Conservative MP Tracey Crouch diagnosed with breast cancer
Tory MP Tracey Crouch has announced that she has been diagnosed with breast cancer and will not return to parliament for the foreseeable future.
The MP for Chatham and Aylesford today issued a statement on Twitter saying: “Unfortunately I have been diagnosed with breast cancer. It came as a bit of a surprise but it has been caught early.”
Crouch added that she was undergoing treatment at the Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust, and that it is unlikely she will be able to return to Parliament before summer recess on 21 July.
“I have organised a proxy vote in my absence and applied to be able to participate virtually as from next week. I shall be doing casework and emails, supported by my brilliant team, which I hope reassures constituents that I shall still be working hard for them while I undergo treatment,” she said.
MPs including Labour’s Chris Evans and Cat Smith took to Twitter to offer their condolences.
Crouch has served as a Conservative MP since the 2010 General Election, when she gained the Chatham and Aylesford seat from Labour.
She resigned as sports minister in November 2018, over the government’s decision to delay a curb restrictions on Fixed Odds Betting Terminals (FOBTs), which she claimed was “unjustifiable”.
Maximum stakes on FOBTs were subsequently cut from £100 to £2 following her resignation.
Crouch today said: “I am incredibly competitive but, on this occasion, won’t be playing nicely and intend to go into this challenge with my studs up.”