Leukaemia UK has appointed a former communications chief for Prime Minister Keir Starmer to its board.

James Lyons joins the charity as a trustee a year after he left Downing Street, where he spent a year as director of strategic communications. This was a role he was appointed to after supporting the Labour Party with writing its 2024 general election manifesto.

He also spent a year as Tik Tok’s head of corporate and policy communications for Europe, and was previously a director of communications for NHS England and is a former deputy political editor of The Sunday Times.

The charity says that Lyons has a personal connection to the charity, with both his late father-in-law and father being diagnosed with a rare type of leukaemia.

“It felt very timely. I had left Number 10 and saw an opportunity to devote some time to a cause that is important to me,” said Lyons.

“Hopefully, my skills and experience mean I can help contribute to the charity’s work to improve diagnosis, treatment and care for those affected by leukaemia, and I have the lived experience to understand something of what patients go through.

“Leukaemia is too often forgotten, and if people think of it at all it is often as a children’s disease. I am looking forward playing my part in raising money to fund research into life-changing new treatments like the one that Martin has benefited from.”

The charity’s chair Ian McCafferty added: “We are thrilled to welcome James to our Board, and he joins us at a pivotal moment as we prepare to launch our ambitious new five-year strategy.

“His understanding of how to influence change at a national level will be invaluable as we continue to work with Government to ensure policy changes deliver earlier diagnosis, improved survival and better quality of life for people with leukaemia.”

In addition to Lyons’ appointment, existing trustee Karen Cracknell has been named as the charity’s deputy chair.

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