"The milestone US-UK deal announced this month on pharmaceuticals, which will mean the NHS pays more for medicines in exchange for a promise of zero tariffs on the industry, still lacks a legal footing beyond top lines contained in two government press releases. Concerns over the basis of the agreement have been heightened by Washington's decision to suspend the 31bn tech prosperity deal, which had been hailed as a generational step-change in our relationship with the US."
"The British release hails the UK as the only country in the world to secure a zero per cent tariff on pharmaceuticals to the US while the American one largely focuses on how the NHS will have to pay 25% more for new medicines. David Henig, a trade expert, said: There is a serious risk that the UK government has made commitments to raise drug prices in return for nothing more than a verbal promise from President Trump around zero tariffs, when we know he has form for"
Ministers and senior MPs warn that recent UK agreements with the US lack a solid legal basis. The US‑UK pharmaceuticals deal trades a promise of zero tariffs for higher NHS medicine prices but currently exists only as headline terms in two government press releases with no detailed legal text. Washington paused a separate £31bn tech prosperity deal, citing insufficient UK progress on lowering trade barriers. Concessions to British farmers from an earlier tariff deal remain unsigned by the US ahead of a looming January deadline. Negotiators are reported to be working on detailed pharmaceutical agreement text amid divergent UK and US descriptions of the deal.
Read at www.theguardian.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]