Following last week’s elections, this week we breathed a sigh of relief on the safe return of Parliamentarians in both Wales and Scotland who have supported our campaigning and outreach on behalf of patients. These Parliamentarians have become good friends of Brain Tumour Research and we are very grateful for their support. We are pleased to share that Mike Hedges MS will be supporting us to convene a new Cross Party Group (CPG) in the Senedd, and Finlay Carson MSP will take up the post as Convener of the Brain Tumours CPG in Holyrood.
Congratulations to both politicians and we will be in touch next week to discuss next steps and meeting dates. The CPG in the last Scottish Parliament had been in direct policy conversations on access to Whole Genome Sequencing with Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, Neil Gray MSP, and Jenni Minto MSP, Minister for Public Health, both of whom have kept their seats and will be returning. We will be picking up on this and other important policy conversations this week too.
With the news that Wes Streeting has resigned we view the appointment of new Secretary of State for Health as a fresh opportunity for us to take our message to the heart of Government, and look forward to briefing them on the needs of the brain tumour community including the implementation of the Rare Cancers Act.
Please be assured that as a new political landscape emerges we will be flexible and adapt to it – brain tumours are indiscriminate and have no respect for age, race, gender or political persuasion. And so all elected representatives, no matter their stripe, can expect to be in the sights of Brain Tumour Research campaigners as we work together to make a difference.
One area where we work together is our All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) and thank you all again for supporting the next one, which will take place on 2nd June, when we expect to be joined by Health Minister Sharon Hodgson. We are collating all the questions you have sent in for the minister and there is still time to ask your MP to join us.
Below is the template email you can use and please do feel free to drop in any personal information you are happy to share to give your MP some context as to why you are so keen for them to support our work.
Subject: APPG on Brain Tumours, Tuesday 2nd June February, 17:30 Wilson Room, PCH
Dear [Your MP],
The APPG on Brain Tumours will meet on Tuesday 2nd June at 17:30 in the Wilson Room of PCH.
The APPG is expecting to be joined by the new Minister with responsibility for Cancer, Sharon Hodgson MP.
I have Cc’d Hugh Adams from the charity Brain Tumour Research – the group’s secretariat provider.
Hugh will provide you with an agenda and a briefing document ahead of the meeting.
I very much hope that you will be able to be there on the 2nd – this is a cause of great importance to me and your support would be hugely appreciated.
Kind regards,
[Your Name]
[Your Postcode]
If you want to check your MPs email address click here and please don’t forget to Cc me into your email.
We have attended meetings of other APPGs this week – the ones for Cancer in Children and Young People and for Less Survivable Cancers. Working with, and supporting, these other APPGs whose areas of interest intersect with ours, is a way we can amplify the brain tumour campaigning voice in this new political landscape and in the months ahead as we look to build on positive developments such as the launch of the National Cancer Plan and the enactment of the Rare Cancers Act.
That’s it for this week. We will be back next Friday with another update, and we wish you all a peaceful time until then.
Karen, Hugh, Katherine and Jana
