Andy Burnham has responded to Archie Goodburn's emotional plea to Downing Street on BBC Breakfast. The Prime Minister thanked the swimmer and asked to meet him, saying his team would get in touch.
Goodburn's diagnosis and advocacy
Archie Goodburn made his Commonwealth Games debut in the men's 50-metre breaststroke before winning a gold medal at the 2023 British Swimming Championships. In 2024, at age 22, he announced he had been diagnosed with three oligodendrogliomas, a form of cancer affecting the brain and spinal cord, and would undergo chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
Since his diagnosis, Goodburn has become an advocate for the brain tumour community, leading to his tearful appeal on BBC Breakfast.
The emotional appeal
Speaking on the programme, the 25-year-old made a direct appeal to Downing Street to ease the "unbearable" suffering of brain cancer patients and their families. He urged: "Andy Burnham, if you believe and want to make a change and a difference to the future of our country and our young population, please listen to us."
He called for a national brain cancer lead and highlighted clinical trials in the US, Australia, and China that could change lives but are not available in the UK. "Please invest and make the difference. I'm on my knees begging for - not just my own life - but for those of my best friends and those that are affected and the families around the country," he said.
Burnham's response
Mr Burnham responded on TikTok, thanking Goodburn and asking to meet. He said: "Archie, thank you for this. I know how hard it must have been. What you're doing for other people, while you're going through all this yourself, shows the best of us. I'd really like to meet you and hear from you directly, and I've asked my team to get in touch."
The response follows the Rare Cancers Bill, led by Scott Arthur MP, which became law earlier this year to incentivise research and investment into rare cancer treatments. Goodburn called it a 'step in the right direction' but said it 'is not going to make the changes that we need.' He added: "I'm extremely grateful for Dr Scott Arthur and the work he's done there. The rare cancers bill covers 14 different types of rare cancers. Brain cancer is one of these in terms of incidents of diagnosis, but it's not the same in terms of the number of deaths it causes."
