West Lancashire MP living with incurable breast cancer appointed government's cancer plan advisor
Former health minister Ashley Dalton wrote the National Cancer Plan
A West Lancashire MP who is living with incurable breast cancer has been appointed as the government's Advisor for the National Cancer Plan.
Ashley Dalton, the Labour MP for West Lancashire, has been given a Direct Ministerial Appointment under James Frith MP, the Minister for Health Innovation, whose brief covers the National Cancer Plan.
Ms Dalton was Minister for Public Health and Prevention from February 2025 to March 2026.
She wrote the National Cancer Plan before stepping down from her ministerial role to focus on her constituency and her cancer treatment.
What the role involves
Ms Dalton will advise on improving cancer care through the National Cancer Plan.
This will include highlighting where delivery is off track and further intervention may be needed.
She will also assess whether the plan is delivering improvements in quality of life and patient experience for people affected by cancer.
Ms Dalton was first diagnosed with primary breast cancer in 2014. She was diagnosed with secondary (metastatic) breast cancer in 2024.
What they said
Ms Dalton said: "It's a real honour to be appointed the Government's Cancer Advisor. Publishing the National Cancer Plan was a huge professional and personal achievement of mine and I have been determined to ensure that the commitments in it are driven forward.
"Now I can do this in a more formal way, working directly with the responsible Minister, James Frith.
"My time as Health Minister taught me so much, and so has living with metastatic breast cancer. I want to use my experiences in the best way I can, to support the commitment in the National Cancer Plan that by 2035, 3 out of 4 people diagnosed with cancer will be cancer free or living well with cancer after 5 years."
Yvette Cooper MP, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, said: "Better cancer care means listening to those who know what it means to live with it.
"That's why Ashley Dalton's appointment as adviser on the National Cancer Plan is so important.
"Her personal experience of cancer, alongside her previous experience at the Department of Health and Social Care, will help ensure the Plan reflects the realities of people living with cancer."
Radiotherapy trial and screening
The appointment comes as the government announces more than 1,000 people have joined a government-funded trial testing shorter radiotherapy treatment, potentially saving patients 10 hospital trips.
The FAST-Forward Boost trial is testing whether breast cancer radiotherapy can be safely cut from three weeks to five days.
It is running at 39 hospitals across the UK and will test a shorter course of radiotherapy with an additional targeted dose, known as a boost, to help prevent breast cancer returning.
The announcement comes at the end of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Ms Dalton has been encouraging women in West Lancashire to attend their breast screening appointments when offered.