Dear Mr Seely,

As Island residents and your constituents, we believe your most important job is to represent us, our family and our friends, and there is very little as important to us politically, as our National Health Service.

We were dismayed to see you vote against Clause 17 last week, a clause specifically designed to guarantee our NHS is protected in any future trade negotiations. This seems entirely unrepresentative and we feel betrayed.

We have heard the promises made by our PM and MPs like yourself; that the NHS will never be for sale, and we would love to have faith enough to believe you, but we have seen successive governments make promises and think nothing of breaking them. Just a few months ago we were promised we would not be importing chlorinated chicken and hormone fed beef post-Brexit, yet now it seems as though that pledge will not be honored, in order to make way for our trade deal with the US. What else are you prepared to compromise? We want more than just promises that our NHS will be protected. The future of our NHS, already struggling after years of underfunding and privatisation, is far too important to rely on promises, or wishes, or prayers.

The USA would be glad to expand their lucrative healthcare market. Donald Trump initially said that the NHS would be ‘on the table’, the USA has more negotiating clout than the UK, seeing as our trade with them accounts for 13% of our exports, yet only 3% of their exports are traded with us, and they have much more recent experience in negotiating bilateral trade deals. The future of our NHS, our most important and invaluable institution should be protected in law, as Clause 17 sought to ensure, and we cannot fathom why you’d vote against it.

As it stands, our current trade bill offers zero protection for the future of our NHS and other public services, and there is no real framework for scrutiny, initial consultation and continued consultation as negotiations progress. We have no idea what future arrangements will look like, so it is disingenuous to say the NHS is protected and will not be for sale. Clause 17 would have guaranteed it.

Furthermore, the UK parliament and its citizens are not afforded the same rights as our EU counter parts to scrutinise and approve trade bills. There’s little transparency and citizens and MPs have no ability to be heard. This is absolutely undemocratic, a view expressed by many including your Conservative colleague Jonathan Djanogly. It certainly doesn’t feel like ‘taking back control’.

As your constituents, we feel you owe us an explanation; why didn’t you truly represent us and vote to guarantee the protection of the NHS from any future trade deals? If you and the PM are so certain the NHS will not be a negotiating chip in a future deal, why wouldn’t you vote to secure it in law? On this issue, lip service is simply not enough.

If we have misunderstood, and you can put our minds at ease with more than just promises, we should be very grateful.

We look forward to hearing from you.