A House of Commons motion supporting the work of the UK ME/CFS Research Collaborative, which was launched in June, is slowly gathering support.
Tabled on 10 June by Annette Brooke MP (chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group on ME) with the support of six other MPs, it now has 33 signatures. To read their names, click on the highlighted link in the paragraph below.
It is listed as Commons' Early Day Motion 212.
In the archaic style of the House, where every sentiment has to be gathered up and contained in a single sentence, the motion is worded:
That this House welcomes the UK Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Research Collaborative; notes that estimates of the prevalence of ME/CFS range from 240,000 to 600,000 patients; further notes that research outcomes on ME/CFS have been limited and fragmented in the past; and supports the Collaborative's objectives which include promoting the need for world-class research into ME/CFS across all fields, encouraging multidisciplinary research and more researchers to participate and working collaboratively with funders, charities and researchers to increase the financial support for ME/CFS research in the UK.
It's very similar to an EDM tabled by Mrs Brooke on April 22, the day of the launch of the Research Collaborative, which only managed to secure the signatures of 17 MPs before the close of the last session of Parliament.