Diabetes Parliamentary Champion

Diabetes UK is launching a new award for MPs and Peers who have gone beyond the call of duty in the fight against diabetes. Nominations have been announced for the Diabetes Parliamentary Champion 2009 throughout the year.

Please cast your vote

The winner will be announced in January 2009, and we want you to help us decide who wins by voting for one of our shortlisted candidates.

Please read the descriptions below and submit the voting form (Under 'Vote now'). Please note you can only vote once.

Thank you very much.

Details of the winner will be published here and in the next edition of Get involved.

Nominations for the 2010 award

If you think you know someone who deserves to win the award who hasn't been shortlisted, please contact us with the reasons for your nomination on campaigns@diabetes.org.uk and we will consider them for the 2010 award.

Nominees

So far, nominees for the 2009 Diabetes Parliamentary Champion are:

Lord Bilston

Lord Bilston (formerly Denis Turner MP) has been extremely supportive of Diabetes UK in the West Midlands.  Diabetes UK has run an annual ‘Living with Diabetes Conference’ with Wolverhampton NHS Trust for the past eight years. Lord Bilston has helped with many of these events, speaking at four of them.

As a big Wolverhampton Wanderers fan, he has even missed matches to support Diabetes UK and local people with diabetes.

Sandra Gidley MP

Sandra Gidley, MP for Romsey, is a member of the Liberal Democrat Health Team and the Health Select Committee and has been a supporter for many of Diabetes UK’s campaigns. These include improving retinal screening and reducing emergency admissions.

In Diabetes Week, Sandra chaired Diabetes UK’s policy discussion on specialist services for people with diabetes and she subsequently raised this in Parliament by asking the Minister a question during Health Questions in the House of Commons. 

Nigel Griffiths MP for Edinburgh South

Nigel Griffiths, MP for Edinburgh South, brought the issue of childhood obesity to the fore with his Private Members’ Bill – Food Products (Marketing to Children) Bill.  He said: “I am pleased to introduce a Bill that will reinforce parents' efforts and make it easier to encourage healthier eating to benefit children and the economy.” 

We commend Nigel Griffiths for highlighting this important issue. Diabetes UK believes that unless action is taken to help stem the rising level of obesity among children in the UK, cases of Type 2 diabetes in young people will continue to increase.

Lord Harrison

Lord Harrison was recently elected as Vice-Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Diabetes and, prior to this, was an active member of the group. He champions the issue of diabetes in the House of Lords, raising many issues of concern that affect both those at risk and those living with diabetes.

Most recently, he spoke to children about their experiences of managing diabetes at school at the parliamentary reception on 18 November and subsequently instigated a short debate on this issue in the House of Lords.

Baroness Masham of Ilton

Baroness Masham of Ilton is a dedicated advocate for diabetes in Parliament. As a member of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Diabetes, she regularly raises the profile of diabetes at meetings and in debates in the House of Lords.

Recently, she has spoken on the use of testing strips for people with diabetes, the difficulties for people with diabetes who have to manage their condition when they are in prison and support for children with diabetes in school.

Adrian Sanders MP

Adrian Sanders, MP for Torbay, has been chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Diabetes since 1998 and has never missed a meeting. Adrian has tabled Early Day Motions, asked questions and hosted meetings and events to raise the profile of diabetes within Parliament and put pressure on Government to achieve the best standards of care for people with diabetes. 

Adrian recently attended the 2008 Diabetes UK volunteering conference to give a presentation about diabetes in Parliament and he spoke to children attending the lobby of Parliament to encourage them not to be shy when speaking to their MPs.

Adrian was diagnosed with diabetes in 1991. “It took a little while to adjust to the new lifestyle of injections and blood tests, but I viewed it as an opportunity to show that diabetes need not prevent you from achieving what you want to do,” he says.

Helen Southworth MP

Helen Southworth, MP for Warrington South, is Secretary of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Diabetes. Helen has been actively involved in our campaigns over the last few years - attending events, tabling Early Day Motions and Parliamentary Questions. 

Helen recently hosted the Diabetes UK parliamentary reception following the Children’s Lobby of Parliament and spoke movingly about the need to support children with diabetes in schools. Prior to the lobby she raised the issue in Prime Minister’s Questions, asking Gordon Brown to do more to improve the situation.

Keith Vaz MP

Keith Vaz, MP for Leicester East, established The Silver Star Appeal in July 2007, a charity which raises awareness of diabetes and its prevention, particularly within South Asian communities and his constituency. The charity has acquired two Mobile Diabetes Assessment Units that travel to community events around the UK.

On a national level, Keith Vaz consistently holds the Government to account through Parliamentary Questions on their awareness-raising activities, early identification and diabetes service provision.