The Chancellor joined 50,000 runners to take part in the world’s biggest marathon through the streets of London from Greenwich to Buckingham Palace.

He completed the race in five hours, 40 minutes, and took to Twitter/X after the race to say ‘he was sitting back on a comfortable sofa in 11 Downing Street with rather sore legs’.

Hunt admitted it was ‘not the fastest time in the world at 5.40 but an incredible afternoon, the crowds kept us going and it really was London and Britain at its best.

‘So many people raising funds like me for health causes or in honour of lost loved ones - eccentric, public spirited and generous-hearted. I was truly proud to be part of it.

‘Last but not least thank you to 463 people who have helped raise £42,331 for the Royal Surrey Cancer and Surgical Innovation Centre - a fantastic cause!!’

The Centre is part funded by Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust and is on the Guildford site. The Trust has invested £25m in the new centre and has to raise a further £16.5m from fundraising to complete the project by the end of 2025.

Louise Stead, chief executive of Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust, said: ‘We are very excited to have started work on our new Cancer and Surgical Innovation Centre which will become one of Europe’s leading surgical centres.

‘As a regional cancer centre and large district general hospital providing a wide range of services, we need to keep adapting to serve our growing population and keep up with the ever changing technology on offer.

‘This whole project is going to transform our services and ensure we are supporting thousands more people on the road to recovery and improving their experience of care.’

The hospital is the fourth largest cancer centre in the country and the new centre will enable an additional 7,000 patients to receive surgery every year, helping Royal Surrey respond to increasing demand for cancer surgery and bring down waiting lists for elective (planned) surgical procedures.

Royal Surrey Cancer and Surgical Innovation Centre