ILKLEY MP John Grogan has pledged his backing to the battle against cancer.

He vowed to help promote the cause on the political agenda when he attended a Parliamentary event staged by Cancer Research UK.

Mr Grogan also met some of the charity's volunteer campaign ambassadors.

He said few families in his constituency, which includes Keighley, were untouched by cancer.

And both his own parents died from the disease.

He said: "In the Airedale, Wharfedale and Craven area, 1,000 people are diagnosed with cancer every year.

"The percentage of patients seen by a specialist within two weeks of an urgent GP referral for suspected cancer is 96.3 per cent – higher than the national average of 94.1 per cent.

"It gives me hope to hear that Cancer Research UK's pioneering work is turning the tables on the disease."

Mr Grogan added that he was visiting Airedale Hospital to meet senior management and union representatives, and that cancer care would be among the topics of discussion.

Cancer Research UK says that over the course of this Parliament, two million people throughout the UK will be diagnosed with the disease.

Survival rates in the UK are lagging behind those of many other countries, with a large number of cancers being diagnosed at an advanced stage, when they are harder to successfully treat.

Matt Davies, the charity's head of public affairs and campaigning, thanked Mr Grogan for his support.

He added: "At Cancer Research UK, we're resolute in our ambition to see three in four patients surviving the disease by 2034.

"To achieve this we need cancer at the top of the political agenda and so we're grateful to John Grogan for helping to highlight the importance of research and action in beating the disease.

"Survival in the UK has doubled in the last 40 years, but there's still so much more to do and we cannot do it alone.

"Creating the right environment for research alongside cancer prevention, early diagnosis and ensuring patients have access to the best possible treatments must be key priorities for the new Government."