Overview
- The party calls for the UK–US agreement to be abandoned and for funds to be steered into social care, with deputy leader Daisy Cooper demanding cross-party talks led by the prime minister.
- The deal keeps UK pharmaceutical exports to the US tariff-free for three years and lifts the NHS cost-effectiveness threshold for new drugs by 25%, with NICE moving from £20,000–£30,000 to £25,000–£35,000 per quality-adjusted life year.
- The Lancet’s estimate of roughly £3 billion in extra annual drug costs is disputed by the government, which says the figure is incorrect and projects around £1 billion a year by 2029 while pledging no cuts to frontline NHS services.
- NHS leaders supported the prospect of wider access to innovative treatments under the new thresholds but warned that core budgets must not be raided to cover higher medicine spending.
- Opponents highlight slow progress on reform, noting the Casey social care commission has met once in a year, and cite analysis of more than 4.3 million hospital bed days lost to delayed discharges in 2024/25.