Corbyn warns NHS is ‘up for grabs’ in general election

COMMONS: Labour leader and prime minister draw battle lines for campaign

Jeremy Corbyn accused the Tories of putting the NHS “up for grabs” as he clashed with Boris Johnson in the final Prime Minister’s Questions before the general election.

The two leaders used their encounter over the Commons despatch box to draw the battle lines for the forthcoming campaign, with the future of healthcare set to be a key issue.

Amid noisy scenes, the prime minister warned that a Labour government would result in an “economic catastrophe”, ruining the country’s ability to fund the NHS.

He also vowed to end the “dither and delay” over Brexit, delivering a “fantastic deal” to take Britain out of the EU.

The clash came as the House of Lords prepared to consider the one-page Bill passed on Tuesday by the Commons, enabling the election to take place on Thursday December 12.

Once it receives its royal assent, it will pave the way for Parliament to be dissolved on Wednesday, leading to the first December poll in almost a century.

In the Commons, Mr Corbyn sought to go on the offensive over the NHS, accusing the Tories of imposing the “longest spending squeeze ever in its history”. He seized on reports that NHS officials had been in secret talks with American pharmaceutical companies in preparation for a post-brexit trade deal with the US.

He said: “This election is a once-in-ageneration chance to end privatisation in our NHS, give it the funding it needs.

“Our NHS is up for grabs by US corporations in a Trump trade deal.

“This government is preparing to sell out our NHS.”

Mr Johnson, however, insisted that it was Labour’s economic policies which posed the real threat to the service.

“He would ruin this economy and ruin our ability to fund the NHS, and that is the reality,” the PM said.

Picture: PA. Mr Corbyn blasted the Tories over the NHS.