YORK Outer Julian Sturdy has met with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to raise the health issue of 'superbugs' that is already killing millions.

The meeting follows much campaigning on Antimicrobial Resistance from Mr Sturdy.

With the United Nations staging a high-level meeting on the issue, Mr Sturdy urged the Prime Minster that Britain must show global leadership on the health threat, a view the PM was receptive to.

Health experts say AMR poses an even bigger risk to economies and people’s than Covid has in recent years.

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Mr Sturdy points to reports saying the Covid-19 pandemic has cost the global economy around $12 trillion and resulted in 7 million associated deaths globally. In comparison, we are already seeing 5.5 million deaths associated with AMR annually, with it projected to reach up 15 million in the next two decades at an expected cost of over $100 trillion.

As Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on AMR, the MP says he has been working hard to increase awareness of this often-overlooked threat in the UK and globally.

The Prime Minister was interested and encouraged by the conversations that Julian has had with High Commissioners, Ambassadors, and Parliamentarians from other nations on this matter.

Mr Sturdy stressed to the Prime Minister his desire to further these conversations, with his blessing, to build awareness around this crucial issue ahead of the UNGA meeting. As we learnt from COVID, it is incredibly important to harness multilateral forums, and engage bilaterally with our international partners to tackle these shared challenges.

Next week, Mr Sturdy will attend the Royal Society’s Conference on AMR, where he will hear from key authoritative voices on this matter, including the UK’sc Special Envoy on AMR, Dame Sally Davies, Lord Darzi of the Flemming Centre, and the Chancellor of The Exchequer, Jeremy Hunt.

After the meeting with the PM, Mr Sturdy will meet with Foreign Secretary, Lord Cameron, to ensure that AMR rises up the foreign affairs agenda.

The MP commented: “It was fantastic to meet with the Prime Minister to discuss the importance of UK leadership in tackling AMR in what is such a critical year, with the UN meeting fast approaching.

“I was really encouraged by the Prime Minister’s interest in AMR and welcomed his agreement that the UK must take continue to lead on the global stage in creating the political will and consensus which is key to tackling this threat successfully.

“During the meeting, I was pleased to update the PM on my APPG’s work and the conversations that I have had with key figures and parliamentarians across the world. I very much look forward to continuing the conversation with the Prime Minister and his ministerial colleagues to increase awareness around the health and socioeconomic threats attributed to AMR”.