Cancer Research UK Policy

Ask your MP today to attend our Parliamentary event 9 Dec to hear from Michael and others on how they can #BackTheBreakthroughs.

👉Find out how: bit.ly/CmpgnsAFP_MP...

We welcome the UK Government’s announcement that the Soft Drinks Industry Levy threshold will be lowered to 4.5g, and will now include sugary-milk based drinks🥤

We’ve long called for these steps to help cut sugar intake, support healthier choices & reduce cancer risk.

Clinical research is driving progress in cancer care - now it’s time to back the breakthroughs - Cancer Research UK - Cancer News Clinical research in the UK is facing significant challenges. Our back the breakthroughs campaign will show MPs how to make things better.

Behind every breakthrough are real people: scientists, nurses, and patients taking part in trials. But they can’t do it alone.

Cancer research faces big challenges. To overcome them, we need decision-makers to step up.

👉 Find out how you can help: bit.ly/43OMMgi

#BackTheBreakthroughs 🔬

Men's Health Strategy for England Details the government’s 10-year vision for men's health and the actions we are taking now to improve the health and wellbeing of all men and boys in England.

The upcoming National Cancer Plan for England is a further opportunity to improve cancer services for everyone. A commitment to roll out targeted lung screening by 2030 will help to save lives, as lung cancer is the biggest cause of cancer death in men. www.gov.uk/government/p...

We support action to address these health inequalities, alongside specific measures announced today such as making it simpler for patients diagnosed with prostate cancer to monitor their disease.

Today the government published the Men's Health Strategy. This is an important step towards tackling key issues for men’s health in England.

Men can face barriers when accessing health services and have higher rates of disease caused by preventable risk factors.

25 years ago, our scientists helped lay the groundwork for the HPV vaccine. Today, the world unites for the first official World Cervical Cancer Elimination Day. Together, we can achieve a world where almost nobody develops cervical cancer.

We welcome Scottish Government tabling the regulations to introduce HFSS price and location promotions restrictions. These vital measures will come into force across Scotland on 1 Oct 2026, aligning with similar regulations in England and Wales 👏👏

Join the campaign It's time for a turning point for cancer. Join Cancer Research UK's campaign if you agree.

3/ This #LungCancerAwarenessMonth, we are calling for a National Cancer Plan that commits to earlier diagnosis and reducing late-stage cancers. With bold ambition and dedicated funding, the NCP could be a #TurningPointForCancer.

Join the campaign 👇 bit.ly/3JEV8A6

2/ Lung screening saves lives. If we achieve 100% national coverage by 2029, around 1,500 lung cancer deaths could be avoided each year – and the economic benefit would be worth nearly £1 billion annually.

1/ Councillor Cancer Champion, Cllr Tony Murphy, has supported lung cancer screening in Liverpool for over a decade. When the programme was rolled out in Wirral, he promoted it to residents in his ward and engaged with local GP Networks to help raise awareness.

Thank you for coming to the Hinckley Cancer Research UK shop @drlukeevans.org.uk

Variation in access to cancer treatments is unacceptable - what can the National Cancer Plan for England do to help? - Cancer Research UK - Cancer News The UK Government have a critical opportunity to tackle variation in treatment access with England's National Cancer Plan, here's what they should consider.

Read more here: news.cancerresearchuk.org/2025/10/23/v...

We know there is variation in access to cancer treatment. The UK Government's upcoming National Cancer Plan for England must address unwarranted variation head-on. We convened clinical, academic and policy experts to discuss what this means 👇

As we get to grips with the Framework, we’re also looking forward to the upcoming National Cancer Plan - to build on the welcome commitments here and deliver a #TurningPointForCancer

You can see our priorities, and how to support our campaign, here 3/3

www.cancerresearchuk.org/get-involved...

Cancer waiting times: Latest updates and analysis Get the latest updates on cancer waiting times in England, and what it means for people with cancer, from Cancer Research UK

We know this will be a challenge to achieve – the target for patients to begin treatment in 62 days has been missed since 2015.

So this welcome commitment needs to be backed with investment to address the capacity shortfalls that have held back progress 2/

news.cancerresearchuk.org/2025/10/09/c...

We're pleased to see the new NHS Medium Term Planning Framework has committed to achieving all Cancer Waiting Time targets by March 2029.

This vital commitment is a key step towards ensuring people affected by cancer have timely diagnosis and treatment 1/

www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/u...

Killer Tactics 2: Business as Usual - ASH This report from Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), the Obesity Health Alliance (OHA) and the Alcohol Health Alliance (AHA), a follow-up to 2024’s Killer Tactics report, tells the story of how health...

📝Pleased to see @ashorguk.bsky.social @aha-uk.bsky.social & @oha-updates.bsky.social have published their latest report.

Funded by CRUK, they spotlight the tactics used by the tobacco, alcohol and food industry to undermine public health policies in the past year.

👇Read it here: bit.ly/4o86ags

Great to hear @ashleydaltonmp.bsky.social confirm the National Cancer Plan will arrive early in the new year. The plan can make this decade a #TurningPointForCancer ↩️ by backing the 5 key calls in our open letter📝 supported by 35,000 of our campaigners ✉️ cancerresearchuk.org/get-involved...

A group of people wearing colourful Cancer Research UK t-shirts and holding up placards outside a glass-fronted building with striking pink lighting.

We later headed across London to the Department of Health and Social Care to hand in our letter addressed to @rthonwesstreeting.bsky.social, signed by 35,000 supporters and people impacted by cancer. Now the UK Government must respond and deliver a #TurningPointForCancer.

A group of people wearing colourful Cancer Research UK t-shirts and holding up placards outside West Ham's stadium

Today, our volunteer campaigns ambassadors, staff, Dame Deborah James’s father Alistair and our CEO Michelle Mitchell gathered at the London Stadium to highlight the urgent need for government action on cancer #TurningPointForCancer

Campaigns Ambassadors holding #TurningPointForCancer themed road signs

Dame Deborah James' father, Alistair James and Campaigns Ambassador Alice outside the Department of Health and Social Care with a box containing our open letter with 35,054 signatures.

Yesterday, we took a visit to the Department of Health and Social Care to hand in our open letter to Health Secretary, Wes Streeting.

Over 35,000 people joined us in calling for a #TurningPointForCancer.

The route now is clear- we need a bold and fully-funded National Cancer Plan for England.🛣️

Patients will benefit from a healthcare system where research is better embedded in care and supported by clinical trials.

🆕With @transformevidence.bsky.social we analysed 200+ policy recommendations and explored countries excelling in clinical research.

👉Read the summary: bit.ly/4qgCv6g

Cancer survival rates in the UK have fallen behind those in other similar countries.

Listen to @michellecruk.bsky.social on the Health Foundation podcast to find out what we can learn from Denmark's progress.

Cancer waiting times: Latest updates and analysis Get the latest updates on cancer waiting times in England, and what it means for people with cancer, from Cancer Research UK

Today's #CancerWaitingTimes for England show that patients continue to face delays, despite the best efforts of NHS staff.

It's vital that the National Cancer Plan commits to meeting all cancer waiting time targets by the end of this Parliament. bit.ly/47hfFDR

Great to see @wendymorton.bsky.social at #CPC25 to discuss how we can continue to make progress and improve cancer outcomes. Thanks for visiting our stand!

Thanks @jamescleverlymp.bsky.social for coming to see us at #CPC25 today. It was great to discuss the pioneering research that’s shaping the future of cancer diagnosis and treatment - we’re very grateful for your support.

Read more: www.cancerresearchuk.org/for-research...

DSIT, UKRI and devolved bodies, should:
⬆️ drive improvements to research culture, through the REF and narrative CVs.
📊 collate sources of UK research workforce EDI data to understand inequalities.
👩‍🔬 tackle disparities to develop the UK R&D workforce needed to deliver the UK Industrial Strategy.

The government can learn from our approach – to collect better data to enable more evidence-based initiatives to address gaps and improve culture.