Trump will make healthcare a pawn in a political game - we must resist that happening here.

Call To Action

Since the news arrived that Donald Trump had won the US election, millions of people have been trying to make sense of things and work out what might change. After all, his policy changes won’t only impact Americans. Because of the impact of the US economy, their military decisions, and the tone of their international relations, we will all feel the ripples of what he does next.

We’ve seen our own government responding quickly, with Starmer issuing congratulations to Trump at yesterday’s Prime Minister’s Questions, and other ministers speaking up on social media and elsewhere. David Lammy’s post on Twitter/ X received a lot of attention, mostly because of comments he has previously made. Here is what he said yesterday, reported by The Guardian:

“The UK has no greater friend than the US, with the special relationship being cherished on both sides of the Atlantic for more than 80 years. We look forward to working with you and JD Vance in the years ahead.”

...and here’s what he previously said, in 2018:

“Trump is not only a woman-hating, neo-Nazi-sympathising sociopath. He is also a profound threat to the international order that has been the foundation of western progress for so long.”

Concerns have been voiced in various quarters about whether these previous remarks might have an impact on the relationship between the UK and US moving forward. Journalist Allison Pearson even posted on X/Twitter: “Nigel Farage will tell Trump all about Starmer, Lammy and his insults. David Lammy must resign now as an unfit Foreign Secretary to maintain strong diplomatic relations with our ally, the United States.”

This felt like an exaggeration, or even (dare I say) an opportunistic attack on a minister, but the anxiety about what Donald Trump thinks, and is planning, is very real. Many describe him as unpredictable and vindictive when it comes to personal relationships, so it’s unsurprising that politicians are treading carefully in their public communications.

The questions about his political agenda - his likely policy announcements and when these might fall are arguably more important, but also weightier and more dense. Experts are trying to pick through his proposals, and through the promises he has made publicly, but this can take time (and rely on a consistency which Trump has not always exhibited).

There’s a lot to unpick, a lot to consider, and a lot which is deeply alarming…