One step closer to progress: Rare Cancers Bill passes Third Reading

Last week, the Rare Cancers Bill was under threat – but thanks to our amazing supporters, we saved it! The Bill passed its final debate (known as the Third Reading) in the House of Commons, marking another significant step in its journey through Parliament.

A massive thank you to the thousands of incredible supporters who wrote to their MPs and encouraged them to attend the debate and support the Bill.  In only 24 hours, a staggering 1,800 supporters reached out to their local MPs.

The Bill has now moved to the House of Lords for further debate. Read on for a look at the Bill’s progress so far and what’s next.

What is the Rare Cancers Bill?

The Rare Cancers Bill is a Private Members Bill introduced by Dr Scott Arthur, the MP for Edinburgh South West. The Bill has the potential to drive much-needed research and ensure a greater focus on cancers affecting fewer than 1 in 2000 people across the UK.

We have been proud to support Dr Scott Arthur MP throughout the passage of the Bill in Parliament so far, working alongside  our charity partners, The Brain Tumour Charity and Brain Tumour Research, more than 30 other charity and industry organisations backing the Bill, and supported by pro-bono work from public affairs consultancy, H/Advisors Cicero.

From drop-in events to 1-2-1 meetings and supporter outreach, we have been doing everything we can to reach as many parliamentarians as possible. By highlighting what this Bill would mean for people with pancreatic cancer and other less survivable cancers, we’ve demonstrated why it’s so important this Bill gets their support.

Watch the video below to hear a few highlights from the Third Reading Debate in the house of Commons.

Read about the latest developments

Report Stage

A few days before Third Reading, the Bill’s outcome was uncertain, and we feared that after much progress, the Bill was in jeopardy of falling.

This was because Sir Christopher Chope MP had tabled new amendments to the Bill which risked forcing the Bill to a challenging vote.

Together with our charity partners, we mobilised our supporters by asking them to take urgent action to encourage MPs from across the country to support the Bill. The response was incredible. Across all charity partners, an estimated 200,000 emails were sent by supporters to their MPs. This includes over 1800 of you, our amazing supporters who wrote to their MP at short notice to help us save the Bill.

As a result, recognising the huge support behind the Bill and the potential impact it could have, Sir Christopher Chope withdrew his amendments. This allowed the Bill to progress.

Third Reading

Once this danger passed, many MPs shared powerful testimonies from their constituents and spoke movingly about their reasons for supporting this monumental Bill.

To see a larger version of this, see here.

How will the Bill help those with pancreatic cancer?

This Bill could deliver major breakthroughs for people with pancreatic cancer and improve survival rates. Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest cancers with a 5-year survival rate of just 7%. Sadly, survival rates have remained largely the same over the last 25 years – in part due to a lack of research and research investment. This Bill offers an opportunity for real change. If this Bill becomes law, it will help to deliver the much-needed research investment and attention it deserves.