I’ve joined fellow Gwent MP Chris Evans (Islwyn) in signing a letter calling on the Government to stop high factor sunscreen to prevent skin cancer.

The letter has been coordinated by Chris Bryant, MP for Rhondda, who earlier this year revealed his own battle with skin cancer.  The letter calls on the Chancellor to help cut the cost for families of high factor sun cream which is a vital part of the fight against skin cancer.

According to the British Skin Foundation there are now 100,000 cases of skin cancer diagnosed every year and the disease kills over 2,500 people each year in the UK. Yet skin cancers main preventable cause is UV exposure. When someone must be directly exposed to the sun between 11am and 3pm the best prevention from this disease is generously applying sun cream with a factor of 30 or above and full UVA protection.

I was very pleased to sign this letter. Removing the tax on sun cream would be a simple change that could make a big difference to so many people, and would show that the Government is taking the dangers of skin cancer seriously.

Chris Evans said “Given the health benefits of sun cream there is no reason for it to be taxed.  We should be encouraging people to be protecting themselves from sun damage, by removing the tax on high quality sun cream we would be making that protection more affordable for families”