James Sunderland attended Marie Curie’s drop-in event in Westminster to support the charity’s Dying in Poverty campaign.

James Sunderland backed the end-of-life charity’s campaign against dying in poverty and is encouraging their constituents to do the same by signing a petition online.  

The petition to extend financial support for people with a terminal illness and their families already has over 100,000 signatures.

According to Marie Curie funded research from the University of Loughborough, around 90,000 people die in poverty in the UK each year, with one in four working age people dying in poverty. This makes working age people twice as likely to die in poverty than someone who lives past pension age.

James said:

“I was shocked to learn that ten people die in poverty every hour in the UK. As one of the wealthiest nations in the world this just should not be happening.

“It’s harrowing to hear about the plight of so many working people falling into poverty after a terminal diagnosis, and Marie Curie’s campaign is doing great work to highlight the areas in which financial safety nets are not suitable for the needs of dying people, especially working age people and working age parents.

“I’m proud to support this campaign and encourage everyone to sign the online petition to improve the lives of terminally ill people and their families.”

Mark Jackson, Marie Curie’s Senior Policy & Research Manager, said:

“We’re very grateful for the support of James Sunderland in helping us to raise awareness for our Dying in Poverty campaign. 

“Anyone can be diagnosed with a terminal illness and have their financial security swept from under them due to lost income and soaring costs. The cost of living crisis will only make this situation harder for families affected by terminal illness.

"Already more than 110,000 people have signed our petition calling on the Government to improve financial support for people living with terminal illness and struggling with how to pay their bills.

"We need to see urgent support for terminally ill people with rising energy bills and more support for terminally ill parents with childcare costs. And we want to see terminally ill people in working age able to access their State Pension, to help them make the most of the time they have left without worrying about how they'll make ends meet."

The parliamentary drop-in event was attended by Mark Whittaker whose wife Cheryl has terminal cancer. Mark spoke openly about the dire financial situation he and his wife have been forced into after Cheryl had to give up work due to her diagnosis, and Mark was forced into early retirement so he could care for Cheryl.

The event was also attended by a range of cross-party MPs and aimed to promote discussion around poverty at the end of life and raise awareness for Marie Curie’s ongoing campaign.  

MPs discussed important issues affecting terminally ill people with the Marie Curie team and pledged to support the charity’s call for early State Pension access for dying people, protection from soaring energy bills, and support with childcare costs.