Jessica’s Speech in APPG-TB 2026

An excerpt from Jessica Potter’s speech at House of Commons, with attendance of Lord Nick Herbert of South Downs and MP Sojan Joseph for Ashford.

Such a powerful speech was given by our UKAPTB’s chair Jessica that Lord Herbert requested a copy of her speech. Goosebumps were had, hearts were motivated and action was called upon. Please do read the speech below and share if possible!

“
Thank you to everyone for coming and for inviting me to speak. My name is Jessica Potter and I chair a grass roots network of academics and professionals working towards ending TB.

That you are here today, paying attention to this particular disease matters.  It matters because tuberculosis is not just another infection – it has killed more people than any other single infectious agent over the history of humanity. For the past 75 years we have known the cure and yet still, TB continues to cause preventable deaths and long-term sickness with enormous human and economic impact.  

TB can affect anyone. But it does not affect everyone equally. It preys on vulnerability—on poverty, on exclusion, on instability. And those vulnerabilities are not inevitable. They are shaped, reinforced, and too often ignored by the policies we choose.

TB incidence is rising across the UK. And we – those of us who shape systems, who influence policy, who deliver care – must take responsibility for that.  15 years ago when we stood here as TB rates soared and incidence peaked, we focused our resources, applied our tools and succeeded in achieving low incidence status. Now, we are going backwards again. TB is rising because we stopped looking, we failed to fund what we know works and we built systems that exclude rather than include.

There is no reason to lose hope however –  today we have more tools than we did then:

 From a biomedical perspective, progress has been remarkable. We now have shorter treatment regimens, more rapid diagnostics. We have an effective, all-oral six-month cure for multidrug-resistant TB. There are multiple vaccines in the pipeline.

However,  people living in the UK cannot access some of these advances – there is no rifapentine meaning no access to shortened preventive therapy. It is inexcusable that children have to swallow far too many pills without liquid formulations or fixed dose combinations which are accessible in other countries.

This is not a failure in science. Politics, systems, and priorities shape whether those advances reach people. And too often, they do not. Instead, people with TB experience an exclusionary politics of care - the profit motive making treatment inaccessible. Immigration control trumping care. The very structures that should protect health, instead, undermining it.

Last year, UK Academics & Professionals to end TB hosted a webinar attended by more than 500 professionals from across the UK. It really demonstrated that our workforce is committed to ending this disease. Many of those voices contributed to the APPG inquiry which heard testimony from experts in healthcare , people affected by TB, policy-makers, public health folk, local councils and academics. Their conclusions  are set out in this report with a series of recommendations for action.

The story they tell reflects my everyday experiences working in a deprived area of London as a respiratory consultant and lead of the TB service.

Our health system is under enormous strain. When corridors are sites of care and GPs overwhelmed – the system cannot pick up the slow, subtle, incipient progression of TB symptoms. TB requires continuity—time, trust, awareness, compassion. These are not luxuries; they are essential components of diagnosis.

Our housing conditions are, in too many cases, unacceptable—overcrowded, damp, mould-infested, unaffordable. These are not just social issues; they are drivers of ill health.

And people’s lives are complex. When you are juggling low wages, insecure work, childcare, or fear about your immigration status, your health falls down the to do list. That is the reality for many in our most affected communities.

So when we ask why TB persists, we must look beyond the bacterium. We must look at the conditions in which it thrives.

At a high level, TB is the clearest example we have of health inequality. It is a bellwether—a test—of how well our health system serves those who are most marginalised. If we get TB right, we will improve health far beyond TB itself.

So what are we here for today? What is the point of coming together in Westminster?

We are here because the situation is urgent and if we work together there is hope.

But the system is under pressure.

 We have reduced overseas investment and cut research budgets.

TB services are managing increasingly complex cases without the resources to match. There are workforce shortages. Diagnostic delays remain a major issue. Supporting people through long treatment courses—particularly those facing social challenges—is difficult without proper infrastructure.

And perhaps most critically, the system is fragmented. Responsibilities are split across integrated care boards, local authorities, NHS services, and national bodies. The result? Inconsistent access, variable treatment pathways, and unequal outcomes.

This is not inevitable. It is the result of choices.

This report sets out the different choices we need to make if we are to eliminate TB in the UK:

We must have strong lines of accountability with a named TB lead in the department of health.

We need to invest—sustainably—in TB services. Not in short bursts, not reactively, but with long-term commitment. Without this, we will see further rises in incidence, greater transmission, and ultimately higher costs—both human and economic.

We must strengthen the workforce and protect specialist expertise. TB is not a disease that can be managed effectively without experience and continuity.

We must improve early diagnosis. That means better awareness, better access, and systems that can respond to the realities of people’s lives.

We must support treatment adherence—not just medically, but socially. Housing, income, stability—these are not peripheral concerns; they are central to successful treatment.

We must address fragmentation. A cohesive, national strategy—one that aligns all parts of the system—is essential and it must be fully funded.

Finally, if we are to truly commit to ending TB in the UK we must invest in science because after 75 years of the same prolonged course of treatment – people deserve an easier route to diagnosis and cure ;and we must invest overseas because in our globalised world – unless we end TB everywhere we will never truly end TB anywhere.

I know the choices are not easy. I know budgets are tight and the global situation is unstable

But I would ask—what kind of security are we really building if we fail to care for the people who need us most? What future are we securing if we allow preventable deaths to continue?

If we are serious about reducing health inequalities, about strengthening the NHS, about restoring global leadership in health—then we must start here.

I believe TB elimination is possible if we act – with urgency, with coherance, and with compassion.

Ending TB is within our reach.

And the question is not whether we can achieve it.

It is whether we will choose to make it happen.

“

Posted by Neilay Bhalerao