Today Programme
BBC Radio 4

Image source, PA Media

The SNP's Westminster leader Ian Blackford is asked on BBC Radio 4's Today programme whether there is any evidence for the party's claims that the NHS is at risk from a US trade deal.

Mr Blackford says comments from Donald Trump and his health secretary make it clear they want "foreign governments paying a higher price for US pharmaceuticals" and longer patent periods.

US drugs prices are two-and-a-half times higher than in the UK, he adds.

Asked whether any UK government would agree to such terms, he says: "The US would have an awful lot of clout and power in those talks. This is not scaremongering, this is very real."

Challenged about the Scottish government's record in health, where it is only meeting two of its eight key targets, Mr Blackford says his party has "made progress" despite challenges.

"I'm happy to speak to our record in Scotland because it’s superior to the NHS in England or to the Labour-run NHS in Wales," he says.

Jeremy Corbyn says a Labour government would walk away from trade negotiations if the US insisted on including the NHS as part of a post-Brexit trade deal.

We're now just nine days away from the election, and the internet and airwaves are filled with talk of marginals, hustings and spin.

But what do all these things really mean?

We're here to help.

You can use our translator tool to check the meaning of some of the words used around election time.

Today Programme
BBC Radio 4

Image source, Reuters

Speaking on the Today programme, Mr Raab says the Conservaitves have been "absolutely clear there is going to be no privatisation of the NHS" in trade talks with the US and there will be "no dilution of our protection of consumers".

He is asked about a pamplet he co-wrote called After the Coalition, which says that two-thirds of hospitals could be run by private companies or not-for-profits.

Mr Raab says that is a "ludicrous assertion", calling it a "snippet from pamphlet written a long time ago" and adding that he has "never advocated privatisation".

Feeling left behind after another hectic day on the election campaign trail? Catch up on all the latest political news with the BBC's Electioncast.

Today Programme
BBC Radio 4

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has been discussing Donald Trump's visit on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, but avoids the question of whether Boris Johnson will be the first UK prime minister not to have a one-on-one meeting with a visiting US president.

Mr Raab says the "prime minister's job is to bring all our allies together" and that plans for individual meetings are "fluid".

He denies the government is "embarrassed" by Mr Trump's arrival at a time when the Conservatives are under pressure from other parties over the post-Brexit trade talks with the US.

Mr Raab says he will be having a one-on-one meeting with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

Nigel Farage will become the latest party leader to face BBC audience questions when he appears on 5 Live later this morning.

It isn't just Labour that is using Mr Trump's visit to fire off warnings about a post-Brexit trade deal with the US. The Liberal Democrats and SNP are also raising concerns.

Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson says that the leaked documents on preliminary discussions about trade between the two countries show that the US wants to change UK food standards to allow chlorine-washed chicken and growth hormones in beef.

She says: "Boris Johnson must give a guarantee that our farmers and world-leading food standards will not be sacrificed on the altar of a Trump trade deal."

Meanwhile SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon says the US is "desperate to charge the NHS more" for drugs.

She wants to see an NHS Protection Bill that legally prevents the health service from being included in trade talks.

Image source, Reuters

Meanwhile, Jeremy Corbyn has been putting pressure on the US president to exclude the NHS from any trade deal after Brexit.

The Labour leader has written to Donald Trump as he arrives for the Nato summit, saying the British public needs "urgent clarity" that the health service will be "genuinely off the table".

The Conservatives have said neither drug prices nor NHS services will be at stake in post-Brexit trade discussions with the US.

But last week, Mr Corbyn held a press conference where he showed an unredacted report which gave details of meetings between US and UK officials where the US said "total market access" to British public services was a "baseline" for a deal.

Read the full story

Image source, AFP

Boris Johnson is hosting the Nato leaders' meeting today at a time of serious tensions within the alliance, with French president Emmanuel Macron last month describing it as "brain dead".

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly clashed with other leaders over money, while France and Turkey are embroiled in a bitter row over the latter's actions in northern Syria.

Mr Johnson is expected to emphasise the importance of unity among the allies, with a spokesman describing it as the "cornerstone" or security for Europe and the US.

Read the full story

Good morning and welcome to today’s live coverage of the general election campaign. We’ll be bringing you updates on all the developments with nine days to go before polling day.

Later this morning we’ll be reporting on a live Q&A with Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage on BBC Radio 5 Live and the BBC News Channel – part of a series we’ve been conducting with all the major party leaders invited.

We’ll also be following the reaction to US President Donald Trump’s visit to the UK for the 70th anniversary of Nato.