Horsforth and Aireborough's MP Stuart Andrew is championing the terminally ill by supporting a campaign to make palliative care available to anyone who needs it.

Mr Andrew teamed up with Marie Curie Nurse, Sally Monger-Godfrey, and celebrity impressionist, Jon Culshaw, to back the campaign from the UK’s leading charity for people living with terminal illness and their families.

The MP said: "This was a really interesting event, which highlighted issues with end-of-life care provision.

"It’s vitally important we make sure people receive the best care possible, especially at what can be an incredibly distressing time for families and the person who needs extra help in their care. Marie Curie is doing some excellent work in helping to make people aware of what is a very complex issue."

The campaign comes as Marie Curie revealed more than half of the 26 million people aged over 50 in the UK are not confident they will get the care they need towards the end of their life.

The charity says one in four people each year who need palliative care miss out on it because their needs are not recognised and they are not referred on to the right services. To prevent this figure from increasing, Marie Curie is calling for a change in the way care is provided.

Mr Culshaw said: "Like most of us, I believe everyone should have the right to palliative care when they need it. That’s why I’m supporting Marie Curie’s campaign to make this a reality."

Mr Andrew has pledged to help ensure any constituents who have a terminal illness know what services and benefits they are entitled to, and to work with local NHS services to improve the quality of palliative care, as well as access to it.

Scott Sinclair, the charity's head of policy and public affairs for England, said: "We are incredibly grateful to Stuart for supporting Marie Curie’s campaign. More needs to be done to ensure people with a terminal illness get access to the high quality care and support they need and deserve."