Lib Dem Leader & South Lakes MP Tim Farron is being accused of failing to act on a perceived threat to local NHS services.
The local 'No Health Sell-Off' campaign group says an EU trade deal - the ‘Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership’, or 'TTIP', poses "a real and serious threat" to Britain’s sovereignty over the NHS.
Campaigners say Mr Farron has refused to take firm action to oppose the inclusion of the NHS in the deal.
But Mr Farron says the UK has been given a "clear guarantee" by the European Commissioner that under TTIP, the NHS will not be threatened, nor will the UK government be forced to privatise health services.
Campaigners claim the trade deal "threatens to make the on-going privatisation of the NHS irreversible", adding that "TTIP could grant American multinationals, or any firm with American investors, the power to sue the government if it ever attempted to take privatised health services back into public ownership."
In a joint statement, Stuart Downs and Margaret James-Barber - local residents and campaign spokespeople, said: “Alarming legal advice shows that Britain’s sovereignty over the NHS are being sold down the river by faceless EU bureaucrats to Wall Street, yet Tim Farron is doing nothing to defend our local health services from this attack.
"Local residents have signed petitions, sent letters, attended protests and asked for help at local surgeries but their genuine concerns have been ignored by Tim Farron.
"The Lib Dem leader must now protest to David Cameron in the strongest terms because people do not believe it is right for our NHS to be put at risk of irreversible privatisation.
“If Tim Farron is serious about his concerns ensuring that our NHS is safe from irreversible privatisation, then he must join the other opposition leaders in demanding that David Cameron acts and protects the NHS from the EU trade deal TTIP."
Mr Farron responded: "The UK has been given a clear guarantee from European Commissioner for Trade Cecilia Malmström that under TTIP the NHS will not be threatened, nor will the UK government be forced to privatise health services."
A spokesperson from Mr Farron's office added: "Tim's priority has always been to protect services at Westmorland General Hospital, and he will continue to fight to ensure that local people have access to the services they need.”
A letter from the EU Trade Commissioner about the issue is here.
