Diane Abbott met “inspirational” mechanic Errol McKellar at his Hackney garage after being inspired by a speech he gave about his battle with prostate cancer.

Errol is fronting Prostate Cancer UK’s Stronger Knowing More campaign to inspire black men to speak to their doctor about the risks.

One in four black men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their life, double the risk faced by white men.

Survivor Errol, who was diagnosed with the disease after picking up a leaflet in a doctor’s waiting room, has featured in the Gazette regularly due to his tireless work raising awareness.

The MP said: “He’s standing up, sharing his story and confronting an issue so many black men shy away from, and ultimately he’s saving lives.

“There’s no getting away from the fact that within our black communities our fathers, brothers and sons face a significantly higher threat from prostate cancer than any other ethnicity.

“Understanding your risk is so important as if prostate cancer is caught early it can often be successfully treated. Errol should be a motivation to us all to start talking about prostate cancer more openly and finding out the facts that could save the lives of our men.”

For more information on the campaign, click here.