Yorkshire MP makes emotional admission about health condition in PMQs
Tom Gordon, Liberal Democrat MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, told the House of Commons he had been admitted to hospital earlier this year due to a flare-up of ulcerative colitis.
A Yorkshire MP has called the Prime Minister to end the postcode lottery for inflammatory bowel disease care, speaking publicly about his own condition for the first time.
Tom Gordon, Liberal Democrat MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, told the House of Commons he had been admitted to hospital earlier this year due to a flare-up of ulcerative colitis.
Colitis is a form of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which can cause painful sores or ulcers and inflammation in the gut.
According to Crohn’s and Colitis UK, diagnosis takes more than a year for one in four with the conditions.
Addressing Sir Keir Starmer at this afternoon’s Prime Minister’s Questions, Mr Gordon said: “For people with IBD, care often falls far short of the mark.”
He told the Commons that it took him the “best part of a decade” to get a diagnosis.
He said: “When you manage to get a diagnosis, the care that comes can come as a postcode lottery.
“When you're living with a fluctuating and not visible condition, that's already hard enough before navigating those systems.”
He asked if the Prime Minister would meet with him and clinicians to discuss implementing the IBD Standard, or consider appointing a national clinical lead.
The IBD Standard is a framework developed by IDB UK Alliance outlining high-quality standards of care for health professionals.
The Prime Minister responded by thanking Mr Gordon for sharing, and congratulating him on running the London Marathon earlier this year while living with colitis.
Sir Keir said: "Wherever a patient lives they should receive high quality consistent care.
“Through national improvement programmes like Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) we are making sure the best practice is shared to drive up standards.”
After PMQs, Mr Gordon said: “I welcome the PM’s warm words, but the IBD community needs action, not promises.
“IBD Alliance UK have done vital work on this. Their 2026 framework should be
applied as standard, and I will keep pushing until it is."