TTIP treaty which campaigners say could harm the NHS rocked by massive document leak

Campaigners point to leaked TTIP documents to bolster their case that the trade and financial services agreement could spur the privatization of the National Health Service and make it difficult to reverse private contracting. “Campaigners, unions and legal experts claim safeguards to protect services from private interests do not go far enough. They say the treaty could increase creeping NHS privatization by making outsourcing to companies like Virgin Care difficult to reverse. Top British barrister Michael Bowsher QC warned in February that TTIP ‘does pose a threat to future governments wishing to take the NHS back into public hand.’ He added the draft treaty ‘could not be relied on to protect the UK Government from cases brought under TTIP if it wanted to cancel or take back NHS contracts.’”