Black Maternal Health Conference Speech and my visit with Anneliese Dodds MP  

This month, I had the opportunity to give the Keynote speech at the Black Maternal Health Conference hosted by the Motherhood Group.  

In my speech, I spoke about how we can and must improve Black maternal health. Most importantly, I spoke about the shockingly high rates of maternal mortality and the stark disparities that mean Black and Asian mothers are much more likely to die in pregnancy or childbirth.  

I was also pleased to join the Shadow Women and Equalities Secretary, Anneliese Dodds MP, in a visit to the Motherhood Group’s community hub to hear from new mothers directly. The stories we heard were truly shocking. Some mothers are too terrified to have another baby and others are just happy to be alive. 

Unfortunately, earlier this year, we found out that the Government’s Maternity Disparities Taskforce met just twice last year. In contrast, I’m pleased that Labour have committed to set targets to close the maternal mortality gap.  

You can read more about our plans here.