Government 25% below cancer treatment target as charity says 20,000 deaths a year avoidable

The latest NHS data has revealed that just 61.3% of cancer patients are starting treatment within 62-days. The government’s target is 85%, which has not been met since 2015.

Cancer patients need to be seen as quickly as possible to give them the best chance of survival but the government’s failure to meet this target is putting people’s lives at risk.

The number of patients not beginning their treatment within 62-days has risen by nearly 1,000 to 17,166, up from 16,168 in the first quarter of the year. That represents a spike of over 6% of patients not starting their treatment within that time frame in just three months.

It comes as Cancer Research UK has said that at least 20,000 cancer deaths a year could be avoided in the UK with further action and the charity also said that the UK lags behind comparable countries for survival.

At every turn the Conservatives have pushed the NHS further into crisis: they’ve failed to recruit enough GPs, failed to recruit the cancer workforce we need and failed to ensure that everyone has access to the treatment they need.

The Liberal Democrats have set out proposals to invest an extra £4 billion in NHS cancer treatment over the next five years to deliver this plan and improve survival rates by the end of the next Parliament.

This plan includes a legal right to be given to all cancer patients to ensure they begin treatment within the 62-days, passing a Cancer Survival Act to ensure funding for research into the cancers with the lowest survival rates, and halting the closure of the National Cancer Research Institute.

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Ed Davey has announced a new five-year plan to boost cancer survival rates.

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Green Party calls for ban on private jets, “the ultimate symbol of ‘climate inequality’”

28 November 2023

The Green Party has called for a ban on all private jets taking off or landing at UK airports. They say this form of transportation, favoured by a super-rich elite, is the ultimate symbol of ‘climate inequality’ where the richest 1% of the population produce as much planet warming pollution each year as 5 billion people making up the poorest two-thirds of the global population [1].

Co-leader of the Green Party, Carla Denyer, said:

“As the COP28 climate conference gets under way this week, governments can no longer ignore the very large elephant in the room – that it is a super-rich elite who are super-heating the planet.

“Private jets are the favoured form of transport by this super-rich elite and are the ultimate symbol of the ‘climate inequality’ that is not only leading to the breakdown of our climate but is also deeply unfair. A short trip on a private jet will produce more carbon than the average person emits all year.

“The Green Party wants the UK government to challenge the grotesque inequality driving climate breakdown. By pledging to impose a ban on all private jets taking off or landing at UK airports, the government would send a clear message to global leaders at COP28 that the super-rich cannot be allowed to continue with their lavish and destructive lifestyles at the expense of the rest of the global population.

“The Green Party also wants to see the introduction of a carbon tax [2] which would target the biggest polluters, and a wealth tax on the super-rich [3]. Oxfam has calculated that taxing the world’s richest 1% fairly would cut carbon emissions equivalent to more than the total emissions of the UK.

“While the richest can use their vast wealth to cocoon themselves, the poorest have nowhere to hide from the impacts of climate chaos. COP28 needs to ensure those with the greatest responsibility for the climate crisis end their destructive ways. And we must redistribute the price paid by the heaviest polluters towards helping those on the front line of climate breakdown and to hasten the transition to a fairer, greener world.”

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Greens call for president of COP to go following oil and gas deal revelations

27 November 2023

Following revelations that the president of COP28, Dr Sultan al-Jaber – who is also CEO of the United Arab Emirates state oil company – was planning to be part of a UAE delegation seeking to use the climate talks as an opportunity to strike oil and gas deals with other countries [1], co leader of the Green Party Adrian Ramsay said:

“It was always highly dubious appointing the CEO of a giant state oil company to be COP president. Dr Sultan al-Jaber has now been caught red handed trying to stitch up oil and gas deals when he should be trying to persuade countries to move away from fossil fuels. He is totally inappropriate and has demonstrated himself to be completely compromised. The Green Party calls on him to go and we expect the UK government to do the same – it’s a fair cop.”

“One of the main reasons why the world is failing to deal with the climate crisis is because politicians in the UK and across the world are in the pockets of the oil and gas industry. Or in the case of Sultan al-Jaber, they are the oil and gas industry.

“We need a new generation of political leaders who will end our dependence on fossil fuels and create a home grown, renewable energy transformation with all the benefits that will bring for lower bills, new jobs and a safe environment. And the UN now needs to quickly appoint someone as president of COP who has a clear track record on a commitment to climate action.”

Notes

1. COP28: UAE planned to use climate talks to make oil deals – BBC News

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Event to celebrate International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPWD) 2023

This year’s International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPWP) will be marked with a cultural celebration showcasing the work of local artists.

Publication of Young Persons’ Behaviour and Attitudes Survey 2022 Travel to and from School Factsheet

The Young Persons’ Behaviour and Attitudes Survey (YPBAS) 2022 Travel to/from School Factsheet is now available.