Labour blasted over cancer leaflet claims

Health Secretary Andy Burnham was yesterday urged to apologise to cancer patients who were sent Labour campaign leaflets warning that a Tory government would put their lives at risk.

Personalised cards were sent to 250,000 women saying the Tories would scrap a Labour guarantee that all suspected breast cancer patients would be seen by a specialist within two weeks of GP referral.

The mailshots, which featured a message from a breast cancer survivor praising Labour's policy, referred to the addressee's name several times.

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Labour strongly denied that the cards were specifically targeted at cancer patients and said cancer was sadly so prevalent in society that some of the 250,000 people were likely to have suffered from it.

But Tory Shadow Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said he

was "shocked" by the campaigning.

"It is shameful that the Labour Party, knowing that we are the only party that is going to increase investment in the

NHS, have decided to deliberately scare patients and misrepresent what we have said," he said.

"I'm actually rather shocked that they are trying to target breast cancer patients and alarm them by making up stories about what the Conservative Party would do.

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"I think Andy Burnham should write to every woman Labour sent these cards to and apologise and withdraw these claims."

The cards were sent last month before the General Election was called.

A Labour spokesman said: "The Labour Party would never specifically target any material at people suffering from a medical condition.

To suggest otherwise is categorically untrue.

"Over the past months Labour has sent out literature on a range of issues including the cancer guarantee.

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"Obviously we would never mean to cause offence to anyone, especially to anyone suffering from cancer.

"It is because we want to give the best treatment and support to those affected by cancer that we introduced the cancer guarantee."