South Shields Cancer Campaigner's Election Plea To Save More Lives

A South Shields campaigner is calling for the next UK Government to help save more lives from cancer. As polling day fast-approaches, Susan Mountain aged 59, who is a volunteer Ambassador for Cancer Research UK, is issuing a rallying cry for people to back the charity’s Turning Point for Cancer campaign. Underlining unacceptable cancer waiting times and an alarming £1bn gap in funding for life-saving research, she says tackling the disease must be a top election priority for all political parties

Susan, who had Cancer of the Larynx in 2013, 2015 and 2017 and is a cancer survivor and featured on the Fresh / NHS stop smoking tv adverts, is urging local candidates to commit to help transform cancer survival if they’re elected.

Her call comes as new analysis from the charity reveals around 2.2 million people in the UK are projected to be diagnosed with the disease in the next five years.

Susan also wants to see politicians bring back legislation to raise the age of sale of tobacco in the first King’s speech following the election, so that nobody born on or after January 2009 would ever legally be sold cigarettes in their lifetime.

Susan said: “Cancer affects every family, in every constituency. We must make sure it is at the forefront of the minds of all future MPs.

“As political parties reach out to the country, there’s never been a better opportunity to come together and demand the action people affected by cancer so desperately need and deserve. So, I hope people in South Shields will get involved by emailing their local candidates and having their say. This general election must be a turning point for cancer.”

Susan united with campaigners from across the country in London this week (18-19 June) to highlight the urgent need for a cancer plan for England.

Members of the One Cancer Voice coalition, including Cancer Research UK, joined forces in person and online to share their experiences.

Via a steam of social posts and videos, they called on party health representatives Victoria Atkins (Conservatives), Wes Streeting (Labour) and Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrats) to back the introduction of a long-term, fully-funded cancer strategy to speed up progress in the fight against the disease.

If such a plan is rapidly rolled out after the election - along with measures to support research and better prevent, diagnose and treat the disease - Cancer Research UK’s calculations reveal the next Government could help prevent around 6,000 UK cancer deaths within five years. With sustained progress, this could rise to around 34,000 deaths avoided in a decade.

The charity is warning that if current trends in cancer death rates continue, without action, the UK is at risk of collectively losing a staggering 13 million years of life to cancer in the first parliamentary term alone.

Susan added: “Saving lives must come before politics. When you hear those terrible words, “It’s cancer,” all people want to know is they – or their loved one – have the best possible chance of surviving. Whoever wins the general election, the next UK Government must help make this a reality for cancer patients everywhere.”

Susan is in good company with her campaigning efforts. Familiar faces from stage and screen, including actors Stephen Graham and Daisy Edgar-Jones, comedian John Bishop and TV presenter Alison Hammond have already lent their support.

Cancer Research UK Head of Public Affairs and Campaigning, Shaun Walsh, said:

"Susan is part of a groundswell of supporters, scientists and stars who are backing our campaign and we’re grateful for her commitment to the cause.

“Nearly 1 in 2 people will get cancer in their lifetime.The entire cancer community is calling for the next UK Government to introduce a bold and long-term plan to prevent future cancers and improve survival.

"Urgent action to tackle the disease will mean more life-saving research, more people diagnosed and treated earlier, and ultimately, more people living longer, better lives.”

Join the Turning Point for Cancer campaign and email local candidates now at cruk.org/localcandidates

To help drive progress after the election, Cancer Research UK has published a ‘blueprint’ for long-term change outlined in Longer, better lives: a manifesto for cancer research and care.

It sets out a raft of key measures that it says - if adopted - could help reduce cancer death rates by 15% by 2040, preventing around 110,000 deaths in the UK.

The charity is calling on the next UK Government to:

• Back research: Set out a plan to close the more than £1bn funding gap for research into cancer over the next decade.
• End cancers caused by smoking: This includes bringing back legislation to raise the age of sale of tobacco in the first King’s Speech after the general election and funding a world-leading programme of measures to help people who smoke to quit. Smoking is the biggest cause of cancer and is responsible for around 55,000 cases in the UK every year.
• Drive earlier diagnoses: Implement proven measures, including a lung screening programme, to diagnose cancers early and reduce inequalities in access.
• End the waits: Ensure cancer wait time targets are met across England.
• Lead on cancer: Publish a long-term cancer strategy for England and establish a National Cancer Council, accountable to the Prime Minister, to drive cross-government action on cancer.

Help make sure cancer is a top election priority at cruk.org/localcandidate