Lib Dem leader Ed Davey pledges two-month cancer treatment guarantee

Sir Ed Davey has called for a new legal right to cancer treatment within two months of an urgent referral in England in a speech to his party conference.

The Liberal Democrat leader launched an all-out attack on the Conservative government's record on the NHS.

He accused Rishi Sunak of ditching plans for a ten-year cancer plan, describing it as a casualty of "Conservative chaos".

And he urged his party to focus on unseating Tories at the next election.

The Lib Dems are concentrating their efforts on traditional Conservative strongholds in southern England known as the "Blue Wall" - in contrast to their disastrous 2019 campaign, which saw them reduced to 11 MPs.

They have since boosted their numbers in the Commons to 15 after a series of by-election victories in Tory heartlands in the south of England.

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Sir Ed has faced calls from Lib Dem activists at their Bournemouth conference to campaign for the UK to rejoin the EU - but he has told the BBC this is currently "off the table".

He did briefly touch on Brexit in his speech - to cheers from activists in the hall - saying: "The Conservatives botched the deal with Europe, and it's been a disaster for the UK.

"Only we have set out a plan to tear down those trade barriers, fix our broken relationship with Europe and get a better deal for Britain."

He added that Labour's plan was "nowhere near that ambitious".

But Sir Ed's speech was mainly devoted to domestic issues, which he believes will help his party win over voters who feel let down by the Conservatives.

It was his first speech to a party conference since becoming leader in 2020, with previous conferences called off due to the Covid pandemic and the death of the late Queen.

In a deeply personal section, the audience listened in silence as Sir Ed spoke about his own experience of losing both his parents to cancer as a child and caring for his mum while he was still at school.

Missed targets

"My family's story isn't unique: there are millions of us whose lives get turned upside down by cancer," he said.

"Far too many people are still waiting far too long for a diagnosis. Or to start treatment after being diagnosed."

He said cancer would be "a top priority" for Lib Dem MPs, adding: "We will hold the government to account, for every target it misses and every patient it fails."

The NHS in England already has a target for 85% of people to start cancer treatment within 62 days of an urgent referral.

However, this has not been met since 2015 and figures hit a record low in January. The latest figure for July was 63%.

Under the Lib Dem proposals a two-month guarantee would be written into law, with patients who have to wait longer able to complain to the health ombudsman in the first instance and ultimately take legal action against the government.

The party said it would invest £4bn in NHS cancer treatment over the next five years to deliver the plan - including paying for more staff and radiotherapy machines.

The Lib Dems have not set out how this will be funded, saying details will be in their "fully costed" manifesto ahead of the next general election, which is expected next year.

The NHS Confederation welcomed the pledge but said it was not clear how it would be implemented, with more than 100,000 vacancies in the health service.

Other health policies announced by the party include the right to see a GP within a week and a £5bn package for free social care in England.

Housing split

The Lib Dems have faced a split on the issue of housing, with members defying the leadership by voting to keep the party's national housebuilding target for England.

Party bosses had wanted to shelve the 380,000 annual target, arguing it had failed to deliver necessary new homes.

But after an impassioned debate members backed a motion to keep it, with activists saying ditching an overall target risked alienating younger voters.

Other key policy announcements at the conference included dropping plans to put a penny on income tax to invest in the NHS and social care.