Speaking up for lung health at the political party conferences

The political party conferences are a rare opportunity for charities campaigning for change like us. It gives us the chance to directly influence politicians and make sure your voices are heard. Read about how we spoke up for lung health at this year's conferences.

Emily Cook, Public Affairs Manager
Published 22nd October 2025

Autumn is an exciting time in politics. As children head back to school for the new year, MPs return to Westminster after the summer break, before travelling across the UK for the party conferences.  

The party conferences are an incredible opportunity for charities wanting to campaign for change. Thousands of politicians, party members, campaigners and business representatives all come together to make connections, share ideas and debate policy. It’s rare to see this combination anywhere else, and it’s one of the times when politicians are most open to hearing from us.  

This year our policy team attended the Liberal Democrat, Labour and Conservative conferences, to find out more about each party’s priorities for the year ahead and speak up for people living with lung conditions. 

Everyone was talking about health

It wasn’t surprising that health was a huge focus at this year’s party conferences. Fixing the NHS is one of the Labour government’s big promises to the public, and the other parties are keeping a close eye on their progress.  

There were lots of promising messages in the Heath Secretary main speech to Labour conference. The government aims to make the NHS a “neighbourhood health service”,  bringing together different kinds of healthcare – like dentists, GPs and community pharmacists -  to deliver care closer to people’s homes. If this is rolled out more widely, it could help more people with lung conditions get an accurate diagnosis and the support they need to manage their condition.  

The huge health inequalities in the UK were recognised

The Health Secretary also recognised the huge health inequalities in the UK. Lives are being cut short by up to 16 years in parts of the UK due to poverty, unequal access to healthcare, poor quality housing and air pollution.  

But despite lung conditions being the most closely linked to deprivation, they didn’t get a mention from the Health Secretary at any of the events we attended. While other conditions like cardiovascular disease and dementia have been promised dedicated national improvement plans - called “Modern Service Frameworks” - as part of the government’s new 10-year plan for health, lung conditions have not.  

People living in the poorest communities are five times more likely to die from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and three times more likely to die from asthma compared to those in the richest. The government can’t keep their promise to tackle health inequalities without taking action to improve lung health.  

That’s why our team worked hard at all three conferences to share your stories. 

How we stood up for people with lung conditions  

Our team shared your stories everywhere we could this conference season. We spoke to parliamentarians, asked questions at panel events, took part in roundtable discussions and worked in coalition with other organisations to raise awareness of what life is really like with a lung condition. And, most importantly, we demanded that lung conditions get their own Modern Service Framework. 

Here’s what we got up to: 

  • We spoke with three Labour health ministers, the Conservative shadow health minister, the Liberal Democrat health and net zero spokespeople, and members of the Health Select Committee about the need for a respiratory Modern Service Framework. 

  • We met 45 MPs to discuss lung health in their constituency. 

  • We spoke at panel and roundtable events at all three conferences, explaining how improving lung health can help individuals, the NHS and the wider economy.  

  • We took part in a “health charity showcase” with 18 other health charities, calling on all parties to work with us as they develop and implement health policy.  

  • We joined the Health Equals coalition on their stand at all three conferences to call for more action to tackle health inequalities.  

  • As part of the Healthy Air Coalition, we highlighted the impact of air pollution on lung health and called for more to be done to clean up the air we breathe. 

What’s next in the fight for lung health? 

Now that conferences are over and politicians are back in Westminster, it’s time for us to ramp up our campaign for a respiratory Modern Service Framework. We’ll be doing everything we can to raise awareness of this issue in parliament – meeting MPs and getting them to take actions like asking the Health Secretary questions, speaking in debates, and sharing our campaign with their constituents.  

But we can’t do it alone. We need your help.  

Soon we’ll be sharing an online action that you can take to let the Health Secretary know why a respiratory Modern Service Framework is so important. Without real stories from people living with lung conditions, our campaign won’t have as much impact. But together, we can keep putting pressure on the government and achieve the change we need.  

Keep an eye on our emails and social media in the coming weeks to get involved!  

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