U.K. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said Tuesday he would not stand for a post-Brexit trade deal that “offered up” the nations “precious” National Health Service to American companies.
In an impassioned speech to crowds gathered in Whitehall to protest against the state visit of U.S. President Donald Trump, the opposition leader delivered a series of broadsides against what he referred to as “visitors from the U.S.,” adding “its about the kind of world we want to live in.”
On Brexit, Corbyn said the basis for debate should not be “how we go forward with no deal at the same time as offering up, offering up our precious, wonderful National Health Service to private American companies to come in and take it over.”
“We will not stand for that,” he said to cheers from the protesters. “We will fight with every last breath of our body to defend the principle, for the principle of a health service free at the point of need to everybody as a human right.”
On the issue of the 65 million refugees and displaced people across the globe, Corbyn implored the visiting president: “Dont treat them as enemies. Treat them as fellow human beings and citizens of this planet who deserve our support, our sympathy and our understanding.”
Corbyn, who declined an invitation to the state banquet Monday evening, said he was not refusing to meet with Trump. “In welcoming visitors from the U.S., I hope there can be conversation.”
“I am not, absolutely not, refusing to meet anybody. I want to have that dialogue to bring about the better and more peaceful world that we all want to live in,” he said.
But he said he was disappointed at Trumps Twitter attacks on London Mayor Sadiq Khan, whom Trump referred to Monday as a “stone cold loser.”
“Im proud that our city has a Muslim mayor,” Corbyn told the crowd, “that we can chase down IslamophobRead More – Source
