Tag: 2026

Lilian Greenwood – 2026 Statement on Parking on Pavements

The statement made by Lilian Greenwood, the Secretary of State for Transport, in the House of Commons on 8 January 2026.

This statement provides the House with an update on steps the government is taking to tackle pavement parking. In short, we are giving local authorities the powers they need to address pavement parking more effectively, while ensuring consistency, clarity and fairness for all road users.

I am today announcing the publication of the government’s response to the 2020 public consultation Pavement parking: options for change. The response demonstrates our commitment to improve transport users’ experience, ensuring that our roads and pavements are safe, reliable and inclusive.

The government is taking forward a new, devolved approach to pavement parking, reflecting our commitment to decisions being made closer to the communities they affect. Local leaders know their communities best, so they are in the strongest position to meet local needs effectively. Our overarching objective to make pavements accessible and safe remains unchanged, but rather than introducing a ‘one size fits all’ national prohibition, which was one of the consultation options, we will instead enable local transport authorities to prohibit pavement parking across their areas at the next legislative opportunity.

In strategic authority (SA) areas outside London, the power will be vested in the SA as the local transport authority (LTA). In non-SA areas the power will be vested in the LTA, which is either the unitary authority or county council. This will support more responsive and inclusive transport planning in the interests of local communities.

In the meantime, secondary legislation will be introduced in 2026 to enable local authorities to enforce against unnecessary obstruction of the pavement. This provides a practical and proportionate interim solution, allowing councils to act where pavement parking is observed by uniformed civil enforcement officers. This power will sit alongside existing traffic regulation order making powers, enabling councils to enforce pavement parking restrictions both where TROs are in place and in other areas where obstruction occurs. The department will issue statutory guidance to support local authorities in using this power.

Taken together, these steps will give local authorities the powers they need to address pavement parking effectively and fairly in their areas, and I commend the government’s response to the House.

January 8, 2026
PRESS RELEASE : Stronger laws for tech firms on cyberflashing [January 2026]
The press release issued by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on 8 January 2026.

Dating apps and social media platforms must now prevent cyberflashing, as it becomes a priority offence under the Online Safety Act.
- Online Safety Act strengthened as ‘cyberflashing’ becomes a priority offence
- Dating apps and social media platforms now have to take proactive steps to prevent this vile content before users see it
- New law follows a historic government strategy to halve Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) within a decade, which included a commitment to make cyberflashing a ‘priority offence’ under the Online Safety Act
People using dating apps and social media platforms will be better protected from receiving unsolicited nude images, as a new law compelling tech firms to stop this type of content before it reaches users comes into force today (Thursday 8 January).

Platforms will be required to take proactive steps to prevent this vile content from appearing in the first place, not just react after the harm is done. Tech firms will now face some of the strongest requirements under the Online Safety Act as ‘cyberflashing’ becomes a Priority Offence.

Companies could tackle these images for example by using automated systems that pre-emptively detect and hide the image, implementing moderation tools or stricter content policies.

Those that fail to comply could face fines of up to 10% of their qualifying worldwide revenue, or have their services blocked in the UK.

Bumble was the first dating app to explicitly moderate cyberflashing to protect its members from seeing unwanted pictures.

The women-first dating app launched Private Detector, an AI-powered feature that automatically detects and blurs nudity in images sent within chats. It then alerts the recipient who can choose to view, block, or report the image. The AI model is carefully trained with vast datasets to avoid misclassification.

Liz Kendall, Technology Secretary, said:

We’ve cracked down on perpetrators of this vile crime – now we’re turning up the heat on tech firms. Platforms are now required by law to detect and prevent this material.

The internet must be a space where women and girls feel safe, respected, and able to thrive.

Elymae Cedeno, VP of Trust and Safety at Bumble said:

Receiving unsolicited sexual images is a daily violation that disproportionately impacts women and undermines their sense of safety online. Strengthening the law to make cyberflashing a Priority Offence is an important step toward ensuring platforms proactively address this behaviour to better protect members.

As part of our long standing safety commitments, Bumble introduced features like Private Detector, which uses AI to identify and blur nude images in chats, giving members greater control over what they see. We hear regularly from our community about the impact of this behaviour, and we welcome measures that increase accountability and help create a safer digital environment.

Ofcom will now consult on new codes of practice, setting out exactly what steps platforms must take to protect users from unsolicited sexual images.

The priority offence marks another step in making the online world safer, particularly for women and children, who are disproportionately targeted. 1 in 3 teenage girls has received unsolicited sexual images*. This government is serious about ending that.

This builds on the government’s wider commitment to tackle online abuse and halve violence against women and girls, making clear that the digital world is not a law-free zone.

Minister for Safeguarding and Violence against Women and Girls Jess Phillips said:

For too long cyberflashing has been just another degrading abuse women and girls are expected to endure. We are changing this.

By placing the responsibility on tech companies to block this vile content before users see it, we are preventing women and girls from being harmed in the first place.

We will deploy the full power of the state to make this country safe for women and girls, both online and offline.

Through the cross-government strategy to Build a Safer Society for Women and Girls, published on 18 December, we committed to making the ‘cyberflashing’ offence a ‘priority offence’ under the Online Safety Act.

These strengthened protections will tackle the problem at the root, before women are subject to this gross violation.
January 8, 2026
PRESS RELEASE : Government modernises exam records with new app [January 2026]

The press release issued by the Department for Education on 8 January 2026.

Year 11 students across England will be able to view their GCSE results on their phones for the first time from this summer, speeding up the process of enrolling into college, freeing up teachers and college staff from unnecessary paperwork, and bringing record-keeping into the 21st century.

The Education Record app is being rolled out nationally to modernise how young people access their exam results once they have left school.

It will make it easier for young people to enrol in their post-16 destination and will give them access to their results at their fingertips for life, providing employers with clear, accurate information on a job candidate’s education history without relying on paper certificates which can be easily lost.

Pupils will still go into school on results day to meet face-to-face with their teachers and receive their results. Their results will later become available on the app.

Schools and colleges will also be able to easily access information about which students need extra support, including whether they need to continue working towards English and maths GCSEs, have SEND requirements or qualify for free school meals.

It is estimated to save schools and colleges up to £30 million per year in administrative costs once the full roll out is complete. This funding can be put directly back into school and college budgets, freeing up resources so that staff can focus on teaching, and breaking down barriers to opportunity through the government’s Plan for Change.

The Education Record app is part of the wider government drive to overhaul how the public sector uses technology and innovates.

Skills Minister Jacqui Smith said:

No student should have to rifle through drawers looking for a crumpled certificate when they’re preparing for a job interview.

This app will give young people instant access to their results whenever they need them while freeing up teachers and college staff from unnecessary paperwork.

Work is already underway to link the Education Record and the GOV.UK Wallet, part of the government’s drive to harness technology and innovation as set out in its Plan for Change. It paves the way for citizens to store everything from exam results to driving licences in one secure digital space.

The national roll out follows on from the app being piloted in Greater Manchester and West Midlands where thousands of pupils have already benefitted since last summer.

Schools and colleges are being encouraged to sign up now ahead of results days in August 2026. Pupils in schools that sign up can download the app now and should speak to their school to set it up before results day, when they will receive their GCSE results as the first records on the app.

Director of Education Policy at the Association of Colleges, Cath Sezen, said:

We are delighted to see confirmation of a national pilot of the Education Record. This is a significant step forward in supporting young people as they move to college, an apprenticeship or later into higher education and work.

Giving colleges access to key data will ensure that transitions are smoother for students; instead of repeating basic information time and time again, conversations can focus on finding the appropriate course to support their career aims, and settling into life at college.

The Education Record also has the potential to cut down on admin time and costs during the busy enrolment period which means that more time can be spent on making sure students have the best start to their post-16 pathways.

General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, Pepe Di’Iasio, said:

It is a sensible move to use digital technology to simplify the transition to post-16 education for everyone involved. Young people work so hard to obtain their GCSE results, it is important that they have a secure and accessible record of their achievements as they move through the education system.

We are glad that GCSE students still have the chance to go into school on results day. This face-to-face contact not only allows them to celebrate with peers and teachers, but also to receive any advice or support they may require regarding next steps.

We are sure that school and college leaders will also welcome the administrative savings made possible as a result of this change, although this will only amount to a drop in the ocean compared to the funding pressures they remain under.

General Secretary of School Leaders’ union NAHT, Paul Whiteman, said:

Providing students with a digital education record is a sensible development and expanding this programme to a national pilot, following the successful smaller ones, is a positive step.

The potential to include post-16 qualifications in the future will make the record an even more useful tool for students to support their transitions to further education, training and employment.

The announcement follows the launch of the government’s Youth Guarantee to support almost a million young people into employment or learning opportunities, tackling the unacceptably high number of young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) and ensuring no one is allowed to slip through the cracks.

More widely the government is transforming post-16 education with reforms announced in the Post 16 Education and Skills White Paper including introducing structured professional development for further education teachers and an expectation that colleges deliver at least 100 hours of face-to-face English and maths teaching for those who haven’t passed those GCSEs.

The government is also creating V levels, a brand new vocational pathway to sit alongside A levels and T Levels, allowing students to explore different sectors like Engineering or Digital while keeping their options open.

January 8, 2026
PRESS RELEASE : British Prime Minister call with President Trump of the United States [January 2026]

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 7 January 2026.

The Prime Minister spoke with President Trump this evening.

They discussed the joint operation to intercept the Bella 1 as part of shared efforts to crack down on sanctions busting, recent progress on Ukraine and the US operation in Venezuela.

The Prime Minister also set out his position on Greenland.

January 8, 2026
PRESS RELEASE : Environment Secretary – Backing farmers with a new era of partnership to boost farm profitability [January 2026]

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 7 January 2026.

Environment Secretary announces plans at Oxford Farming Conference focusing more support on smaller farms and those without an existing agreement to drive growth, secure a thriving future for the sector, and deliver high quality, affordable food.

Our farmers are essential for the nation’s food security, the Environment Secretary will say, setting out a new era of partnership between government and farmers aimed at boosting profitability.

Speaking at the Oxford Farming Conference on Thursday 8 January, Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds will announce a package of measures to ensure the government works in partnership with farmers to drive growth, secure a thriving future for the sector, and deliver high quality, affordable food for British families.

She will announce reforms to the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI), designed to simplify the scheme, level the playing field, and provide stable, predictable delivery.

She will set out how there will be two application windows in 2026, with the first from June prioritising smaller farms and those without an existing agreement, followed by a second round from September for wider applications.

The government will continue working with the sector to refine these proposals and full scheme details will be published before the first application window opens.

The Environment Secretary will also outline a new £30 million Farmer Collaboration Fund to support farmer groups in growing their businesses, building partnerships and sharing best practice. This will empower them to find new opportunities to grow their businesses, share what works, build partnerships, and drive the kind of change that comes from the ground up.

Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds is expected to say:

Farmers are at the heart of our national life – for what you produce, the communities you sustain, and the landscapes and heritage you protect.

British farming is also a key growth sector we’re backing for the long term. Farmers who want to build, to export and to invest in new technology.

But too often, they’ve been held back by bureaucracy. We’re changing that to a system that backs our farmers.

The Secretary of State also set her vision to work in partnership with farmers:

We will work with you – through our new Farming and Food Partnership Board, through peer-to-peer networks, through community-led change, and through engagement on the detailed changes to SFI.

You will have the certainty you need to plan – clear budgets, clear timelines, clear future roadmap, and growth built on strong foundations.

That’s my commitment to you and it’s the foundation for the future we’re building together, to drive growth, secure a thriving future for the sector, and deliver high quality, affordable food for British families.

The Environment Secretary will also set out plans exploring a transformation of England’s uplands, recognising the unique challenges facing the rural communities that depend on them, from poor access to services to harsh farming conditions.

Building on research led by social entrepreneur Dr Hilary Cottam in six upland areas during the past year, the government will work over the next two years – first in Dartmoor, then Cumbria – to deliver system-wide change, create farming clusters, explore new mutual funding models, and lay the foundations for new income streams, from nature-based enterprises to regenerative tourism and circular economy initiatives.

In an additional boost for farmers in England’s most treasured rural areas, the government will extend the Farming in Protected Landscapes programme for three years, with £30 million in funding next year alone.

Since its launch, the programme has supported more than 11,000 farmers across 44 protected landscapes in enhancing nature recovery, tackling climate change, and preserving cultural heritage, including the planting of 362km of new hedgerows, equivalent to the distance of Oxford to Newcastle.

These measures build on the launch of the Farming and Food Partnership Board, bringing together senior leaders from farming, food, retail, finance and government to take a joined-up, farm-to-fork approach to improving profitability.

Alongside Baroness Minette Batters’ Farming Profitability Review, these new partnerships will help inform the government’s forthcoming 25-year Farming Roadmap, to be published later this year and setting out a clear, long-term vision for food production, environmental ambition, land use, and farm profitability.

January 8, 2026
Chris Philp – 2026 Comments on Shamima Begum

The comments made by Chris Philp, the Shadow Home Secretary, on 5 January 2026.

Shamima Begum chose to go and support the violent Islamist extremists of Daesh, who murdered opponents, raped thousands of women and girls and threw people off buildings for being gay

She has no place in the UK.

January 7, 2026
Ian Murray – 2026 Statement on the Government Cyber Action Plan

The statement made by Ian Murray, the Minister for Digital Government and Data, in the House of Commons on 6 January 2026.

Today I am publishing the Government cyber action plan, which sets out how we will transform cyber-security and resilience across Government and the public sector.

Public incidents demonstrate the devastating real-world consequences of inadequate cyber resilience. The recent incident affecting the Legal Aid Agency compromised personal data and impacted the organisation’s ability to digitally process legal aid applications and bills.

Similarly, the attack on Synnovis—a supplier of pathology services to the NHS—caused delays to over 11,000 outpatient and elective procedure appointments and, tragically, contributed to the death of a patient.

This reality underscores the fact that cyber-security is not a luxury; it is a fundamental component of business continuity, and all organisations should take steps to defend themselves.

Digitisation offers substantial opportunities to transform lives, deliver better public services, and drive economic growth and digital government. By investing in secure and resilient foundations, we do more than protect and transform public services; we drive innovation and growth within the UK’s cyber-security sector.

This Government have taken important steps in understanding and mitigating cyber risk across Government and the public sector. The Government Cyber Co-ordination Centre, also known as GC3, enables us to respond as one Government to cyber incidents, threats and vulnerabilities. Our secure-by-design approach enables us to “fix forward”, ensuring future digital services are designed to achieve cyber-security resilience outcomes. GovAssure, our cyber assurance process now entering its third year of operations, offers an unprecedented picture of current resilience levels and the fundamental blockers to progress.

However, the evidence is clear: we must do far more to address the persistent threat. We must move from a model where individual organisations act alone to one where the Government truly defend as one.Toggle showing location ofColumn 8WS

Today’s Government cyber action plan sets out a radically new model for how Government will operate differently to deliver this necessary transformation. It is backed by investment of over £210 million, led by the Government cyber unit within the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. The unit is taking decisive action to rapidly address the recommendations from both the National Audit Office and the Public Accounts Committee by holding Departments to account for their cyber-security and resilience risks, as well as providing them with more direct support and services, and co-ordinating response to fast-moving incidents.

January 7, 2026
Michael Shanks – 2026 Statement on Prax Lindsey Oil Refinery

The statement made by Michael Shanks, the Minister for Energy, in the House of Commons on 6 January 2026.

On 30 June 2025, I made an oral statement regarding the deeply disappointing news that Prax Lindsey oil refinery had entered insolvency, and I made a written ministerial statement on 1 July 2025. I also made a written ministerial statement on 22 July 2025 providing further information on the insolvency process led by the official receiver. Today, I am updating the House on the sale of the site and the assets.

The insolvency process at PLOR is led by the court-appointed official receiver, who must act in accordance with his statutory duties and independently of Government.

After a thorough process to identify a buyer for the site, the official receiver has determined Phillips 66 Ltd is the most credible bidder that can provide a viable future for this site. The sale is expected to complete in the first half of 2026.

Phillips 66 is an experienced and credible operator, and this sale allows it to quickly expand operations at its neighbouring Humber refinery, with all remaining 250 staff guaranteed employment until the end of March 2026.

Phillips 66 plans to integrate key assets into its Humber refinery operations. This will expand Phillips 66’s ability to supply fuel to UK customers from the Humber refinery, boosting domestic energy security, securing jobs including hundreds of new construction jobs over the next five years, and driving future growth opportunities for renewable and traditional fuels.

This agreement marks the next step in securing an industrial future for the site and the workers, who were badly let down by their former owners.

The former owners left the company in a poor state and gave the Government very little time to act. That is why the Energy Secretary immediately demanded the Insolvency Service launch an investigation into their conduct and the circumstances surrounding insolvency. That investigation is ongoing.

January 7, 2026
Charlie Maynard – 2026 Speech on Tissue Freezing for Advanced Brain Cancer Treatment

The statement made by Charlie Maynard, the Liberal Democrat MP for Witney, in Westminster Hall on 7 January 2026.

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Western. I thank the hon. Member for Caerphilly (Chris Evans) for securing the debate, and I thank Ellie for all her work, as well as Hugh and the others who are pushing very hard on this issue—many thanks indeed.

I want to try to make this debate a bit broader in two directions. My sister, Georgie, also has a glioblastoma. She was diagnosed two and a half years ago and has been incredibly brave and determined, working with the hon. Member for Mitcham and Morden (Dame Siobhain McDonagh) and Ellie to try to get more brain cancer justice, and driving that debate. That also applies to many people in my constituency of Witney who have brain tumours but also tumours of all sorts of cancers.

We ought to be considering two things. First, I ask the Minister to consider making tumour tissue freezing standard for all cancerous tumour tissues, not just brain. However close the issue is to my heart, I think it is inequitable to just focus on brain tumours. We have to try to get all tumour tissues frozen as standard, and the economies of scale mean that makes sense.

The other thing is how we have equitable and public health-oriented access to that tissue once it is stored, which we as a country are massively failing on. I ask the Minister to consider reforming the Human Tissue Act 2004, which could be broadened in terms of what is legally permitted in research contexts. That would create explicit legal pathways for retrospective clinical samples.

First, clinical tissue, such as biopsies and diagnostic archives, could be routinely made available for public health research under clear safeguards, without requiring separate project-by-project consent. Secondly, requirements for de-identified tissue could be simplified, clarifying that truly anonymised, non-identifiable samples can be used without consent or an HTA licence for a wider range of research, rather than just narrowly defined exceptions.

Thirdly, licences could be converted to broader authorisations. Instead of a licence for each tissue bank, accredited biobanks could be allowed to supply samples under nationally recognised frameworks. Fourthly, DNA analysis rules could be reworked. Barriers to genomic public health research could be reduced by redefining or narrowing the offence of having tissue for DNA analysis, provided that strong data protection is ensured. That is one big chunk.

The second big chunk I am asking for—there are only two—is that we reform the Human Tissue Act 2004 to apply a default system similar to the one we now use nationally for organ donation to tumour tissue data. To do so, Parliament would need to amend the HTA to introduce a deemed consent regime for residual tumour tissue and derived data. That would be limited to public interest cancer research, with a statutory and simple opt-out, strict purpose limits and enhanced oversight by the Human Tissue Authority.

The model would mirror the Organ Donation (Deemed Consent) Act 2019, but apply just to data derived primarily from tumour tissue. In plain English, that means that we have something that works for organ donations and saves lives day in, day out. If any of us die, our organs are taken and our next of kin can opt out if they choose. The great majority of people do not opt out. That has meant that many more organs have been available, which has saved lives. Somebody may want to dispose of their tumour tissue, but the great majority of us do not; we would want it used for public health and science, so having it as an automatic—

Monica Harding

I am sorry to stop my hon. Friend mid flow, because that is a really interesting concept. I draw his attention to a BBC article from today about using centuries-old samples of tumours from bowel cancer to work out why there is such a massive increase in bowel cancer among young people. I do not understand the science of it, but surely that is a step forward for our research as well.

Charlie Maynard

My hon. Friend speaks to the point. Of course, those people have been dead for many centuries, but we believe it is worth being able to access that information, and at the moment it is not accessible in most cases. That is something we really want to change.

I look to Denmark’s registry-first legal architecture, with mandatory health registries covering cancer diagnoses, pathology, genomics, and treatment and outcomes. The Danish cancer registry automatically records tumour data, covers the entire population and is used for research, oversight and quality improvement. Participation is automatic, with opt-outs rather than being consent-based. Our Government are seeking to rapidly expand our national genomics capabilities, and I applaud them for that, but without far better and more sensible access to the base tissue, with appropriate safeguards, there is no genomics-based, population-wide health service.

January 7, 2026
Chris Evans – 2026 Speech on Tissue Freezing for Advanced Brain Cancer Treatment

The speech made by Chris Evans, the Labour MP for Caerphilly, in Westminster Hall on 7 January 2026.

I beg to move,

That this House has considered patient access to tissue freezing for advanced brain cancer treatment, diagnostics and research.

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Western—you look remarkably like the man I had breakfast with 45 minutes ago.

I am pleased that this topic is getting the attention it deserves, and I am grateful to open this important debate, especially ahead of Less Survivable Cancers Awareness Week, which begins on 13 January. I must confess I knew relatively little about the effects of brain cancer until I met my constituent, Ellie James. Ellie has travelled from Wales today and is in the Gallery. I admire how tirelessly she has campaigned in memory of her late husband, Owain, who has brought us all here today.

Owain passed away from glioblastoma, the most common type of malignant brain tumour in adults, in June 2024. He was just 34 years of age. Since then Ellie has been campaigning for what she calls Owain’s law to be implemented in this country. Owain was young, fit and healthy, and he had his whole life ahead of him. He leaves behind a family, including a young daughter. Owain’s story highlights the importance of informed consent from patients and their families regarding treatment and the storage of their brain tissue.

Owain was diagnosed with a brain tumour in September 2022. Half of Owain’s 14 cm tumour was surgically removed, but only 1 cm of the removed tissue was stored fresh or flash frozen. The 1 cm was used to treat Owain with a form of immunotherapy treatment that requires the patient’s frozen tissue. Owain received three rounds of the vaccine before the frozen tissue ran out, at which point further surgery was not considered possible. The remaining 6 cm of tissue was stored in paraffin, making it unsuitable for additional vaccines.

Owain died a few months later, despite his cancer showing signs of regression during the treatment. If all the removed tissue had been fresh frozen, around 30 vaccines could have been created. If Owain and his family had been more informed about the practices surrounding brain tissue freezing and storage, and if the hospital had chosen the flash-freezing method for all the removed tissue instead of keeping it in paraffin, Owain could still be with us. His story is truly devastating, but what most stood out to me was that there was a real, achievable potential to extend, if not save, his life.

The amount of grief that Ellie and Owain’s family face must be tremendous and unimaginable. However, out of grief great change can take place, and I pay tribute to Ellie for her determination to turn her unimaginable grief into something positive that can help others. There is currently no consistent national guidance or sufficient infrastructure to ensure that brain tumour tissue removed during surgery can be stored in the fresh frozen state required for advanced therapies such as immunotherapy and cancer research. It is fundamentally wrong that Owain and his family learned of the small proportion of tissue initially frozen only once the vaccines ran out. I am sure they are not the only people that that will have happened to.

For every patient diagnosed with a less survivable cancer, the average one-year survival rate is 42%. That is compared with a one-year survival rate of 70% for all cancers. Those statistics need to improve. There are procedures surrounding brain tissue freezing that can be changed, which would have an undeniably positive impact on survival rates. There are already groups doing research and drawing attention to what can be done to improve outcomes for people with cancer, such as the all-party parliamentary group on the less survivable cancers. There are also charities such as Cancer Research UK and Macmillan that conduct valuable research and support cancer patients and their families. Again, I pay tribute to them.

There are, however, specific recommendations that I would like to mention, which link specifically to Owain and many others who face similar situations. The NHS needs an appropriate number of medical freezers to store fresh frozen tissue. In many cases, there is not enough freezer space to facilitate this type of brain tissue freezing. That must change. That long-term investment would save lives.

Monica Harding (Esher and Walton) (LD)

Brain cancer is one of the deadliest cancers, and it disproportionately affects young adults: it is the big cancer killer of people under 40. Does the hon. Gentleman agree that this proposal not only would save lives at a relatively small cost but has an economic benefit? The Brain Tumour Charity points out that most people diagnosed have to give up work, and so do their carers: 70% of carers also have to give up work to look after those afflicted. There is an economic benefit to doing this, at a relatively low cost, and of course it would save lives.

Chris Evans

The hon. Lady is absolutely right. We have to remember that a cancer diagnosis affects not just the person, but their family and loved ones. A lot of people have to leave work to care for those people, and they have to deal with the emotional impact too. Her economic point is absolutely right. The wider point is that we lead the world in life sciences. If we did what I am suggesting, we could be a world leader in brain cancer care and we could save lives too, so it is a win-win for everybody.

As the hon. Lady said, the change is cost effective. It is estimated that it would cost £250,000 to £400,000 to ensure that all NHS trusts have the necessary capacity and capabilities for flash freezing. Every brain cancer patient should be able to access the latest treatment and research and the most accurate genome-sequencing techniques.

In Owain’s case, there was enough freezer space, so storing his tissue in paraffin was a conscious decision not made out of necessity. That is why attitudes and established guidance protocols within the NHS about brain tissue freezing need to change. It should not be the norm to store removed brain tissue in something that makes it unusable for further research or treatment. I hope the Minister will commit to establishing national standards so that every suitable brain tumour sample is routinely frozen.

A brain tumour can happen to anyone. It could affect us or any of our loved ones. This change needs to happen now to save lives in the future. It needs to happen for people such as Owain who are no longer with us, for people who are currently unwell with brain cancer and for people who will unfortunately become ill in the future. This Labour Government have a real opportunity to enact meaningful, positive and feasible change. We must seize that, especially if it is achievable and affordable.

As I said earlier, we lead the world in life sciences, and brain cancer care is something that we can proudly be world leaders in. The national cancer plan, which will be published next month, must address the storage of brain tissue. Specifically, it must outline exactly how it will improve outcomes for patients with less survivable cancers. If we are serious about putting patients at the heart of cancer care, improving their awareness of the storage of their own tissue is one of the simplest places to start.

The way that treatment is allocated is deeply unfair. The postcode lottery of cancer treatment must end. It is wrong that a person’s ability to access cancer treatment is dependent on where they live: 40% of people with cancer in the UK have struggled to access treatment or care because of where they live. That is ineffective, unfair and discriminatory. Those are not the values that a Labour Government should uphold. For the cost of a few hundred thousand pounds, we could eliminate the postcode lottery that affects brain cancer patients. We need to ensure that all types of treatment, including experimental ones involving freezers and vaccines, can succeed in all areas, not only some. That exceptionally small investment could have a lifesaving impact.

It is not only treatment that is affected by current protocol, but research. Owain’s tissue was no longer suitable for research because it was stored in paraffin. It is also incredibly difficult for a person to have control over their own tissue post extraction. The confusion about who technically owns it makes it challenging for people such as Ellie to retrieve the remaining tissue for further testing or research. We need to stop putting unnecessary barriers in place. We are making things harder than they need to be, and these practices have a direct impact on people’s everyday lives.

It is just as alarming that all this is done without informed consent from the patient or their families. The importance of the storage method for brain tissue cannot be overstated when someone’s life relies upon it. Brain cancer patients and their families should have an absolute right to be consulted on and to give informed consent on how their tumour is stored. While we have the opportunity to make these changes in the national cancer plan for England, we must do so. It is a small, affordable change that could have a huge impact and improve cancer treatment nationwide.

This issue was debated in the Welsh Senedd in July, and I wonder if the Minister could liaise with the Welsh Government about introducing a similar plan. I understand that the Minister there said he was not minded to introduce legislation. Could she raise this topic with him in bilateral meetings at some point? I was also hoping to get a commitment from the Minister today to meet me and my constituent Ellie, so that Ellie can explain in detail her husband Owain’s experience and we can discuss how to prevent the same thing happening to current and future patients.

In matters of great importance like this, patients must be aware of what is happening to their tissue during treatment and afterwards. Families should be able to access their tissue if needed for future testing and research. I urge the Minister to think of real people like Owain, Ellie and their young daughter, whose lives could be so different now if patients were consulted, if the tissue was stored differently and if there were more medical freezers. I would specifically like to know the Government’s plans regarding brain tissue freezing, given the impact it would have on diagnostics, treatment and research. Do the Government plan to invest in freezer capacity, and do they intend to make flash freezing the norm?

While brain tumours will continue to happen to people like Owain or anyone in this room, diagnostics, treatment and research can get better. The Government can lead the way and begin to change the attitudes and practices surrounding brain tissue freezing—in fact, we must do so. I do not wish to hear another story like Owain and Ellie’s, which is absolutely tragic, and I want Ellie’s campaign to succeed; it can and must. The most devastating thing is that Owain’s outcomes could have been different if the established guidance protocol had been different. Perhaps if these things had happened, Owain could have been sitting with Ellie in the Public Gallery today.

January 7, 2026