BREXIT might not give you cancer, but it could very well stop you being cured, according to the head of the Royal College of Radiologists.
Nicola Strickland, the president of the body representing clinical oncologists and radiologists, told the London Evening Standard that pulling out of the Euratom treaty, which coordinates research programmes for the peaceful use of nuclear energy and transport of nuclear fuel, could harm UK access to material widely used in scans and treatment.
She said: “Radioactive isotopes play a crucial role in diagnosing and treating cancer in the UK.
“The Royal College of Radiologists, like others in medicine and industry, is seriously concerned about continued access to these materials if we leave the Euratom treaty under Brexit.”
Her comments have caused yet another headache for the government, with Theresa May now facing a backbench rebellion.
At least nine Tory MPs have baulked at the idea of the UK pulling out of the atomic agreement.
Even Vote Leave campaign director, and the so-called Brexit architect, Dominic Cummings, the man responsible for the misleading “give £350 million to the NHS instead” Brexit Bus, said he was opposed to pulling out, branding those in government who want to withdraw “morons”.
In an editorial for the Evening Standard, edited by former Tory chancellor George Osborne, there was a claim Brexit Secretary David Davis and Business Secretary Greg Clark were open to staying in Euratom.
It says they were overruled by May “to insist that we sacrifice those sensible international arrangements on the altar of the dogmatic purity of Brexit”.
Aside from the medical difficulties, there have been warnings British power stations may not be able to source nuclear fuel if it cannot be legally transported across borders.
The Prime Minister told the Commons: “We are all agreed that we want to ensure we can still maintain the arrangements and relationship that currently exist under Euratom but they will be on a different basis in future.”
LibDem Brexit spokesman Tom Brake said: “Theresa May’s extreme Brexit is needlessly gambling with the health of the British people.
“The Government must listen to concerns raised by radiologists and act urgently to protect access to vital treatments after Brexit.
“Cancer patients deserve to know that their treatment will not be disrupted by the reckless decision to pull out of Euratom.”
It’s not the only Brussels-related pain for May, after the European Parliament’s lead Brexit negotiator Guy Verhofstadt called her “settled status” offer to EU citizens living in the UK a “damp squib”.
In a joint article with a cross-party group of senior MEPs, Verhofstadt said the Prime Minister’s plan created “second-class citizenship” and needed to be improved, or else risk the Europea Parliament rejecting it altogether.
“The European Parliament will reserve its right to reject any agreement that treats EU citizens, regardless of their nationality, less favourably than they are at present.”
Meanwhile, Scottish Government External Affairs Secretary Fiona Hyslop is to call for Scotland’s voice to be listened to as she meets EU Ambassadors in London later today.
Speaking ahead of the event, the SNP minister said: “It is essential that the UK Government looks again at the issue of single market membership. As the election results on June 8 clearly show, the UK Government has no mandate to leave the single market. The Prime Minister should reconsider her aim of a hard and damaging Brexit and listen to the views of all nations of the United Kingdom.
“Removing the UK, and Scotland in particular, from the single market and customs union will cause severe long-term economic damage, hitting jobs, growth and living standards. Indeed, this is backed up by the recent survey by the British Chambers of Commerce, that found a majority of firms believe the UK should remain in both the single market and the customs union.
“The Scottish Government set out a range of options last December in our paper ‘Scotland’s Place in Europe’, and I call on the UK Government to look again at our suggestions as a matter of urgency, particularly ahead of the next round of negotiation discussions.
“If the UK Government wish to build consensus then it is vital that Scotland has a seat at the negotiations. This is a position not only overwhelmingly backed in Scotland but across the UK - including support from business leaders such as the CBI.”
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