King's Speech 2024: Key points for people with cancer

Following the recent General Election, the King’s Speech marks the beginning of a new parliamentary session. It was delivered by His Majesty The King on Wednesday 17 July at the State Opening of Parliament.

Written by the new UK Government, the speech outlines their priorities for the coming months and sets out the bills they intend to introduce to Parliament.

In this King’s Speech, the Government introduced a wide range of bills. They included measures to stimulate economic growth, build houses, strengthen workers’ rights, improve transport and clean energy, and devolve power to local leaders.

In this blog, we share our key points from the King’s Speech for people living with cancer.

It was encouraging to hear the NHS highlighted as a service which provides care for all, and a specific point around reducing waiting times.

Macmillan sees and hears about the devastating impact of cancer care delays and cancellations every day. Across the UK, 2023 was one of the worst years on record for cancer treatment delays in the NHS¹.

After campaigning with you over the past year to reduce dangerously long waiting times with our ‘What Are We Waiting For?’ campaign and throughout the General Election, we were delighted to see reducing waiting times prioritised in the King’s Speech.

Together, we highlighted the urgency and helped shape the conversation to make waiting times a priority for the new Government. Your voices have been heard, and Macmillan is ready to work with the new Westminster Government to ensure everyone living with cancer in the UK receives the best care in the world.

Macmillan welcomes the bill to progressively increase the age at which people can buy cigarettes, and impose limits on the sale and marketing of vapes.

There are more than 3 million people living with cancer in the UK and this is set to rise to 4 million by 2030². Throughout the King’s Speech, there was a clear theme of preventing ill-health in the first place. In the UK, someone receives a cancer diagnosis every 90 seconds³, and 1 in 2 of us will face it in our lifetime⁴. For future generations, preventative measures such as the Tobacco and Vapes Bill could be the most vital change the Government can make to public health, as tobacco is the largest preventable cause of cancer in the UK⁵.

The Employment Rights Bill will strengthen Statutory Sick Pay by removing the lower earnings limit to make it available to all workers as well as the waiting period.

Macmillan knows that cancer comes at a financial cost, and that money is a worry for many. Four in five people with cancer in the UK (83%) experience a financial impact from their diagnosis, which can reach more than £1,000 a month on average⁶.

Macmillan has supported calls to strengthen Statutory Sick Pay through the ‘Safe Sick Pay’ campaign. We will continue to provide advice on money, work, and welfare through the Macmillan Support Line, to issue Macmillan Grants, and campaign for changes needed to ensure people with cancer receive the financial support they need, when they need it.

The Government will give new powers to local leaders, and set up a new Council of the Nations and Regions to strengthen outcomes between them.

Cancer can affect every part of a person’s life – from treatment and transport, to welfare, energy and employment. Across every nation and region of the UK, every generation from the youngest to the oldest, and every socioeconomic and income group, cancer has touched the majority of people’s lives in some way⁷.

To truly meet the complex needs of people with cancer and tackle the cancer care crisis, the new UK Government must enable the expertise and power of all relevant departments at every level of government. Facilitating collaboration by devolving power and promoting collaboration between the UK Nations and Regions is positive step, and Macmillan will campaign for a cross-governmental approach to bring cancer care into the future, and ensure every person with cancer in the UK receives world-class care.

As we reflect on the King’s Speech and our continued mission to revolutionise cancer care, there’s one thing we know for certain: we can’t do it without you.  

With the help of thousands of amazing Macmillan campaigners during the General Election, we reached 90% of Parliamentary candidates, with over 130 candidates pledging to revolutionise cancer care if elected in the new Parliament.

In the coming months we will be supporting people to build relationships with their MPs so they can be the most effective champions of cancer in the new Parliament. Will you join us? Sign up for our campaigner updates to be part of the movement to transform the experiences of people living with cancer.