Northern Ireland now has something it has not had before: a cost, evidence-based roadmap to prevent almost 5,900 cancer deaths by 2040. That is a genuinely significant moment. It moves the conversation from ambition to delivery, giving the incoming Stormont Executive a ready-made plan to build on decades of progress already achieved through research, earlier diagnosis and better treatment.

That roadmap was set out this week in Cancer Research UK's new manifesto for Northern Ireland, Longer, better lives, launched at Stormont ahead of next year's Assembly election. The manifesto calls on all political parties and the incoming Executive to commit to reducing Northern Ireland's cancer death rate by 15% by 2040, a target the charity's modelling suggests would prevent close to 5,900 deaths over the next fifteen years, a clear and achievable ambition backed by a specific delivery plan rather than a vague aspiration.

Cancer Research UK's chief executive, Michelle Mitchell, framed the period ahead as a genuine opportunity for the next Executive to make its mark, with faster treatment times as the clearest and most immediate lever available. That framing matters. The Department of Health's own published data gives policymakers exactly the kind of clear, trackable baseline that makes rapid, measurable improvement possible, and the manifesto's focus on transparent reporting means progress against that baseline will be easy to demonstrate as reforms take hold.

Northern Ireland is also unusually well placed to act quickly, because so much of the groundwork is already in place. An existing Cancer Strategy already sets out high-impact actions on timely GP referrals, screening and early diagnosis, giving the incoming Executive a strong foundation rather than a blank page. The manifesto's call to plan a targeted lung screening programme and extend bowel screening to people aged 50 to 74 would bring Northern Ireland into line with screening ages already delivering results elsewhere in the UK, an achievable, evidence-based step with a clear precedent for success.

The prevention measures in the manifesto tell the same encouraging story. Full implementation of the Tobacco and Vapes Act, higher HPV vaccination uptake and minimum unit pricing for alcohol all build on interventions Cancer Research UK's own manifesto work has already shown can reduce cancer incidence elsewhere in the UK, giving Northern Ireland a proven template to adopt rather than an unproven one to test. The manifesto's attention to Northern Ireland's most deprived communities adds a valuable equity dimension too, ensuring the benefits of earlier diagnosis and prevention reach every community, not just some.

For policymakers and health system leaders, three areas of the manifesto stand out as immediately actionable and well within reach. First, publishing a wide range of cancer waiting time data builds the transparency that lets the public and health system see progress as it happens. Second, supporting GPs to make timely referrals and widening screening access strengthens exactly the stage of the pathway where earlier intervention delivers the strongest survival gains. Third, strengthening the research environment, including a plan to retain clinical researchers and improve access to health data, builds on Northern Ireland's existing research strengths to keep pace with its clinical ambitions.

The human impact of getting this right is significant. Campaigners including Aisling Gallagher, a bowel cancer survivor from County Antrim now five years cancer-free, embody exactly the outcome the manifesto is designed to make more common: earlier diagnosis, effective treatment and a full recovery. Her story, and the growing community of campaigners standing behind the manifesto, reflect real momentum behind this cause.

Northern Ireland's cancer death rate has already fallen substantially over recent decades, thanks to advances in research, treatment and care that Cancer Research UK's Northern Ireland programme has directly supported. This week's manifesto builds on that record of progress with a clear, deliverable plan to accelerate it further. With a defined target, a strong strategic foundation already in place and evidence-based interventions with a proven track record elsewhere, Northern Ireland is exceptionally well positioned to lead the UK on cancer outcomes and give thousands more people the chance of a longer, better life.