We are actively working with Parliamentarians and political stakeholders to drive change for patients with brain tumours, both in Westminster and across the Devolved Nations.
We are advocating across the entire breadth of the UK to ensure there is a nationwide commitment to:
- Increased investment in research into brain tumours
- Increased access to clinical trials, including wider adoption of genome sequencing
- Creating a sustainable research landscape so that the life science sector choose to invest in brain tumour research in this country
By amplifying the insights of our researchers at our Brain Tumour Research Centres of Excellence and sharing the powerful stories of our supporters, we continue to raise awareness and drive policy changes that are ambitious, innovative and impactful. We advocate for meaningful progress for the brain tumour community in several different ways across the UK. In one working week alone, our campaigning team attended meetings in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
All-Party Parliamentary Group on Brain Tumours (APPGBT)
All-Party Parliamentary Groups (APPGs) are cross-party groups of Members of the Commons and Lords that focus on specific issues. This means scrutinising policies, addressing issues raised by the community and advocating for change to improve outcomes.
Brain Tumour Research holds the secretariat for the APPGBT. We coordinate meetings and bring together stakeholders such as government ministers, researchers, those who make policy and scientific government bodies. We also plan and drive the agenda for each meeting to align with concerns that we hear from our campaigners who are patients and their families.
Our CEO Dan Knowles at a meeting of the APPGBT
In Holyrood, Brain Tumour Research holds the Secretariat for the Cross-Party Group on Brain Tumours in the Scottish Parliament, which is akin to the Westminster APPG. The focus is to drive change and better health outcomes for our patients north of the border. We are also working behind the scenes to establish similar groups in Wales and Northern Ireland.
These groups are powerful forums for building a network of parliamentarians, stakeholders, academics, patient voices and those who want to help us campaign for change. Together, we will find a cure.
Our Policy and Public Affairs Manager, Katherine Dew, with Beatrice Wishart MSP, Convenor of the CPGBT and Co-Deputy Convenor, Finlay Carson MSP
Meeting Ministers and engaging MPs
We meet directly with Ministers in Government to lobby on our urgent need for increased research funding. By engaging with key decision-makers, we ensure that the voices of those affected are heard, and that progress is made where it is most needed. Our work has included meeting with Health Ministers with ministerial portfolio responsibilities for cancer. This year, Health Minister Dalton joined a meeting in Westminster where she heard the passionate voices of our community. We have been promised future meetings with the Minister and have been assured that brain tumours will receive specific mention in the forthcoming National Cancer Plan, expected in February 2026.
Brain tumours don’t care who you vote for. We work across the Houses of Parliament to advocate and campaign with Parliamentarians who can help us raise awareness and drive change through mechanisms such as parliamentary questions, Westminster Hall debates, 10-Minute Rule Bills, Private Members’ Bills and other initiatives.
It is through this work that we played a key role in supporting Scott Arthur MP's Rare Cancers Bill. We organised and attended roundtables to discuss critical gaps in research, treatment and patient support. These discussions helped shape the Bill into a proposal that could drive tangible change for patients across the UK. The Bill is currently going through the process to make it part of UK legislation.
Our campaigning team with Scott Arthur MP
Coalitions
Working with charity coalitions has strengthened our calls for broader health policy changes that will benefit brain tumour patients. By uniting with other organisations, we amplify our voice.
This collective action forces politicians to take notice and ensures that the needs of the brain tumour community are addressed within the wider health policy agenda. Together, we can achieve change greater than we could alone.
Consultation responses
Consultations are a key part of the policy development process, where civil servants seek input from both experts and individuals directly impacted by policy. These allow for a broader understanding of the impact of potential legislation.
They provide an opportunity for stakeholders, like us, to shape the direction of policy by contributing expert insights and highlighting the needs of those at the heart of the issue.
We submitted our research evidence to the National Cancer Plan as it was being drafted. We hope our lobbying endeavours have helped to deliver real change for those affected by rare cancers, such as brain tumours, and we will continue to be stewards of our community’s tragic testimonies.
Working with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)
We are pleased to have joined NICE committee meetings as ‘Patient Experts’ when new treatments for brain tumour patients are appraised for reimbursement on the NHS.
Will you join us in our campaigning? Find out more.
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