Ashley Dalton resigns as health minister for cancer treatment

Ashley Dalton has resigned as a health minister as she continues to receive treatment for metastatic breast cancer.

Dalton, MP for West Lancashire, was appointed as public health minister in February last year following Andrew Gwynne’s resignation and suspension from the Labour Party.

However, Dalton had been diagnosed with incurable breast cancer the previous month, having undergone surgery and chemotherapy for breast cancer in 2014.

Last month, she introduced the government’s National Cancer Plan to Parliament, which aims to save 320,000 lives over its lifetime, while also helping those with cancer to live and work well.

In a letter to the Prime Minister, Dalton said she was “forever grateful” for being invited to serve as a minister, but said: “I believe now is the right time to take the reasonable adjustments I need to both manage my condition and focus on being a constituency MP by stepping back from ministerial duties.”

She said: “I return to the backbenches, committed to being a powerful voice in Westminster for my constituents. I will continue to work towards improving health outcomes for people living with cancer and support your leadership on the government’s agenda to bring about the change the country trusted us to deliver.”

I have taken the decision to step down from my ministerial responsibilities to allow me to focus on my job representing you, the people of West Lancashire, while I continue to receive oral chemotherapy treatment.

My letter to the PM below 👇 pic.twitter.com/m2hFYT423g

— Ashley Dalton MP (@AshleyDalton_MP) March 2, 2026

Health Secretary Wes Streeting said Dalton had been an “outstanding minister… in the face of extraordinary adversity”.

He said: “She has achieved more as a minister than many politicians achieve in their entire careers. I’m so sorry to lose her from our team, but proud of her decision and her impact.”

It comes just days after another ministerial resignation, after Josh Simons resigned as a minister from the Cabinet Office – telling the Prime Minister he had “become a distraction” from the government’s work over allegations around an investigation into the background of journalists during his time as director of Labour Together.

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