WILTSHIRE MPs who voted to stop an amendment heralded as protecting the NHS have hit back at critics.

Devizes MP Danny Kruger said: "I have had a number of emails about the Trade Bill and the NHS, following Labour’s amendment which claimed to protect the NHS and publicly funded health and care services in other parts of the UK from any form of control from outside the UK.

"I voted against this amendment because it was not germane to the Bill. The Bill concerns trade continuity, namely the continuation of trade deals with third countries which we have enjoyed as members of the EU. It has nothing to do with future trade deals, which is where Labour claim to see a threat to the NHS.

"This threat does not exist. The purpose of Labour’s amendment - to protect our NHS - is already met by repeated statements of government policy, including the Manifesto we were elected on. When we are negotiating trade deals, the NHS will not be on the table. The price the NHS pays for drugs will not be on the table. The services the NHS provides will not be on the table. And every trade deal will have to come before Parliament anyway.

"Labour know very well that the Government has no plans to ‘sell off’ the NHS, or put health services under foreign control. They are simply using Parliamentary procedures to force a vote on questions which they know are irrelevant to the legislation, but where the Government voting ‘No’ gives them a cheap stick to beat us with."

Chippenham MP Michele Donelan was also forthright in her rebuttal of causing danger to the NHS.

She said: "I want to make it absolutely clear that those who are suggesting that MPs who voted against this amendment are against protecting our NHS from foreign involvement are either being dishonest or do not understand the legislative system.

"The Labour Party has fuelled this narrative which is misleading the public and irresponsible of them.

"Amendments like these are a standard parliamentary tool used by the opposition to fear monger, mislead and ultimately to stir up anger in the press and on social media. The aim of this amendment was not to protect the NHS in future trade deals at all, the aim of the amendment was to force the Government to vote against it, thereby creating a misleading story.

"Indeed you can see for yourself that the Trade Bill to which this amendment was proposed does not and will not apply to the procurement of UK health services.

"In fact, the Trade Bill does not even have anything to do with future trade agreements with other countries."

North Wiltshire MP James Gray did not vote as he is at home awaiting a hip operation but said if he had voted he would have joined fellow Conservatives saying no to the amendment.

He said: "I would have voted against the amendments, which are unnecessary."

But a group calling themselves We Own It has launched a petition in a bid to get the House of Lords to overturn the vote taken in the House of Commons.

A spokesman said: "Boris Johnson has betrayed the British people. He promised to take back control and keep the NHS off the table, but over 300 of his MPs have voted against parliamentary scrutiny and NHS protection in the Trade Bill debate.

"We have one last chance at stopping Donald Trump and his healthcare cronies. We need the House of Lords to step up now and protect our NHS.

"Members of the House of Lords, please amend the Trade Bill to give parliament a say over trade deals and protect our NHS."