Protestors took to the streets or St Albans this week to up the fight against central government proposals to privatise the NHS and to urge the city’s MP to support their call.

Residents from St Albans formed part of a demonstration outside the Merchant Tea and Coffee Company in Market Place on Wednesday to demand action from MP Anne Main to protect the NHS from TTIP – Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership.

Consultants, anaesthetics and paediatric doctors have been campaigning in St Peter’s Street for the last three weeks to raise awareness around TTIP and proposed changes to junior doctors’ contracts.

During this time, they have also been collecting signatures from the public for their petition, which they put before Mrs Main on the day.

Gary Jones, a researcher for the NHS and a campaigner for The People’s NHS, said: “The demonstration was good and we got decent time out there.

“People who feel the NHS is really special to them were there.

“People were signing and chanting and went to the constituency office of MP Anne Main – we handed our petition in there.”

Natalie Bennett was in St Albans giving a talk as part of Sustainable St Albans Week.

The doctors also asked for her backing.

Mr Jones said: “Natalie Bennett was very supportive of the campaign – she disagrees with TTIP.”

Dr Emilie Hoogenboom has been involved with the campaign and lives in the area.

She said: “Our local MP must get to grips with the threat TTIP poses to the NHS. Anne Main should ask to see the legal advice being withheld by the government about the NHS and TTIP.

“Our local MP has a real opportunity to defend our NHS from this EU trade deal.

“Thousands of people from St Albans do not believe it is right for our NHS to be put at risk of irreversible privatisation.

“The Conservative government does not have a mandate to allow the self-off of the NHS to become permanent.”

To find out more about the doctors’ campaign in St Albans, read our previous story here.