Nearly half of UK think Boris Johnson is lying about protecting NHS from Trump trade deal

Vast majority say publicly-funded health service should be ‘off the table’ after Brexit

Nearly half the British public think Boris Johnson is lying about protecting the NHS in a trade deal with the US, according to a new survey.

The prime minister has repeatedly claimed that the health service will be “off the table” during post-Brexit negotiations with Donald Trump.

Now a Survation poll of 2,000 people has found that more than 70 per cent believe the NHS should be safeguarded.

But when asked about the prime minister’s pledge, 45 per cent said the statement “Boris Johnson is not telling the truth” was closest to their view.

Just 30 per cent agreed that the leader of the Conservative Party is telling the truth, while 25 per cent said did not know.

Asked how concerned they were about the impact a future trade deal with America could have on the NHS, 35 per cent said they were “very concerned”.

Only 14 per cent of people said they were “not at all concerned” and 16 per cent said the option of carving up parts of the NHS and allowing foreign control should be an option in any trade deals completed when Britain leaves the European Union.

The survey, carried out online between October 9-14, also found only 18 per cent of people trusted the Tories to ensure it remained a “publicly funded and publicly run” institution.

A third said they trusted Labour to do so while 24 per cent said they did not trust any party.

Ellen Lees, campaigns officer for We Own It, the pro-nationalisation group that commissioned the research, said it showed the public were “firmly against” any health service sell-off.

“This poll shows clearly that the public understand just how big of a threat a US trade deal is to our NHS,” she added.

“And it shows that they’re firmly against the idea that our NHS could be sold off bit by bit to Donald Trump and American private healthcare giants.”

Additional reporting by Press Association