Male Suicide in Rotherham

Amanda Martin Excerpts

Monday 24th March 2025 Commons Chamber

[Jake Richards]

I am grateful to the hon. Member, who has a remarkable ability to bring that important issue into any debate or intervention he makes. He is the most vociferous campaigner on that cause. I support him in that, and I know the Minister will also be listening.

I want to finish with the action I will take as the local MP. First, I pledge to continue to support the brilliant services we already have. I remember attending my first Andy’s Man Club in Maltby during the general election campaign. I must admit I was slightly cynical. I had seen the marketing, but questioned how effective or useful that informal meeting would be. I was blown away. Over the course of a few hours, a group of blokes spoke about their weeks, and their problems, over a cup of tea. Some of the chat was mundane: they were finding their work more boring, or they had had a good weekend with the family. Others were dealing with the most impossible trauma that put all else—in particular my election campaign—into stark perspective. Afterwards, everyone walked away ready to face the week, however big the challenges ahead. I have since met so many men who use that service. One of the first things I did once elected was to bring Andy’s Man Club to Parliament. I promise to continue to champion its work, and the work of many others.

I also regularly meet local health practitioners in Rotherham to hear their strategies to bring down the rate of men ending their own lives locally. The work of Rotherham health and wellbeing board, and the South Yorkshire integrated care system is hugely commendable, not least the emphasis on improving data and evidence to ensure effective and timely interventions, and providing tailored, targeted support to priority groups and effective bereavement support to those affected by men taking their own lives. Those plans sit within strategies to tackle loneliness, health inequality and domestic abuse. I have committed to holding regular meetings with all GP practices in my constituency, and other support groups, to help tackle male suicide.

We will hear from the Minister shortly about the Government’s national efforts, and from conversations with him I have no doubt that he grasps the severity of this crisis and the urgency with which this Government must confront it. Rest assured, I will be challenging the Government every step of the way to be ambitious in this agenda, and to ensure that policies will work for every town and village in Rotherham. Locally, I will be setting up my Rotherham taskforce to hold authorities to account, working with men and women who are on the front line confronting this issue. We will lead the ongoing awareness campaign and ensure that professionals, and local and national Government, treat this issue with the seriousness it deserves. I am grateful for the opportunity to speak about this important issue, and I hope that by doing so we begin more conversations across our borough. Together, we can bring about meaningful change, and save lives.

[Amanda Martin (Portsmouth North) (Lab)]

rose—

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Ms Nusrat Ghani)]

I believe the hon. Lady has permission from the hon. Member for Rother Valley (Jake Richards) to make a brief contribution.

[Amanda Martin (Portsmouth North) (Lab)]

Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker, and I thank my hon. Friend for securing this debate.

We have heard that male mental health is an issue that deserves our full attention. In my constituency of Portsmouth, suicide is the leading cause of death among males aged between 20 to 49. Each year 24 people in Portsmouth take their own lives, and 78% of them are men. Compared with the national average, Portsmouth has higher rates of divorce, homelessness and alcohol-related admissions, which are all contributing factors to poor mental health and suicide. Despite those heartbreaking statistics, we lack enough dedicated local charities. National charities such as the Samaritans and Andy’s Man Club provide critical support but lack local initiatives. However, groups such as SPEAK and Man Mind, and fabulous individuals, help men to have spaces to talk and mental health walks. However, those alone are not enough and we need more funding.









My constituency is home to many veterans, a group in dire need of improved mental health support. Yet in reports on suicide prevention action from 2022 to 2025, veterans are not even listed as a high-risk group. That is unacceptable. Portsmouth has a proud military history and we must do what we can.

The construction industry is the backbone of our nation, and suicide rates in that group are four times higher than the national average. One of the biggest barriers to male mental health support is stigma and the culture of silence.

As the mum of three lads, or should I say young men, it is heartbreaking for me to know that they have had first-hand experience in their friendship groups of male suicide. Fortunately, not all those attempts were successful, but some were. That has had a lasting impact on the young men’s outlook and their friendships, and has been devastating for those around them.

It is time for the Government to take bold steps to tackle the crisis. We need targeted funding for male mental health services, in combination with stronger support for at-risk groups, whether they are veterans, construction workers or young men. We must create safe spaces for men to open up, and we must ensure that no man feels that suicide is his only option, because it is not.