HOW THE THREE-YEAR FIGHT OVER ACCESS WAS WON

2018 - Marie Curie and the Motor Neurone Disease Association launch the Scrap6Months campaign calling for a change to the six-month rule.

April 2018 - Scottish Parliament scraps the rule. The new definition of terminal illness will be based on clinical judgment with no timescales.

January 2019 - The Daily Express joins the fight with a front page story and charities launch a petition.

July 3 2019 - Marie Curie works with the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Terminal Illness on a report into difficulties of accessing benefits.

July 11 2019 - The Secretary of State at the time, Amber Rudd, launches a review of the benefits system for terminally ill people after the moving stories in this newspaper.

August 7 2019 - The charities hand in the Scrap6months petition with 55,435 signatures to 10 Downing St.

December 12 2019 - More than 800 candidates in the 2019 General Election back the campaign, over 130 of whom are elected as MPs.

January 8 2020 - Boris Johnson says the Government is “doing everything we can.”

March 2020 - Terminally ill people and their loved ones share their experiences directly with the DWP as part of the Government review.

July 11 2020 - A year since the Government review was announced, no changes in the law have been made.

June 30 2021 - Northern Ireland plans to extend the six month life expectancy criteria to 12 months.

July 6 2021 - Drew Hendry MP chairs an APPG on terminal illness – those affected share experiences.

July 8 2021 - The Government agrees to extend the six-month criteria to 12 months, two years after the review was launched.