A Bexley MP is calling for a national lung cancer screening in the UK to improve survival rates, after being diagnosed with the disease.

James Brokenshire MP left the Cabinet in January while he went through surgery to remove a tumour from his right lung.

He has since said that an early diagnosis saved his life after he visited his GP after coughing up blood on a single occasion.

Having never smoked in his life, Mr Brokenshire wants to remove the misconception attached to the illness that only smokers can be diagnosed.

Cancer Research UK figures show that around 46,000 people each year are diagnosed with lung cancer - about 15 per cent of whom are non-smokers.

The Old Bexley and Sidcup MP said: “Half of us will get cancer and it can strike you when you least expect.

"I trusted my instincts because deep down I knew something really wasn’t right.

"I didn’t delay in going to see my GP, trusted his advice in seeing a consultant and followed things through.

“At each stage I could have left it – too busy with work, too busy with Brexit, too busy with the political talks in Northern Ireland.

"But I didn’t and it saved my life.

“I was lucky because my cancer was caught early and I can look to the future positively.

"But too often that doesn’t happen. Too often people find out they have lung cancer too late for effective treatment and that’s what we need to change.”

Since his diagnosis, the MP has been working with clinical leaders and lung cancer charities to discuss how to improve survival rates for others who have been diagnosed.

He has publicly supported initiatives from NHS England which will pilot lung health checks and 'one stop shop' cancer centres, but wants more action to be taken in a national lung cancer screening programme.