MP to back Storrington mother’s campaign

The Conservative MP announced he will support fellow constituent Jemma Peacock’s campaign to get a drug for cancer sufferers back on the Cancer Drugs Fund after an E-petition gained 100,000 signatures last week.

The petition is now eligible for debate in the House of Commons.

However, in order for it to be debated the petition needs the backing of an MP to bring it forward to the Backbench Business Committee who will decide whether it is eligible for discussion in Parliament.

Mr Herbert said: “I’m delighted that Jemma has achieved this amazing level of support and I will certainly back her application for a debate to the Backbench Business Committee when it comes up.

“As Parliament is dissolved next Monday this will now be after the election, but if I am re-elected I will take this up as Jemma’s MP, as I have taken up concerns on her behalf before.

“Like so many people I have been moved by Jemma’s plight and feel that the case to make this cancer drug available should be heard in Parliament. I have been in touch with Jemma to express my support.

“The Government has provided a huge sum, £340 million, in a cancer drugs fund which was introduced in 2011 and has helped thousands of patients, and I appreciate that difficult decisions about which drugs to approve have to be taken, but we need the regorafenib drug reinstated for those like Jemma who are suffering from this rare form of intestinal cancer.”