Tom Watson: Former Labour Deputy leader reveals cancer diagnosis, let’s take a look at his career

Former Labour Deputy leader Tom Watson recently revealed in his newsletter that he had been treated for a ‘non-aggressive’ prostate cancer. As a result, he is now urging other men to get tested for prostate cancer.

Watson shares his experience, from getting diagnosed to how he felt learning he had cancer. Around 52,000 diagnoses are handed out per year for prostate cancer according to The Standard. It is considered one of the lower-risk types of cancer with a 97% survival rate.

As Tom Watson opens up about his diagnosis, let’s take a look at his political career over the years.

Tom Watson had prostate cancer

In his newsletter, Tom Watson revealed that he had a ‘non-aggressive’ form of prostate cancer. He wrote:

That word ‘cancer’ - it truly did me in

He then wrote that he had ‘fears of dying’ as well as being concerned he would need to wear ‘nappies before turning 60’, indeed Watson is currently 57.

I grappled with fears of dying, sexual dysfunction, and even the prospect of wearing nappies before turning 60

Watson told Mirror that the only reason he got a cancer diagnosis is because his GP ‘insisted’ he get checked as he is over 50:

The non-aggressive cancer was only discovered because my brilliant GP insisted I take an annual PSA (Prostate-specific Antigen) test.

Watson is now calling for the discussion around cancer to change as not all cancers are life-threatening:

Helping the public understand that not all cancers are the same and that a diagnosis, while serious, doesn't always spell immediate danger.

Who is Tom Watson?

Tom Watson was born on January 8, 1967, in Sheffield, England. Watson was the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party and was the MP for West Bromwich East from 2001-2019. He was one of the main figures in the Miliband and Corbyn years of Labour.

Watson founded the Future Britain Group, the goal was to rally centrist Labour MPs. In the end, the group saw 130 MPs join its cause and obtained endorsements from both Tony Blair and Neil Kinnock, as per politics.co.uk.

Towards the end of his political career, Tom Watson was known as Jeremy Corbyn’s Deputy Leader and soft-left ‘frenemy’, indeed he wasn’t always able to conceal his disapproval of the way Corbyn was leading the Labour Party.

After that, Watson left politics for a while, in 2020 he was hired by Flutter, a gambling firm which owns Paddy Power and Betfair, as an adviser. This isn’t a surprising lead for Watson as he has often been outspoken for stricter gambling rules.

In December 2022, he became a Labour member of the House of Lords.

Read more:

⋙ Comedian Mark Steel reveals cancer diagnosis, here's what we know

⋙ Veteran Labour MP Sir Tony Lloyd has 'aggressive and untreatable' leukaemia

⋙ Sarah Ferguson had breast cancer surgery, here’s how she’s doing now

Sources used:

The Standard: ‘Former Labour deputy leader Tom Watson reveals prostate cancer diagnosis’

Mirror: ‘Tom Watson urges men to get tested as he reveals non-aggressive prostate cancer diagnosis’

Politics.co.uk: ‘Watson, Tom’