The Nuffield Trust: What do Trump's tariffs and US-UK trade negotiations mean for the NHS? (25 April 2025)

Summary

With Donald Trump’s unpredictable announcements causing the British government to rush for a deal, tariffs and trade negotiations hang over the NHS as an issue once again. The new American administration is threatening to add direct taxes on imported medicines, sworn off by most developed countries for 30 years, to a well-established list of fears around privatisation and the NHS being forced to pay more.

From the point of view of healthcare in the UK and the patients that need it, some of those concerns are very real, though usually not immediate. Others are likely overblown. Mark Dayan explains what these tariffs and transatlantic trade negotiations mean for the NHS.