Over the past three weeks, the Public Affairs team (Thomas, Katherine and Jana) have been on the road, attending political party conferences to engage with those who have the power to influence an increase in funding and aid our progressive march towards a cure.
Liberal Democrats Conference: Tackling inequalities and unlocking innovation
A recurring theme was the urgent need to address health inequalities. Across the UK, people in the most deprived areas live on average 18 fewer healthy years compared with those in the most affluent.
Professor Arpana Verma, Head of the Division of Population Health, Health Services Research and Primary Care at The University of Manchester, urged politicians to go beyond identifying why inequalities exist and instead work with communities to design solutions. She shared a telling reminder from a member of an underrepresented community: “We’re not hard to reach, we’re easy to ignore.” This underlines the need to listen to local voices to best shape policy.
Andrew George MP, who sits on Health and Social Care Select Committee, welcomed the Government’s recent shifts towards prevention and wellbeing but warned about the current trend of drifting away from evidence-based policymaking. Thomas also met with Manuela Merteghella MP, who sits on the Education Select Committee, and they explored ways to strengthen research into brain tumours: from tackling clinician scientist shortages and inspiring future researchers, to aligning EU clinical trials, and improving visa routes for research careers. Alistair Carmichael MP spoke powerfully about the urgent need to get more brain tumour patients onto clinical trials. Having lost a close friend to a brain tumour, this is a deeply personal cause for him. He also praised the tireless work of Beatrice Wishart MSP in the Scottish Parliament, who has consistently championed better outcomes for patients.
Finally, Thomas met with Daisy Cooper MP, Deputy Leader of Liberal Democrats, who praised the work of Brain Tumour Research and the impact of our All-Party Parliamentary Group on Brain Tumours (APPGBT) in keeping these issues high on the political agenda.
Labour Party Conference: Plan for change
In Liverpool, we met with policymakers from across the UK, to discuss the challenges facing brain tumour patients, and explore ideas to improve patient outcomes. Jana said: “We were pleased to secure meetings with key stakeholders in health policy, including Stephen Kinnock MP, Minister of State for Care, with whom we discussed the significant pressures that brain tumour patients and their families face.”
Jana and Thomas carved out a moment with Dr Zubir Ahmed MP (below), who has a new medicines ministerial portfolio, and a strong personal connection to the brain tumour community. They also met with new member of the Ministerial Health Team, Rosie Wrighting MP, and she demonstrated a keen interest in listening to the challenges and ideas shared by our team.
A particular highlight was connecting with Emily Darlington MP, who represents Milton Keynes Central, where Brain Tumour Research is based. We are delighted to have secured a local champion in Emily and look forward to working closely with her to help spread our message across Government and advocate for increased investment in brain tumour research and therapies.
Our Brain Tumour Research friend Dr Scott Arthur MP, parliamentary sponsor of the Rare Cancers Bill, was also in Liverpool. We discussed the Bill’s progress in the House of Lords and once passed into law, how it can be effectively implemented to deliver tangible benefits for patients. We are proud to have supported Scott since the inception of this Bill in shaping this legislation.
Thomas and Jana finished Labour Party Conference by attending a closing event with Secretary of State for Health, Rt Hon Wes Streeting MP. He acknowledged the ongoing challenges in the healthcare system and reaffirmed his commitment to tackling these with urgency, to enable earlier diagnoses and improving care for all patients.
Conservative Party Conference: Let’s build Britain’s future together
To round off our activity during Conference season, Jana and Katherine attended the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester this week. They met with the Shadow Health team and personally sat down with Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Stuart Andrew MP, who has recently taken up post. Given his previous career working in the third sector, Stuart was delighted to hear about our campaigning priorities and how we may support his work holding the government to account on health-related issues. His fellow Shadow Health team, both of whom are doctors - Dr Caroline Johnson MP and Dr Luke Evans MP- were also engaged with our policies and expressed a genuine enthusiasm for working with the health charity sector, particularly in building cross-party consensus on the importance of prioritising research and improving health outcomes for brain tumour patients.
It was a pleasure to see familiar faces such as John Hayes MP, a long-standing supporter of Brain Tumour Research, whose continued advocacy is deeply valued. The team was also grateful to meet new allies, including Desmond Swayne MP, who was shocked to learn that brain tumours are the biggest cancer killer of children and adults under the age of 40.
We were encouraged to connect with MPs from medical backgrounds like Dr Ben Spencer MP, whose clinical experience brings valuable insight into the challenges faced by patients with brain tumours and the urgent need for improved treatment options. It was also reassuring to see Mims Davies MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Wales and an Officer of the Brain Tumours APPG, lending her voice as a familiar and supportive presence within our network of parliamentary champions. Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland, Andrew Bowie MP, was not aware of our Centre of Excellence in Scotland and has asked for us to take him on a tour with his neighbouring MP Harriet Cross, who we met at the Scottish Conservatives Reception. It was a Scottish flair for science as John Lamont MP became a new ally and was interested to hear about our work.
Alongside Cancer Research UK, we attended the Health Innovation Showcase which was supported by Stuart Andrew MP who was glad to see us again. This was the highlight of Conservative Party Conference: a room full of health charities working in collaboration with a shared commitment to advancing research and improving outcomes for brain tumour patients, people living with rare cancers, and neurological degenerative diseases. We look forward to continuing these conversations and ensuring that the priorities of the brain tumour community are heard, across all sides of the Chamber.
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