Street rallies in protest at trade deal

Rallies will be held today in cities including London, Leeds, Edinburgh and Bristol against the so-called Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP).

Campaign group 38 Degrees commissioned a survey of 2,000 adults which showed that 54 per cent do not trust the Government to negotiate a good deal.

Ministers insist there is no threat to the NHS from the agreement being negotiated between the European Union and the United States, which they believe will boost the economy, create jobs and cut red tape, especially for small businesses.

Campaign groups are urging MEPs to vote against the deal when it reaches the European Parliament.

38 Degrees executive director David Babbs said: “Ordinary people have had enough of corporations bulldozing through our public services.

“This deal is a threat to the NHS. It would give multi-national corporations the rights to carve up our health service, and sue the Government for loss of profits if they didn’t make enough money.

“Saturday should be a wake-up call to MEPs. It’s time they stood up for the people who voted them into power, not big business.”