International Women’s Day
Abena Oppong-Asare Excerpts(2 weeks, 1 day ago)
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Ms Abena Oppong-Asare (Erith and Thamesmead) (Lab)
It is a privilege to speak in this International Women’s Day debate. We reflect on the women who created International Women’s Day, and the women who have left a mark every day since then—women across the worlds of politics, trade unionism, business, science and the arts, who are making strides forward in the face of ignorance and misogyny, and who are taking a sledgehammer to the glass ceiling, smashing through the barriers and making space for those who have followed.
I reflect on the women who have lit the pathway to my place in Parliament. The right hon. Member for Hackney North and Stoke Newington (Ms Abbott), the Mother of the House, is an inspiration to so many of us. I am also thinking of Baroness Harman and Baroness Amos in the other place, and of you, Madam Deputy Speaker, as well as my hon. Friends on the Front Bench, the Minister for Equalities and the Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls—you have such a long title. [Hon. Members: “She!”] She has such a long title. I also reflect on all the women I have met in my years leading the Labour Women’s Network. These are the giants on whose shoulders we stand. They lift us up, and we, in turn, must lift others in Parliament, in our communities and globally.
We have heard about the status of women globally. Across the globe, women are denied basic rights—the right to go to school, have a job, and be paid equally—equal legal rights, and basic freedoms. For example, in Afghanistan, 2.2 million girls are banned from secondary school by the Taliban. Only a quarter of women have jobs. It is particularly cruel that Afghan women are barred from entering the medical professions, but the Taliban ban women from being treated by men, so women are denied basic medical care. In Iran, women hold only 64% of the legal rights enjoyed by men. They require permission from their husband to get a passport or travel abroad. Girls as young as 13 can be married if a male judge decrees it. There are no criminal offences of rape within marriage or violence in the home. It is women who are leading the resistance to the ayatollahs in Iran, risking everything for justice and liberation.
We should take inspiration from the women standing up for their rights around the world and here at home. I am proud that we have passed the Employment Rights Act 2025, because it is women who will benefit the most, especially low-paid women, women of colour and working-class women. Workers will have a right to guaranteed hours for the first time, which means clarity about how much they will earn, and the stability to plan childcare and family expenditure. That will be life-changing for millions of families.
None of these steps forward comes from a clear blue sky. They come from decades of struggle, argument, reversals and defeats, and steps forward and progress. They are the result of suffragettes campaigning for political rights, and the likes of Barbara Castle campaigning for economic rights. Yes, we have seen progress on social, political and economic fronts, but equality is still a distant dream. The Minister mentioned pay. According to the Office for National Statistics, median weekly earnings for female employees working full time were £710 in April 2025, compared with £815 for male full-time employees.
Equal pay remains some way off, as does healthcare. The harsh truth is that women continue to get a raw deal in the healthcare system. We do not enjoy true equality in the NHS. We have a system shaped and largely run by men—a system in which women’s health is a secondary concern. There is still a “male by default” culture in healthcare. I have been campaigning for faster treatment for endometriosis and fibroids. One in 10 women suffer from these painful and incurable conditions, yet the average time that women wait for diagnosis has gone up from eight years to nearly 10—to nine years and four months. For women of colour, who face the double whammy of racism and sexism, the time has gone up to 11 years.
Women are waiting in pain for years. Their concerns are dismissed and their pains are ignored. I have said it before, and I will say it again: no offence, but if one in 10 men suffered from a painful, incurable disease, there would be faster treatment, research into cures, time off work, and a systematic and sympathetic hearing from society. As it is, women face ignorance, discrimination and stigma when they present with crippling, blinding pain and heavy bleeding.
In this debate on International Women’s Day, I pay tribute to Georgie Wileman for creating her brilliant film “This is Endometriosis”. I was delighted to see it win best short film at the BAFTAs this year; it is truly well-deserved recognition. I also commend the work of the Chair of the Women and Equalities Committee, my hon. Friend the Member for Luton North (Sarah Owen), and the chair of the all-party parliamentary group on endometriosis, my hon. Friend the Member for Bathgate and Linlithgow (Kirsteen Sullivan). I also thank my hon. Friend the Member for Hampstead and Highgate (Tulip Siddiq), who has been supporting a constituent who was dismissed after working in her organisation for 10 years because of her endometriosis condition. Sanju Pal, you are an inspiration to us all. Thank you for the work you have done with your MP to make sure that this hits us nationally.
I have argued that the solutions must include enhanced training for GPs to speed up diagnosis, and improving the education of young people and women on the menstrual cycle. I look forward to the new women’s health strategy, which I hope places women front and centre in the striving for equality for women in the NHS. I welcome the shifts towards greater use of technology, local diagnosis hubs and greater awareness about women’s health conditions, but of course, we have far further to march.
I take enormous inspiration from the women and girls I meet in my constituency—fearless, driven and dedicated women who want to live out their potential. I want to take this opportunity to name a few. Chiamaka Muoneke is a dedicated wife, mother and community champion in Thamesmead who supports others through healthy cooking workshops. Jattinder Rai is the CEO of Bexley Voluntary Service Council, and she supports charities, communities and local people in my constituency and beyond. Shantel Morris, who I met in one of my constituency surgeries, shared her experience of homelessness and spoke about her aim to provide support to local people and families facing eviction or living in temporary accommodation. I was delighted to see her organisation hit the ground when I attended last October’s launch of the Morris Mission in Erith, where she now provides training and support for local people.
Jo Dunkley at Off The Ropes has done an incredible job of bringing this brilliant charity to life through her passion for boxing, shared by so many. The charity supports local adults facing mental health challenges to build confidence, resilience and lasting connections through sport. I was delighted to cut the ribbon at its new gym in Abbey Wood last November. Since then, it has gone from strength to strength, and I give huge credit to Jo for making that happen.
I also pay tribute to the staff at the Community Hospice, of which I am a patron—in particular, Aneta Saunders, who is stepping into the CEO role, having been director of income generation, and Dr Lesley Bull, the medical director, who is helping to steady the team through their leadership transition. Finally, although I have mentioned her in previous speeches on International Women’s Day, I want to mention once again the brilliant Kate Heaps. Kate has been the chief executive of Community Hospice for nearly two decades. She has grown the hospice’s work and fought hard to improve hospice care locally and nationally. I pay tribute to her and wish her the best of luck in her next steps.
In this International Women’s Day debate, I want to highlight that I am proud of what this Government have achieved so far towards a fairer, more equal society and economy. I am lifted up by my sisters in Parliament and the amazing women I meet on a day-to-day basis in politics and around this place. Even in the darkest times, amid all the uncertainty, we support each other, we uphold our convictions and our passions, and we uplift each other in representing those in our constituencies and beyond and campaigning on issues that are important to our constituents.
Budget Resolutions
Abena Oppong-Asare Excerpts(4 months ago)
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Ms Abena Oppong-Asare (Erith and Thamesmead) (Lab)
I welcome the Chancellor’s Budget and its message of strong foundations and a secure future. It delivers on the priorities that matter most to my constituency: economic growth, lower cost of living, investment in families, and a stronger NHS.
I also fully welcome the Chancellor’s commitment to the docklands light railway extension to Thamesmead, set out on page 65 of the Budget document. It is a game-changing moment for residents who have waited decades for proper transport links.
Daniel Francis (Bexleyheath and Crayford) (Lab)
I thank my constituency neighbour for giving way. Page 104 of the Budget document confirms capital investment to fix potholes and capital investment for the lower Thames crossing to the east of my constituency and the DLR extension to Thamesmead to the west of my constituency. Will she join me in thanking the Chancellor for that capital investment for our constituencies?
Ms Oppong-Asare
Our constituencies are both served by Bexley council, so we know how important it is to get those potholes fixed. I thank my hon. Friend for supporting the DLR extension to Thamesmead.
The DLR extension will unlock 25,000 to 30,000 homes and around 10,000 new jobs. It will mean an economic impact of about £11.6 billion, as estimated by Transport for London, as well as crowding in nearly £18 billion of private investment over 30 years. It will mean the transformation of one of London’s most underserved communities, and it will cut commutes by nearly half, benefiting over half a million people who live in the area and wider London.
It is not just a transport upgrade; it is key to unlocking opportunity and prosperity for generations. Behind this extension has been a community-led campaign that has had cross-community effort, and I am proud of the role that my residents have played in getting us here. It has also been a personal priority since I was first elected in December 2019, and I referenced it in my maiden speech from the Opposition Benches. It was also part of my 2019 general election pledge.
A constituent of mine, Peter, told me last week that he has lived in Thamesmead for over 45 years and has heard promise after promise of a transport link to London’s only postcode without a tube and train station. He and I know that many thousands more will be thrilled that this Labour Government are putting investment into their community so that they can thrive.
I pay tribute to the key supporters of this campaign, whose work has been vital: Greenwich council leader Anthony Okereke, the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, my hon. Friend the Member for West Ham and Beckton (James Asser), my Thamesmead councillors, TfL, councils, assembly members and Members in this place, the developers Peabody and Lendlease, and, of course, my senior parliamentary researcher Patrick Brown. Most of all, I pay tribute to the local people and their brilliant campaigning. They never lost faith in the project. This is a collective achievement, and my constituency should be proud of the role it has played in this Budget.
I welcome the Labour Government’s announcement in September that Thamesmead is one of the 12 areas that has been selected by the new towns taskforce; it is further proof of the area’s potential and importance. Once the DLR extension is secured, schools, NHS services, jobs, communities and facilities must grow alongside new homes. This is a start of a new chapter in Thamesmead. I am proud to have played a part in it, and I am proud of my community, which has championed this project from the start.
I strongly support the Chancellor’s mission to reduce child poverty, which includes the nationwide roll-out of free school breakfast clubs. I have seen at first hand the benefits for Willow Bank and Jubilee primary schools in my constituency. The clubs mean a better start for pupils and real financial relief for families and schools. I was delighted to see on page 31 of the Budget document that from September 2026 around 12,000 more primary schools will offer free breakfast clubs, helping 200,000 more children. I believe that will save working families around £450 a year and ensure that over half a million more children do not start their school day hungry.
I welcome the confirmation of further investment to cut NHS waiting times, which is a vital issue for my constituents. I also welcome the announcement of the 250 new neighbourhood health centres—the “one-stop shops”—which will bring together GPs, nurses, dentists and pharmacists under one roof, starting in areas that need it the most.
Gideon Amos (Taunton and Wellington) (LD)
On health facilities, does the hon. Lady share my concern that the only thing with more leaks than the Budget run-up period is the roof of Musgrove Park hospital in my constituency? Does she agree that hospitals across the country in the second and third waves of the new hospital rebuild programme need interim funding to keep them going in the meantime?
Ms Oppong-Asare
I remind the hon. Member that this Government are delivering more than previous Governments delivered, and he may remember that his party was in a coalition Government that caused a lot of damage to this country.
To conclude, this Budget delivers for the country and my constituency of Erith and Thamesmead. After decades of waiting, residents will finally have the transport links that they deserve and the opportunities that will come with them. A new chapter begins today. I will continue to fight for investment, services and opportunity for people in my community, because they deserve it.
