Rob Burrow: Government has blood on its hands over MND funding

Rob Burrow says the government has "blood on their hands" due to the underfunding of motor neurone disease (MND) and research to find a cure.

In a BBC Look North interview, the ex-Leeds Rhinos star said MND, which he has, kills six people a day in the UK.

The MND Association charity said it was frustrated a £50m fund promised by the government is yet to reach researchers.

The government said it remained committed to spending "at least another £50 million" to help find an MND cure.

Burrow made the comments while he and his wife Lindsey Burrow shared news about how the Rob Burrow Centre for MND at Seacroft Hospital in Leeds was progressing.

He said: "I've heard it is curable but underfunded in the past, with the money supposedly coming from the government. The money Kevin [Sinfield] has raised, over £6m, would start it off.

"I'm sorry, but this Tory government has blood on their hands, because [MND] kills six people every day."

In November 2021, the government announced it would put at least £50m over five years into research in a bid to find a cure.

Demolition work has started at the preferred site for The Rob Burrow Centre for MND

Alex Massey, head of campaigning, policy and public affairs at the MND Association, said clear assurances have been given that the £50m pledge "is unaffected by the changes at the top of Government" in 2022.

He continued: "We are very frustrated that one year on from the announcement of the promised funds, none of it is yet in the hands of researchers.

"The remaining issues relate to how the £50m is delivered, and our desire for researchers to be able to access the funding at scale through a small number of grant applications, rather than a large number of applications for small amounts of funding."

The charity said it had written to Health Secretary Steve Barclay to request a meeting about the funds and are waiting for a response.

In a statement, a Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: "We have invested millions of pounds into MND research - leading to major advances in how the disease is understood - and we remain committed to spending at least another £50m to help find a cure to this awful illness.

"We've already funded clinical trials for various drugs which have shown promise in tackling MND, and we encourage researchers to make applications for this funding - which is available right now."