One of Wokingham MP Clive Jones’ principal missions since his election in 2024 has been to get the government to commit to a National Cancer Strategy.
On Tuesday, following repeated calls from Wokingham’s MP, the government committed to producing a plan.
In October 2024, Lib Dem MP Clive Jones introduced a Private Members Bill calling for a national cancer strategy, and the MP led a Westminster Hall debate on the merits of this.
He pointed out the deficits in existing cancer care in England, including survival rates that lag behind all other comparable countries.
He argued that “.. a dedicated cancer strategy would provide a huge opportunity to fix the entire system, not just for the present but for the future”.
In his response to Clive Jones’ remarks, minister Stephen Kinnock committed the Government to delivering a national cancer plan.
Even after this commitment, Clive Jones has continued to advocate for a national cancer plan.
He met with organisations, including Cancer Research UK, the Royal College of Radiologists and AstraZeneca, has organised roundtables in parliament, and repeatedly pressed ministers in parliamentary debates for a plan.
On Tuesday, World Cancer Day, the government announced that the ten-year National Cancer Plan, called for by Clive Jones, will be published in the second half of 2025.
Clive Jones welcomed the announcement.
He said: “This is what happens when you have 72 Liberal Democrat MPs – things get done.”
In response to Clive Jones in the debate following the announcement, under- secretary for health and social care, Andrew Gwynne, said: “This national cancer plan is important to me, it’s important to the Secretary of State [for health].
“It is important to the Prime Minister, it’s important to the sector, and that’s why we’re doing the right thing and having one.”
Clive Jones said: “I welcome the government’s announcement today that they will be following through on the commitment it made to me for a National Cancer Plan.
“The previous Conservative government promised such a plan in 2022 but, in line with many of their other promises, it failed to materialise.
“There is still work to do in ensuring that the plan is properly funded and as effective as it needs to be, and I look forward to working with cancer charities, and continuing to campaign tirelessly on this issue.
“It is no coincidence that this plan has emerged so soon after the largest ever Lib Dem seat share was won in Parliament; the more Lib Dems you have, the more will get done.”
The Liberal democrat spokesperson for hospitals and primary care, Jess Brown-Fuller, said: “A 10-year plan from this government is a welcome step, as the previous government broke its promise to implement a 10-year cancer strategy and that would have made a real difference to patients.
“We are very proud on these benches that our Liberal Democrat MP and cancer campaigner, the member for Wokingham, secured this commitment from the government to introduce such a plan.”
