Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has hit back at Donald Trump after the US president said the NHS is ‘going broke and not working’.
And Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has also waded into the row, which started when Trump claimed Brits were marching in protest against the health service.
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In fact, marchers taking part in the NHS in Crisis: Fix it Now protest were calling for more money as the NHS suffers through a challenging winter.
Trump’s comments sparked an angry reaction from the UK – with Mr Hunt taking the opportunity to have a dig at the American healthcare system.
He tweeted: ‘I may disagree with claims made on that march but not ONE of them wants to live in a system where 28m people have no cover.
I may disagree with claims made on that march but not ONE of them wants to live in a system where 28m people have no cover. NHS may have challenges but I’m proud to be from the country that invented universal coverage – where all get care no matter the size of their bank balance https://t.co/YJsKBAHsw7
— Jeremy Hunt (@Jeremy_Hunt) February 5, 2018
Wrong. People were marching because we love our NHS and hate what the Tories are doing to it. Healthcare is a human right. https://t.co/Pmo2xYSqZh
— Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) February 5, 2018
‘NHS may have challenges but I’m proud to be from the country that invented universal coverage – where all get care no matter the size of their bank balance.’
Mr Corbyn also replied to Trump, telling him: ‘Wrong. People were marching because we love our NHS and hate what the Tories are doing to it. Healthcare is a human right.’
Trump had used what he believed to be frustration at the NHS to push his own agenda in reforming healthcare in the US.
The Democrats are pushing for Universal HealthCare while thousands of people are marching in the UK because their U system is going broke and not working. Dems want to greatly raise taxes for really bad and non-personal medical care. No thanks!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 5, 2018
He had written: ‘The Democrats are pushing for Universal HealthCare while thousands of people are marching in the UK because their U system is going broke and not working.
‘Dems want to greatly raise taxes for really bad and non-personal medical care. No thanks!’
More: UK
Saturday’s march in central London was attended by thousands, including iconic fashion designer Dame Vivienne Westwood.
People chanted ‘more staff, more beds, more funds,’ ‘Saving lives costs money, Saving money costs lives,’ and ‘Keep your hands off our NHS’.
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