BERNIE Sanders has warned against the privatisation of the NHS and called on political parties to stand with trade unions during a visit to the UK.
The US Senator told Andrew Marr on LBC that the focus should be on improving the NHS rather than changing to different healthcare model.
“Do not look at the American model,” he said.
“Please do not. Build on what you have, improve what you have. Healthcare is a human right, that’s what it is.
“And that was established here in 1948. That was an extraordinary achievement and I understand your system has problems.
“Deal with those problems. But don’t think that insurance companies and privatisations are going to make the situation much better, they are only going to make things much worse.”
'With respect to Bernie Sanders if he'd have won the Democratic nomination he wouldn't have beat Donald trump... America would be under Trumpism!'
— LBC (@LBC) February 23, 2023
Labour's @wesstreeting reacts to Bernie Sanders saying political parties must stand with the working class. @AndrewMarr9 pic.twitter.com/6P3CjkMmKv
Sanders also gave his perspective on the wave of strikes currently taking place across the UK, with health workers, teachers and postal workers all taking industrial action in recent weeks.
He added: “I don’t know how you have a political party that stands for anything if they don’t stand with the working class of this country …
"I think why so many people get demoralised and alienated from the political process is that they see the people at the top doing phenomenally well and they say who is standing with me? Who is worried about the future of my kid? Who is worried about whether I can pay the rent?
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“And you need in my view, political parties in the United States, in the UK, all over the world, who say: You know what, we are prepared to take on powerful special powerful interests, we are going to stand with the working-class, with the unions.”
The Vermont Senator is due to be interviewed by Scottish comedian Frankie Boyle in Brighton on Friday night, where the pair will discuss wealth inequality, climate change, and Sanders latest book: It’s OK To Be Angry About Capitalism.
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