CLACTON MP Giles Watling has thrown his weight behind a campaign urging the Government to set a new target to double the survivability of cancer patients.

Mr Watling visited a drop-in event in the House of Commons, organised by the Less Survivable Cancers Taskforce.

The charity coalition insists there is an “urgent need” to increase the survivability of many cancers, including brain, liver and lung, by 28 per cent by 2029.

During the event, Mr Watling met with several specialists, as well as patients and nurses with first-hand experience of less survivable cancers.

The taskforce includes Action Against Heartburn, the Brain Tumour Charity, the British Liver Trust, Guts UK, Pancreatic Cancer UK and the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation.

Mr Watling said: “I am happy to support the taskforce’s proposed new target to double survival rates for the less survivable cancers, because everyone diagnosed with cancer deserves a chance.

“It’s great to see so many charities uniting for such a good cause, and I’m looking forward to seeing the positive changes they make in the future.”

If the five-year target is achieved by 2029, an extra 10,000 people per year would go on to live a longer life after diagnosis with certain cancers.