Campaign for People with ME/CFS

Chamberlain taking part in the #ThereForME Christmas campaign

In May, all 72 Liberal Democrat MPs came together to send a clear and united message to the Government: people living with ME/CFS deserve better. Ahead of World ME Day, we wrote to Health Secretary Wes Streeting calling for urgent action and meaningful funding for the forthcoming Final Delivery Plan for ME/CFS.

ME affects an estimated 1.3 million people across the UK, with many more indirectly impacted as family members and carers. Despite the scale and seriousness of the condition, government support and investment have fallen short for far too long.

Sadly, the Government’s response to our letter has been deeply disappointing. After nearly a month of delay, and only after we chased, the reply we received contained warm words but no concrete commitments and a clear lack of ambition. The Department of Health and Social Care acknowledged the challenges we raised, but failed to allocate any ring-fenced funding for ME/CFS research or services.

This is a missed opportunity. Without dedicated funding, the potential breakthroughs from the DecodeME study risk going nowhere. Promising research, including new evidence of biomarkers for ME/CFS, won’t be built upon. Vital improvements in care, training, and understanding across the NHS will stall.

People with ME have waited decades for action. They deserve more than sympathy - they deserve real, funded change. The Liberal Democrats will keep fighting to make that happen.