Labour’s Wes Streeting: “I’m back at work, fighting fit and cancer-free”

Labour shadow cabinet member Wes Streeting has declared in a new video message that he is “back at work, fighting fit and cancer-free” after taking time out for more than two months to receive kidney cancer treatment.

The MP for Ilford North became an opposition frontbencher responsible for the party’s child poverty strategy in mid-May and revealed soon afterwards that he had been diagnosed with cancer at the age of 38, which was “an enormous shock”.

Today, he said: “I just count my lucky stars really. I’ve lost a kidney but I’ve also got rid of the cancer. No chemotherapy, no radiotherapy. I’m just really lucky. So, I’m back, back in action here in Ilford North working for my constituents and back in action in Labour’s shadow cabinet too.”

Streeting also used his video to thank “Ravi Barod, David Cullen and all of the NHS staff at the Royal Free Hospital, who supported me throughout my treatment”, as well as the staff at King George and Queen’s Hospitals for the early diagnosis.

Below is the full text of Streeting’s video message.

The sun is shining, it’s a beautiful day and I’m really pleased to let you know that I’m back at work, fighting fit and cancer-free.

I’ll be honest, I wasn’t expecting anything like the overwhelming response, that my family and I received when my kidney cancer diagnosis went public.

So, the first thing I want to say, from the bottom of my heart is a massive thank you to everyone who got in touch friends, family, colleagues but also loads of people I’ve never even met who were generous enough to share their stories about battling cancer generally and kidney cancer specifically, and gave me all sorts of words of encouragement at a time when they really mattered most.

So, a huge thank you to all of you who’ve got in touch.

Of course, I also want to say, probably the biggest thanks of all to Ravi Barod, David Cullen and all of the NHS staff at the Royal Free Hospital, who supported me throughout my treatment. And also closer to home the NHS staff at King George and Queens Hospitals because they caught the cancer really early and without that early action the conversation would be having might be a very different one.

So, I just count my lucky stars really. I’ve lost a kidney but I’ve also got rid of the cancer. No chemotherapy, no radiotherapy. I’m just really lucky. So, I’m back, back in action here in Ilford North working for my constituents and back in action in Labour’s Shadow Cabinet too.

So, you’ll be hearing lots more from me in the coming days, weeks and months and I can’t wait to get cracking.