Nearly 10,000 more cancer patients in England will not be treated on time because the government will fail to meet its targets, amid a failure of leadership, focus and resource, experts have warned.

The NHS set an interim target to treat 80% of cancer patients within 62 days of urgent referral or consultant upgrade by March 2027. But with little more than 100 days to go, the proportion of patients starting treatment on time in September was 70.7%, down from 71.9% in August, NHS figures show.

Exclusive analysis of official figures for the Guardian reveals the NHS would have to treat 2,850 additional patients on time each month to get back on track, assuming patient volumes remain consistent.

According to calculations by Radiotherapy UK, 24,400 cancer patients a month would need to start treatment on time to hit the 80% target in March.…