Jeremy Paxman has said Parkinsonâs disease âmakes you wish you hadnât been bornâ as he delivered a list of recommendations about the condition to Downing Street.
The former University Challenge and Newsnight presenter and fellow members of the Movers and Shakers podcast â which discusses the challenges of living with the disease â marked World Parkinsonâs Day by presenting the âParky Charterâ and a petition with tens of thousands of names to No 10 on Thursday.
Paxman, 73, criticised the governmentâs response to the disease after delivering the charter, which has five key recommendations: swift access to specialists under the NHS; the introduction of a Parkinsonâs UK pamphlet for enhanced awareness and support; the implementation of a Parkinsonâs passport granting automatic entitlement to specific benefits; improved comprehensive care, including regular consultations with a Parkinsonâs nurse; and increased government funding for research for a cure.
The prime minister, Rishi Sunak, praised the charter, saying he is âvery supportive of the excellent work that the Movers and Shakers do and the charter will rightfully receive the attention it deservesâ.
However, Paxman said he believes the charter and petition will have âno effect whatsoeverâ on the government.
He told the PA Media news agency: âThe fact that they (the government) have ignored all their responsibilities to date indicates to me that theyâre not going to get any better. And I suspect that the form of words devised by the Ministry of Health will confirm that.
âI donât think weâre going to get anywhere. You feel like youâre banging your head against a brick wall.â
One in 37 people in the UK will be diagnosed with Parkinsonâs in their lifetime, according to the charity Parkinsonâs UK.
In the UK, about 153,000 people are living with the neurological condition.
Paxman also expressed his frustration with the publicâs treatment of people with Parkinsonâs. The Leeds-born broadcaster said: âYou want to say, get the fuck out of the way, thatâs what you want to say.â
In May 2021, the former BBC presenter announced he had been diagnosed with Parkinsonâs and stepped down as the host of University Challenge.
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Paxman, who began his broadcasting career on the BBCâs graduate trainee programme in 1972, added: â(Parkinsonâs) may not kill you but it will make you wish you hadnât been born. Thereâs nothing in it for the drug companies, itâs just more money for them.â
Movers and Shakers began in February 2023 and also features former BBC journalist Rory Cellan-Jones, the broadcasterâs former Europe and North America editor Mark Mardell, correspondent Gillian Lacey-Solymar, the late Diana, Princess of Walesâs divorce barrister Sir Nick Mostyn, and Vicar of Dibley co-writer Paul Mayhew-Archer.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: âWe want a society where every person with a neurological disease, along with their families and carers, receives high-quality, compassionate care â and having a better understanding of diseases like Parkinsonâs is vital in making sure we can provide the right care at the right time.
âThatâs why we committed to spend at least £375m in research into
neurodegenerative diseases over five years, so that we can better understand these conditions and improve outcomes for patients.â
