Cancer (Reporting and Strategy) Bill

Mary Kelly Foy Excerpts

Friday 13th November 2026 Commons Chamber

[Mary Kelly Foy (City of Durham) (Lab)]

Everyone in the House agrees that cancer touches every family. I share the concerns that motivated the hon. Member for Wokingham (Clive Jones) to introduce his Bill—we all want earlier diagnosis, faster treatment and better survival rates—but while I understand its intentions, I am not convinced that creating further statutory reporting requirements is the answer.

Earlier this year, the Government published their national cancer plan, which is a comprehensive 10-year strategy to transform cancer outcomes. The ambition is that, by 2035, three in four people diagnosed with cancer will be cancer-free or living well beyond five years after diagnosis, helping to save an estimated 320,000 lives.

[Clive Jones]

While that might be this Government’s intention, what about the next one or the one that might come after that? What if they do not want to take cancer seriously?

[Mary Kelly Foy]

I thank the hon. Member for that intervention. The cancer plan should go forward with whoever comes next. I am sure that if the hon. Gentleman is still in this place, he we will be able again to promote a private Member’s Bill to have that plan changed.

As the Member of Parliament for the City of Durham and someone who has personally experienced breast cancer, I cannot speak about cancer services without mentioning the deeply distressing breast surgery scandal at County Durham and Darlington NHS foundation trust. Independent reviews exposed serious failures in clinical oversight, governance and decision making. Women underwent unnecessary procedures, including mastectomies, while many others experienced avoidable harm. I have met a number of those women affected and worked closely with them. Their stories are heartbreaking, but their bravery is breathtaking.

I pay particular tribute to the campaigners in the Pink Justice Network, whose motto is, “Alone we survive but together we thrive!” Their courage and determination has ensured that failures cannot be swept under the carpet. I want to formally recognise Amelia, Jackie, Nadeen and Rachel, who are some of the most tenacious women I have ever met. Their experiences remind us that cancer care is not simply about waiting times and treatment targets; it is about safety, dignity, accountability and, above all, listening to patients. The lessons from County Durham must never be forgotten. The women affected deserve answers, accountability and certainty that no other patient will experience what they have endured.

We must also recognise the excellent support networks in Durham that have helped fill some of the gaps in diagnosis. In particular, I thank the Durham district prostate cancer group. Les and his team have organised prostate-specific antigen testing events, helping to identify men at risk of prostate cancer and ensuring that they are referred for further tests and support. They have literally saved lives, and I pay tribute to their work.

Ultimately, the true test of any cancer strategy is not how many reports it produces but whether more people survive cancer, receive treatment sooner and have confidence in the care they receive. For those reasons, while I wholeheartedly support the objectives of improving cancer outcomes and transparency, I do not believe that the Bill is necessary, given the substantial cancer plan and our existing reporting commitments. I will therefore oppose the Bill, but I will continue to work with the hon. Member and the all-party parliamentary group on cancer as well as local patients, Ministers and campaigners to secure safer services, earlier diagnosis, faster treatment and better outcomes for people in Durham and across the country.

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Ms Nusrat Ghani)]

I call the shadow Secretary of State.