NHS campaigners are in Sutton petitioning parliamentary hopefuls to call for the Prime Minister’s protection of health services from American private companies.

The group pitched up at noon on Thursday, January 29, with the intention of staying there until 3pm, with plans to return on Saturday.

So far The Green Party candidate for Sutton and Cheam, Maeve Tomlinson, and the National Health Action Party candidate David Ash have signed up, with Labour's Emily Brothers scheduled to arrive at 2.30pm.

The campaign, run by the People's NHS, is calling on David Cameron to protect the health service from the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP).

The Government’s stance is that it believes the inclusion of health in the TTIP does not threaten the public nature of the NHS, but provides an opportunity for European businesses, including improving access to the US market for the UK’s world-class pharmaceutical and medical devices sectors.

The pledge opposes: The closure of St Helier's maternity, accident and emergency and paediatric department.

Our NHS being part of the EU-US trade deal TTIP.

Selling off our NHS through the 'Health and Social Care Act 2012'

It supports: The NHS providing services, not private, profit making companies.

It calls on David Cameron to protect the NHS, use his veto to protect the NHS from TTIP and scrap the Health and Social Care Act.

This story will be updated as or when other political candidates in the Sutton and Cheam ward sign up to the petition.