Luton North MP slams government delay on brain tumour research

Sarah Owen MP has told the ‘heartbreaking’ story of a Luton brain tumour victim as she challenged the Health Secretary on his department’s failure to allocate funding for research on tumours.

Yesterday (June 7), the MP for Luton North question Steve Barclay on why £13 million has been given to fund research despite the government’s promise of £40million in 2018.

She raised the case of Luton North constituents Yasmin and Khuram Liaquat, who lost their daughter Amani to a brain tumour last year.

The MP called on the Secretary of State to meet with her and the bereaved parents. In response, Barclay insisted his team were ‘ready’ to have such meetings.

Owen said during the House of Commons sitting:

“Brain tumours are the biggest killer for people under 40, but we are still waiting for the full £40million the government promised to fund brain tumour research.

“In March I raised in the House the heartbreaking experience of my constituents Yasmin and Khuram, whose daughter Amani died from a brain tumour.

“So once again I am asking - will the Minister or the Secretary of State meet with myself and my constituents to hear their calls for the full funding allocation to be given to researchers, which will be transformational for the treatment of brain tumours?”

In response to the exchange, Yasmin Liaquat said: "It was frustrating and upsetting to hear the lacklustre response from the Health Secretary in Parliament today.

“This is not just a political issue for us but is an issue we feel very strongly about after losing our 23-year-old daughter, Amani, to brain cancer last year.”

She continued: “This issue has not only affected our family but continues to affect thousands in the UK as we personally witness numerous families either receiving a diagnosis or losing a loved one to brain cancer on a weekly basis. The government needs to do more to recognise this situation for the emergency that it is.”

Leading charity Brain Tumour Research thanked Owen for her ‘tenacity’ in fighting for brain tumour patients and their families. On Twitter, the charity added: “As long as the answers to these questions remain the same, then the stark statistics and shocking stories will remain the same too.”