Derbyshire MP calls for tax cut on sun cream
Ex public-health minister Maggie Throup wants the products to be more affordable.
An East Midlands MP is calling on the government to take steps to make sunscreen products more affordable.
Erewash MP Maggie throup is calling for VAT to be removed from sunscreen products of SPF 30 and above in a parliamentary debate.
The ex public health minister is a skin cancer survivor and says:
"In 2019, I noticed a blemish on my left arm and so, knowing that both my parents had had benign skin cancer, I decided to get myself checked out.
"After a biopsy, my ‘blemish’ was diagnosed as melanoma, and I underwent surgery to remove the cancer.
“I was one of the lucky ones and I was cured of this cancer in 2020.
"The outcome could have been very different, had I not been aware of what signs to look out for and caught the cancer early."
There are 16,000 new cases of melanoma diagnosed each year across the UK, with 2,300 people dying.
Most of these cases are caused by being exposed to too much sun.
As many as 90 percent of cases of melanoma could be prevented by staying safe in the sun, which includes using sunscreen of SPF 30 and above with a 4 star UVA protection rating.
Maggie tells us:
"Melanoma is preventable when people use sunscreen. But, of course, sunscreen is expensive, especially to get the ones that are factor 30 and above and the ones with the right UVA level.
"We need to make it as easy as possible for people to prevent melanomas in the future."