Hello everyone,
Labour MP Lee Barron hosted a Westminster drop-in event in Westminster on Tuesday, and we encouraged his Parliamentary colleagues to come and join us.
Alongside The Brain Tumour Charity (TBTC) we hosted a similar event in March, Brain Tumour Awareness Month. TBTC were alongside us again this week and we were delighted with the number of MPs and Lords who ‘dropped in’ as well as the interest they showed in taking forward our cause.
What is important for us at such events, particularly when meeting new Parliamentarians, is reaching out to find areas of common interest and threads we can pull on together. For example, we met an MP who was an optometrist before entering Parliament so we spoke about the role of opticians in diagnosing brain tumours and whether there could be quicker routes to this diagnosis. One MP was an active member of the APPG on Health Inequalities and so we discussed how to challenge the inequities in accessing the limited numbers of brain tumour clinical trials and how we could change this. Another MP was very keen to visit one of our research centres because it is situated in a neighbouring constituency to theirs.
We also spoke with Greg Smith, MP for Mid Buckinghamshire and a long- standing member of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Brain Tumours (APPGBT) who wants to see more innovation within the UK to prioritise finding a cure. He said: “It’s about politicians of all parties applying pressure and demanding that this government prioritises finding a cure, investing in research, delivering for the brain tumour community and making sure the UK harnesses the great clinical work taking place, spending money to find solutions.”
Lee Barron’s own commitment has been inspired by a recent meeting with his constituent, Jackie Hall, whose 14-year-old son Max is living with a grade 4 diffuse glioma. He was deeply concerned to hear that extremely limited treatment options in the UK forced Jackie and her family to raise more than £40,000 to access immunotherapy treatment for Max in Germany.
Commenting on the impressive attendance of 23 politicians and the importance of sustained momentum, Mr Barron said: “We will arrange another drop-in after the summer recess, we will have a presence at party conferences, keeping brain tumours on the minds of MPs. We could have new MPs in posts as Secretaries of State and we must ensure that they prioritise brain tumours and deliver on promises.”
This week, we were proud to announce that we have become members of the Less Survivable Cancers Taskforce (LSCT).
The taskforce represents cancers with a five-year survival rate of less than 30%, including lung, liver, brain, oesophageal, pancreatic and stomach, – which together account for 42% of the cancer deaths in the UK each year, despite decades of underfunding.
By joining the LSCT, we strengthen our ability to influence an increase in the national spend on research into brain tumours, push for increased access to clinical trials and campaign for an improved life science ecosystem in the UK.
We look forward to working with charity partners who have been integral in driving the taskforce to improve outcomes for brain tumour patients.
We will be joining the LSCT’s APPG next week and so will report back on that in our next newsletter, along with highlights from the week. Until then, we wish you a peaceful week.
Karen, Hugh, Katherine, Jana and Sam
