Back in 2015 shortly after I had been selected to contest North Dorset, one of our councillors, Graham Carr-Jones approached me and asked, if I was elected would I support those who have Thalidomide. Graham is a Thalidomider.

His mother was prescribed the then ‘wonder drug’ which would put an end to morning sickness for expectant mothers. What is less well known is that Thalidomide as a drug has its dark history in the formulation of ‘medical research’ in the Nazi concentration camps.

To confirm my ‘it’s a small world’ my late father in law, William, had been a pioneering Ear Nose and Throat surgeon, implanting tiny bones into the ears of many Thalidomiders who suffered from poor aural development. Well, I was elected, and the first All Party Parliamentary Group I joined was Thalidomide. I was elected to serve as Vice Chairman under the lovely, proper old Durham Labour ex-miner Dave Anderson. We quickly became partners in crime.

Making the case in Parliament and with the German Embassy to try to secure compensation for the victims. When Dave joined the Labour Front Bench I was elected Chairman. We enlisted the support of then Foreign Office Minister Sir Alan Duncan to make the case to the German Government. This he did with relish, totally on side, having been at school with a Thalidomide victim.

Simultaneously the Campaign Group beavered away in the European Parliament. Success has emerged on the European scene but our leaving the EU meant that UK Thalidomiders were ineligible.
The previous Government had established a Health Grant to provide funding to meet the additional costs of care and living incurred by those with Thalidomide. The grant expires in 2023.

We had considerable anxiety that, given the huge Covid pressures on the public purse, the grant might not be renewed. We saw Matt Hancock and enlisted his help and support. I then had an unrelated call from the Chancellor’s office asking me to join a ‘speed dating session’ where I had five minutes to make a pitch for Budget inclusion. Armed with stats and a compelling moral case I advocated for a renewal of the grant.

The Chancellor instantly became engaged and the next thing I knew was a long meeting with Treasury and Health officials to go through further details. The Thalidomide Trust provided invaluable support. Two days before the Budget I received a Delphic message: ‘you will like the Budget’.

It was with a tear of relief and gratitude in my eye when I heard the Chancellor say in his Budget speech: “So not only will I extend this funding with an additional down payment of around £40million; I am today announcing a lifetime commitment, guaranteeing funding forever. And let me thank the Thalidomide Trust and the Honourable Member for North Dorset for their leadership on this important issue”.

The relief, comfort and certainty that those few words meant to those with Thalidomide is incalculable. Their campaigning, and never allowing themselves to be forgotten, has paid off. They have the security from the State that they deserve.

So, what are the lessons from the above? First, if you want something done it does pay to speak to your MP; second political persistence can pay off – it had taken us six years to arrive at this announcement; third politics can be a force for good.

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