NO-DEAL RISK OF LOSING EU SPY NETWORK
Ex-MI6 chief: UK security would be threatened
A NO-deal Brexit will put Britain at greater risk of attacks from jihadis and hostile states such as Russia and China, the ex-head of MI6 has claimed.
Former head of the UK Secret Intelligence Service Sir John Scarlett said it will result in the UK being “unplugged” from vital EU intelligence and crimebusting systems on January 1.
He and former diplomat and EU Commissioner Sir Julian King claim it would hit decades of relationships built between spy agencies and information on cross-EU people movement.
Sir John – who led MI6 from 2004 to 2009 – said yesterday: “If there is a weakening of data exchange and investigative capability in the EU or UK then clearly that potentially weakens our ability to respond to the Islamic jihad threat.” Both experts are raising awareness of the issue as the EU negotiation deadline looms. No deal would mean the UK loses much of its co-operation with the Europol agency and Sir Julian claimed it would have an “immediate impact” on security.
Both men also said that Five Eyes – the intelligencesharing group consisting of the
UK, US, Canada,
New Zealand and Australia – remains a vital tool in battling terrorism. c.hughes@mirror.co.uk @defencechris
It weakens our ability to respond to jihad threats SIR JOHN SCARLETT FORMER MI6 CHIEF
THOUSANDS of women could die from breast cancer after almost a million screening appointments were put on hold due to the pandemic.
Some 986,000 women missed their mammograms as checks were almost completely shut down for four months from March as the coronavirus outbreak took hold.
Around 8,600 could be living with undetected breast cancer, and experts fear a huge death toll as a result of delayed diagnosis.
And the screening backlog is likely to keep growing as capacity is cut by infection control measures and exhausted staff this winter.
Baroness Delyth Morgan, chief executive at Breast Cancer Now, which produced the figures, said: “This is cause for grave concern.
“Mammograms are a key tool in the early detection of breast cancer, which is critical to stopping women dying from the disease.
“We understand that the breast screening programme was paused out of necessity, but we must now press play to ensure all women can access breast screening – and we cannot afford for the programme to be paused again.”
When screening restarted in late summer there was a backlog of 838,000 in England, 78,000 in Scotland, 48,000 in Wales and 23,000 in Northern Ireland.
Mar y Wil son, consultant breast radiologist at the Wythenshawe Hospital in Manchester, said: “We desperately need more radiologists. As a nation we must recognise and address the workforce issues and invest in the NHS. There is no overnight fix.”
The NHS Breast Screening Programme helps detect breast cancer at the earliest possible stage, preventing an estimated 1,300 deaths each year.
Women of 50 to 71 are invited for a mammogram every three years, with over two million screened each year.
Leaked NHS data shows thousands of cancer patients are waiting over three months for a test, the outcome of a test, or treatment once diagnosed.
Some 6,400 people had waited over 100 days after a referral to cancer services, showed official data for England in mid-September seen by the Health Service Journal. This information had not been known because NHS England only publishes waiting times for patients who have been treated, not the number still waiting.
The number on the cancer waiting list soared from 50,000 at the start of August to around 58,000 in the middle of this month.
Prof Karol Sikora, former head of the World Health Organisation’s cancer programme, said: “Thousands more people can die from cancer as a result.”
The North East, Yorkshire and London regions had the most people waiting over three months.
NHS England said over four in five cancer treatments had been maintained. But cancer specialists say they are seeing more patients in advanced stages of the disease.
Prof Rob Jones of the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre in
Inequality must be addressed to prevent unnecessary deaths
MICHELLE MITCHELL OF CANCER RESEARCH UK
Glasgow said there were delays from initial contact with GPs to investigation by specialists.
He said most appointments are still being held via phone or video calls, which can cause problems picking up cancers.
Prof Jones added: “We saw far fewer newer referrals during the heat of the pandemic. We are now seeing a surge in patients and by default some have more advanced disease. It’s inevitable if you delay presentation.
“The delays are not just about people being seen in hospitals, it’s delays in the ways people presented to their GPs, people were reluctant to trouble them.
“The delays are all the way through the pathway. Where the challenge lies is actually in healthcare. We are doing most of our consultations remotely, whereas previously it would have been face-to-face.”
A report by Cancer Research UK found those in poorer areas have more trouble accessing cancer services, and are less likely to survive it as a result.
Those in disadvantaged areas in England are 50% more likely to be diagnosed in A&E, rather than have their cancer spotted earlier. They report more difficulties getting appointments at a suitable time or with a particular doctor, and are less likely to go for screening.
Michelle Mitchell, chief of Cancer Research UK, said: “Government must pay close attention to the widening gap between richer and poorer areas, injecting much-needed money into public health funding to help reduce this inequality. It must be addressed to prevent unnecessary death.”
There are around 11,400 breast cancer deaths in the UK every year – or 31 a day.
An NHS spokeswoman said: “The vast majority of cancers detected through screening programmes are at a very early stage and so any impact on patients who were due to be screened is extremely low. More than 200,000 people were treated for cancer during the peak of the pandemic.
“Breast screening services are fully up and running with over 400,000 women invited between June and August and thousands more invites sent every month.”
Older breast cancer patients are not being offered life-saving surgery or therapy on the false assumption they will not benefit, research suggests.
The study by Sheffield University found most women over 70 can tolerate surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy but often receive only less aggressive forms of treatment, and this might be why those under 70 have a far higher survival rate.