Former Labour deputy leader Tom Watson has announced he is taking a leave of absence from the House of Lords after the return of his cancer. Lord Watson was diagnosed with non-aggressive prostate cancer in March 2023, which he said caused his world to 'tilt'. His treatment was successful, and he was later given the all clear.
However, the Labour grandee revealed on Friday that he had learned earlier this year that the cancer had returned. Initial tests suggest the second bout of cancer had gone, but he will undergo more checks later this summer. Lord Watson said it was a 'wake up call' that he had neglected his health.
He previously went on a weight loss crusade, losing seven stone and sending his Type 2 diabetes into remission. But in recent years he said he had been in denial as he started to pile on the pounds again. 'Several juggernauts hit me at once,' he wrote on his Substack. 'I had spent three months in Cornwall with my sister and brother-in-law, helping give my stepfather a loving death. An important relationship imploded. I was, for a while, basically homeless.'
Lord Watson said he has stopped drinking, was exercising more and had changed his diet. He added: 'So I have taken a leave of absence from the House of Lords for treatment and recuperation. Initial tests suggest the cancer has gone, though I will not know for certain until more tests in the summer. Despite the uncertainty, I feel good. Chipper, in fact.'
