Campaigners don Donald Trump and Boris Johnson masks at Sunderland Royal Hospital NHS protest

Campaigners fear an agreement which could hike the rise of essential medications and see more care outsourced to private companies.

And to show their disapproval, members of the Wearside branch of the Keep Our NHS Public (KONP) campaign staged a socially distanced protest at Sunderland Royal Hospital on October 23.

American President Donald Trump has previously said the NHS could be included in a ’magnificent’ trade deal with the UK.

And despite Government insistence it is ‘not for sale’, it has prompted concerns Britain could be forced to accept lower standards or for patient data to be sold to tech giants.

Laura Murrel, KONP Sunderland’s branch secretary, said: “[We’re] very concerned about the effects this trade deal will have on the NHS and other aspects of our lives in the UK.”

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