West Cornwall MP Derek Thomas is leading a Parliamentary debate on brain tumours today, focused on why the system for funding research into brain tumours is broken.

Mr Thomas has taken an interest in brain tumours since he was first a candidate for election.  

He is now the chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Brain Tumours, a cross-party organisation of MPs and peers that works to raise awareness of brain tumours in order to improve research, diagnosis, information, support, treatment and care outcomes.

There has not been a debate specifically about brain tumours since 2016, when the Petitions Committee organised a debate in response to the Realf family’s petition for an increase in funding for research. 

At this debate, the minister for health research, George Freeman, announced that he would establish a Task and Finish Group within the Department for Health to examine the issues.  As a result of this group’s report, the government announced that it would allocate £20 million for research into brain tumours, and allocated a further £20 million shortly afterwards.

The outcome of the last debate about brain tumours was the promise of £40 million for research into brain tumours.

But since then, only a quarter of the funds available have been distributed in grants to researchers. 

Mr Thomas chaired an Inquiry by the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Brain Tumours to find out why the money was not reaching researchers.  

Their report, “Pathway to a Cure” – published last week – finds that the current funding system is unfit for purpose and continues to let down patients and families.  

Potential new treatments discovered in the laboratory fail to reach patients because of unnecessary complexity in the way research is funded.

Given the importance of the issue, the Backbench Business Committee have confirmed a general debate on Brain Tumour Research Funding within the main chamber of the House of Commons at 2pm today.  

The charity Brain Tumour Research have been asking supporters to write to their MPs asking them to attend, and members of Parliament from all parties have put their names down to speak. 

Mr Thomas said: “I want this week’s debate to change the way that research into brain tumours is funded.

“The last time brain tumours were debated, £40 million was promised.

“In this debate I want to make sure the government acts to get it delivered to the right researchers.

“We need to act now – the sad fact is that brain tumour patients do not have the luxury of time.”