Cancer (Reporting and Strategy) Bill

Sarah Smith Excerpts

Friday 13th November 2026 Commons Chamber

[Adam Thompson (Erewash) (Lab)]

I pay tribute to my hon. Friend the Member for Doncaster East and the Isle of Axholme (Lee Pitcher), who made an incredibly powerful speech. I also thank the hon. Member for Wokingham (Clive Jones) for bringing forward this Bill, and recognise the very genuine concern for cancer patients and their families that sits behind his doing so. There are few issues that could unite our House more totally than the battle against cancer. Every one of us knows someone whose life has been impacted by this terrible disease, and we have just heard about my dear friend’s loss of his friend, Peter.

For many families, a diagnosis, the uncertainty of waiting for results and the anxiety of waiting for treatment are among the most difficult moments that they will ever face. I think we can all agree that when someone receives that diagnosis, they deserve the best care that our NHS is able to provide. That person deserves to be able to get the diagnosis as early as they possibly can. Following their diagnosis, they deserve timely treatment and to know that everything possible is being done to give them the best chance of recovery. We can all wholeheartedly support those objectives.

I recognise the importance of the issues raised by the hon. Member for Wokingham, particularly around transparency, accountability and tackling inequalities in health outcomes, but we must ask ourselves an important question: do we need this legislation to achieve those objectives? I am not sure that we necessarily do. The Government have already published their national cancer plan for England, a 10-year strategy setting out a clear direction for improving cancer outcomes, increasing earlier diagnosis and tackling the inequalities that exist in cancer care. It is a significant commitment, with the ambition of reducing the number of lives lost to cancer over the next decade.

[Sarah Smith (Hyndburn) (Lab)]

My hon. Friend is making a really important and powerful speech. Does he agree that the national cancer plan also takes the important step of acknowledging the specific actions needed around child cancer? I certainly know that a local charity of mine, Milly’s Smiles, has welcomed the steps in the national cancer plan, and the specific elements recognising the tailored and different approaches needed to support our children and young people and their families who face the awful news of a cancer diagnosis.

[Adam Thompson]

I certainly agree with my hon. Friend—she makes a profoundly important point.

The national cancer plan is a significant commitment, with the ambition of reducing the number of lives lost to cancer over the next decade. Importantly, the Department of Health and Social Care has already committed to publishing an annual report on progress against the plan, including key metrics and targets. The Government are not simply setting out ambitions; they are committing to measure progress, report on that progress and remain transparent about the improvements being delivered.

This Bill would introduce additional statutory requirements for annual reporting and a 10-year cancer strategy. We already have that 10-year strategy, we already have commitments to report on progress and we already have a framework through which Parliament can scrutinise the Government’s performance. I do not believe that passing additional legislation that overlaps with these existing commitments is necessarily the best way to deliver better outcomes for our constituents. That distinction matters, because legislation, however well intentioned, is not an end in itself. The real end is whether that legislation would improve the lives of people who are suffering from cancer and who rely on our NHS.

We need to be honest about what patients really want. They want to know that they will be seen quickly. They want to know that when cancer is diagnosed, treatment will follow promptly, without endless waits or unnecessary delays. They want to know that the NHS will be there for them when they need it the most. That is what matters to patients and their families. We should be concentrating on implementing the national cancer plan, strengthening the NHS’s ability to deliver cancer care, and ensuring that the improvements we have committed to actually reach patients. That means supporting earlier diagnosis, improving access to screening, investing in research, and ensuring that patients receive the treatment that they need as quickly as possible.

Ultimately, we will not be judged on how many strategies we publish or how many reporting requirements we introduce. We will be judged on whether people receive their diagnosis earlier, whether they receive treatment faster, whether inequalities are reduced and whether more people survive cancer. That is the Government’s responsibility, and that is why I believe we should focus on delivering the commitment we have already made, rather than introducing additional legislation to achieve what we have already started to work towards. For those reasons, while I recognise, respect and support the intentions of the hon. Member for Wokingham, I cannot support the Bill itself.