Report Stage on Monday 20th July. Two possible Amendments were of note. One Amendment, tabled by Tory MP Jonathan Djanogly, would have enabled MPs to have more say over future trade deals (info about this specific Amendment is here); this Amendment was voted down, with 263 MPs in favour of it, and 326 against it – see here.
A further Amendment relating specifically to the NHS was tabled by Green Party MP Caroline Lucas and supported by Labour, but this was also defeated – 251 votes in support of the Amendment and 340 against.
MPs voting against this Amendment, which would have safeguarded the NHS, included six North East MPs: Guy Opperman (Hexham), Ian Levy (Blyth), Anne-Marie Trevelyan (Berwick), Dehenna Davison (Bishop Auckland), Richard Holden (NW Durham) and Paul Howell (Sedgefield).
Can these people be truly described as “our representatives” in Parliament?? See the list of MPs who voted against protecting the NHS here
The Report Stage was followed by the Third Reading in the House. Read the Guardian article by Emily Thornberry here.
The Bill is now progressing through the House of Lords, where Amendments can be suggested, for presentation back to the Commons.
HOUSE OF LORDS: The First Reading in the Lords took place on 21 July. This stage was a formality which signalled the start of the Bill’s journey through the Lords. The Second Reading in the Lords entailed a general debate on aspects of the Bill – this took place on Tuesday 8th September 2020 and a number of peers from across the House spoke about the need to protect our NHS and ensure parliament is given scrutiny powers over future trade deals. The debate is recorded here. The Bill then progressed to the Committee Stage in the Lords, where the contents of the Bill were given closer scrutiny – discussions at this Committee Stage took place from 29th September.
The Report Stage and Third Reading commenced in the Lords on Monday 7th December 2020, and this gave members of the Lords a further opportunity to closely scrutinise elements of the Bill and make changes. Two specific Amendments to the Bill were discussed; Amendment 51 (The NHS Protection Amendment) and Amendment 57 (The Scrutiny Amendment) – see here.
The Lords voted in favour of a number of Amendments, two of which relate directly to the NHS. Amendment 6 – Parliamentary Approval of Trade Agreements (ie the scrutiny amendment) includes the need for debate and vote before negotiation, scrutiny throughout the negotiation process, a vote in both houses regarding a final deal, mandatory impact assessments (on the environment, public health, human rights and global development) and consultation with devolved authorities (see here, page 1). Amendment 11- International trade agreements: health, care or publicly funded data processing services and IT systems in connection with the provision of health and care aims to protect publicly funded healthcare IT systems from any form of control from outside the UK through trade agreements (see here, page 7). These two Amendments are vital for the future of the NHS, and it is crucial that MPs now vote in favour of these Amendments when the vote passes back to the Commons.
The Third Reading of the Bill in the Lords took place on Monday 18th January 2021 and, with this, the passage of the Bill through the Lords comes to an end. The Bill has now passed back to the Commons to vote on the Amendments proposed by the Lords – this is scheduled for Tuesday 19th January 2021. It remains clear that, as long as NHS services are provided by private companies, our NHS is still on the table, no matter what the Government says.
You can keep track of the Parliamentary process and find more info on the progress of the Bill by clicking on the Parliament website here
General information from the Open University about how a Bill moves through Parliament is here
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Halloween 2020
HALLOWEEN HORROR STORY AT THE MONUMENT, NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, 24th October 2020
As part of the National Day of Action against the US Trade Deal, KONPNE dressed Halloween-style to get the point across…..
The Vampires are out – sucking the lifeblood from our NHS……
Click here
to see the KONPNE video – but be warned….this is a REAL horror story
SUCKING THE LIFEBLOOD FROM OUR NHS – Private multinational companies such as Serco, Sital and Deloitte are gaining increasing numbers of contracts to try to carry out health-related work. It is clear that the sudden onset of Covid 19 has provided the cover for many such contracts to be handed over by the Government, often without scrutiny or competition. We should be expanding our NHS to undertake additional health related work and not continually running to the private sector who have shown time and time again that they do not have the expertise.
WANT TO HEAR A DOUBLE HORROR STORY? At the same time, Johnson and Trump are keen to work out a trade deal, discussions are well in progress and, in the Trade Bill which is currently going through Parliament, the NHS is NOT excluded. This paves the way for large-scale take overs by by US private companies, reduced access to medication, the harvesting of our UK patient data by US firms and the lowering of standards in medication, technology, and the numbers / skills / pay and conditions of staff.
NHS R.I.P? TIME IS RUNNING SHORT.
Also: click the link below to see the many images from all over the UK on the National Day of Action against the US Trade Deal….and spot the photos from KONP Sunderland and District, and KONP North East….
https://dropevent.com/stopUStrade
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Alerting the North East
Earlier in 2020, KONPNE fixed posters about the Trade Bill in key locations across the North East – we now need your help in emailing MPs to get the message across further….
konpnortheast.com 