The Rare Cancers Bill is what is known as a ballot bill - a type of Private Members' Bill used in the House of Commons. Around ten months ago Dr Arthur was chosen to pick a numbered ping pong ball out of a goldfish bowl at the start of the parliamentary term to give him the chance of proposing a Ballot Bill. He was then able to choose his own subject matter.
Dr Arthur said: "It feels like things are lining up. The vast bulk of these bills do fail, so it's tremendous to get this far. And let's hope it doesn't fail, but what it's done so far is it's really got people talking about rare cancers, and it's really put some of the charities which support this sector in the spotlight, and it's been a chance for them to connect with people as well."