The Liberal Democrats have launched a fierce attack on Prime Minister Keir Starmer, demanding he rips up a recently struck pharmaceutical trade agreement with the United States and redirects billions of pounds to address the UK's escalating social care crisis.
The 'Bully' in the White House and the 'Trump Tax'
Lib Dem deputy leader Daisy Cooper accused the Prime Minister of being bullied by US President Donald Trump into a deal that critics label a 'Trump tax' on the NHS. The transatlantic agreement, announced last month, raises the price thresholds for medicines by up to 25%.
While the Government hails the pact for securing zero per cent tariffs on UK pharmaceutical exports to the US, opponents warn it will have a devastating financial impact. An analysis by The Lancet journal estimates the deal will lead to an additional £3 billion in annual drug costs for the UK, a figure the Government strongly disputes.
Social Care in Crisis as Commission Stalls
The call to abandon the US deal comes amid mounting pressure on Starmer to accelerate long-promised reforms to the social care system. Shocking analysis reveals that in the 2024/25 period, patients who were medically fit to be discharged spent a combined more than 4.3 million extra days stuck in hospital beds because appropriate care packages were not available in the community.
Ms Cooper condemned the government's pace, stating: “Far from ‘transforming’ social care, this Government continues to kick the can down the road just like the Conservatives who came before them.” She highlighted that a cross-party commission on social care, announced on January 3 last year, has met only once since its establishment.
Government Defence and a Long Road Ahead
A Government spokeswoman countered the £3 billion claim, stating it was “incorrect” and insisting that no money would be cut from frontline NHS services to fund the US agreement. She described the deal as a “vital investment” that safeguards medicine supplies and benefits the UK's life sciences sector.
On social care, the Government pointed to the ongoing work of a commission led by Baroness Louise Casey, which is expected to deliver its first recommendations this year. However, its final proposals are not anticipated until 2028. In the meantime, ministers say they are issuing new guidance to speed up hospital discharge and creating Neighbourhood Health Teams to integrate care.
From Washington, President Trump's healthcare chief, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., praised the agreement, saying it “strengthens the global environment for innovative medicines” and “brings long-overdue balance to U.S.–U.K. pharmaceutical trade.”
The political clash underscores the difficult choices facing the Starmer administration as it juggles international trade priorities with the urgent, unmet needs of the UK's crumbling care infrastructure.
