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Abena appointed Shadow Minister for Women’s Health and Mental Health

I hope you will be pleased to know that I have recently accepted the position of Shadow Minister for Women’s Health and Mental Health. This is such an important role and these are issues that I’m really passionate about.

My main role as a Shadow Minister is scrutiny. I am committed to ensuring that the government is held accountable in legislative procedures and in ministerial conduct. This might include exploring government policy, finding its faults, and critiquing it. That being said, as an opposition minister I am part of a government in waiting. This means that I must ensure that Labour is ready for government in case of electoral victory, and ready to deliver our mission to build an NHS Fit for the Future.

I am pleased to say that Labour is committed to getting waiting lists down and getting people treated on time. We have a 10-year plan for change and modernisation and this will include one of the biggest expansions of the NHS workforce in history. But more than that, we plan to put individual care and mental health treatment at the heart of our mission. An issue that has for too long been in the shadows.

With Labour, more care will be delivered on your doorstep, out of the hospital and in the community. We will focus on prevention and a move towards transformational new technologies.

In my new role, I will be working with various charities and stakeholders, listening to experts in Women’s Health and Mental Health, and considering how Labour will do things differently. However, I will also be speaking to those working in our health and care sectors and the patients receiving care.

I’d love to see Women’s Health and Mental Health services transformed into something that the British people can be truly proud of. I want everybody to receive the support that they deserve, delivered as quickly and efficiently as possible.

It is Labour who has the plan and the mission to build a NHS Fit for the Future and there for you when you need it. I encourage you to take a quick look at Labour’s plans for health services, which you can read here: Building an NHS fit for the future.

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My Summer Reception to celebrate Erith and Thamesmead

This July I was pleased to welcome constituents to my first reception in parliament – something that I have been planning since I was first elected.

It was fantastic to see so many volunteers, stakeholders, and Erith and Thamesmead residents in the House of Commons, many of them visiting for the first time. I am passionate about everybody feeling welcome and included in parliament and this was a great chance to show how accessible parliament is.

Everyone had the opportunity to visit both the House of Commons and House of Lords and find out more about the building where I work on your behalf. I would also like to thank the students of Bexley Music Centre for providing beautiful background music.

It was an honour to see that so many of you were so passionate about making positive change. It really shows some of the best of Erith and Thamesmead and makes me proud to represent you in parliament.

If you would like to visit for a Tour of Parliament, please get in touch if you live in Erith and Thamesmead via email at abena.oppongasare.mp@parliament.uk.

If you would like to attend a future summer reception, please email my office also at: abena.oppongasare.mp@parliament.uk.

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Ticket Office Closures

As I’m sure many across the community are aware, it has recently been announced that there are plans to close rail ticket offices across the country including in our area of Erith and Thamesmead.

Last month, I wrote to both the Government and the CEO of Southeastern to express my concerns about the consequences of these closures, especially for the many elderly and disabled passengers who rely on these offices for travel. Currently, the plans would affect both Erith and Belvedere stations in our community. You can read these both at the end of this article. .

I also raised this with the Minister for Transport in the House of Commons. The Minister must assure the public over these plans. I will continue to monitor these issues and the concerns that constituents have raised with me on this issue.

The consultation for these proposals closes on 1st September 2023 and I urge all constituents to continue to express their views by contacting Southeastern on their website and by emailing London Travelwatch here: Southeastern.Consultation@Londontravelwatch.org.uk. Please also email me if you would like to share your thoughts on this important issue. Email me at abena.oppongasare.mp@parliament.uk.

Letter to the Secretary of State for Transport

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Letter to Steve White

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My Response to the Budget

The Chancellor announced his Budget this month. This is an important opportunity each year for the Government to set out a positive agenda for our economy and to fully unlock the potential across Britain. Unfortunately, I believe that this Budget didn’t go far enough.

In my role as Shadow Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, I expressed my concerns about the lack of ambition in the Budget and I spoke about what Labour would do differently. Firstly, the Government still refuses to implement a proper windfall tax to make the oil and gas giants pay their fair share. This means they are leaving billions on the table that could be used to help families with the cost of living.

Furthermore, in this Budget the Chancellor announced a tax cut to the richest 1% and their pension pots. I believe this was wrong and Labour would reverse this handout.

You can see a clip of my interview on Channel 4 News discussing the budget and how Labour would do things differently here. 

Labour plans to deliver on Britain’s call for change with a new way of governing that will build a fairer, greener, more dynamic Britain with power closer to people. We will provide vital public investment through our Green Prosperity Plan, updating our planning system to remove barriers to investment in new industries and meet our net zero targets.

I believe the country needs stability and not the chaos we have recently seen from this Conservative Government. We have a serious plan for growth and want to see all our nations and regions benefit from and contribute to the jobs and growth of the future.

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Abena speaks on the Windfall Tax Bill

The cost-of-living crisis remains the biggest issue facing the country right now. While the Tory leadership candidates trade insults and trash their own Government’s woeful record, I know that many families across Erith and Thamesmead are still struggling to make ends meet.

On the 11th July I closed the Second Reading debate of the Windfall Tax Bill on behalf of the Shadow Treasury Team.

In that debate, I spoke about the financial pressures that many people in Erith and Thamesmead and across the country are facing. Food, fuel and energy bills continue to rise, and I know many are already worrying about the winter that lies ahead.

So it was a relief that the Government finally followed Labour’s lead and u-turned on the windfall tax. However, since Labour first called for the windfall tax on oil and gas producers, energy bills for typical households have risen by a shocking £700, inflation has rocketed to its highest level in 40 years, and, of course, people’s taxes have gone up as the Government have pressed ahead with the national insurance increase. In that period, oil and gas producers’ profits have soared. Indeed, we estimate that between Labour first calling for the windfall tax in January and the former Chancellor and soon-to-be former Prime Minister finally accepting our arguments at the end of May, nearly £2 billion of tax revenue could have been raised to help people with the cost-of-living crisis.

In that time, Conservative MPs voted against our plans for a windfall tax not once, not twice, but three times. Ministers repeatedly claimed that such a plan would not work. Famously, the current Chancellor said that oil and gas producers were “already struggling”.

It is shameful that it took the Government so long to come to their senses and finally do the right thing. That is yet more evidence, if we needed it after the past couple of weeks, that this Tory Government is on its last legs: out of touch, out of ideas and now truly out of time. With the windfall tax and with so many other issues, it is Labour that leads and the Conservative party that follows.

You can watch my speech using the following link here, and you can read my speech here.

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Passport Office Delays

Abena Oppong-Asare MP calls on Minister to get a grip of Passport Office delays

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Ukraine Questions

Abena Oppong-Asare MP raises urgent case of a Ukrainian refugee struggling to get proof of address 

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Windrush Day

I was very pleased to take part in the recent debate on Windrush Day 2021. 

I used the debate to celebrate the Windrush generation and their descendants, but also to raise serious concerns about the operation of the Windrush compensation scheme.

The scheme has been far too slow to pay out and has left many families with even less confidence in the Home Office.

In the debate, I called on the Government to make the scheme fully independent in order to restore trust and confidence.

You can read my full speech here.

 

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Government must do more to support people to self-isolate

As part of my role in the Shadow Treasury Team, I have been pushing the Government to provide more support to people who need to self-isolate.

Labour has always said that health and economic measures must go hand-in-hand, but the Government’s failure has meant too many people have to choose between self-isolating and paying the bills.

At this weeks’ Treasury questions, I asked the Chancellor about reports that the Treasury had suppressed information about how the furlough scheme could be used to support self-isolating employees. This shocking revelation show’s how poor the Government’s approach to economic support during the pandemic has been.

I called on the Chancellor to appear before the joint parliamentary inquiry into the handling of the Covid crisis to explain why the Government has not listened to the experts and introduced a robust self-isolation support scheme.

 

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Raising Cancer Concerns in Parliament

After a local GP raised concerns with me about delays in receiving vital test results, I asked the Health Secretary to look into the problem and resolve it as soon as possible.

I will continue to push the Government to improve on cancer care and diagnosis in our area.

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