The purpose of the trial is to perform a rigorous evaluation of robotic-assisted rectal cancer surgery by means of a randomised, controlled trial. The chosen comparator is standard laparoscopic rectal cancer resection, which is essentially the same procedure but without the use of the robotic device. The two operative interventions will be evaluated for short- and longer-term outcomes. The key short-term outcomes will include assessment of technical ease of the operation, as determined by the clinical indicator of low conversion rate to open operation, and clear pathological resection margins as an indicator of surgical accuracy and improved oncological outcome. In addition, QoL assessment and analysis of cost- effectiveness will be performed to aid evidence-based knowledge to inform National Health Service (NHS) and other service providers and decision-makers. These short-term outcomes will be analyzed after the last randomised patient has had 6 months of follow-up to provide a timely assessment of the new technology, and made available to the public, clinicians and healthcare providers to inform health-care decision making. Longer-term outcomes will concentrate on oncological aspects of the disease and its surgical treatment with analysis of disease-free and overall survival and local recurrence rates at 3-year follow-up.