Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill

Debate between Daniel Francis and Abena Oppong-Asare

2nd reading
Friday 11th September 2026 Commons Chamber

[Ms Oppong-Asare]

I thank the right hon. Gentleman for his intervention. I also want to talk about data from the King’s Fund, which shows that in 2023-24 local authorities received more than 2 million requests for social care support for new clients, but only 859,000 received publicly funded, long-term social care, nearly two thirds of them older people. That means that 58% received no support.

Furthermore, the Government’s equality impact assessment gives me pause. It acknowledges concerns that people from ethnic minority backgrounds may face higher risks because of poorer access to healthcare, poverty, lower quality of care and higher levels of abuse. Disabled people and disability organisations have also spoken powerfully throughout this debate about their concerns and the risks they believe this legislation could pose. We should listen carefully to those voices, because for many people the question is not simply whether they have been coerced; it is whether they are making this choice in circumstances none of us would want for ourselves.

[Daniel Francis (Bexleyheath and Crayford) (Lab)]

I thank my hon. Friend and constituency neighbour for giving way. This week we have seen evidence from Kingston University reinforcing that people with learning disabilities see advice from a doctor not as advice, but as a recommendation. We know from their experience during covid that they were five times more likely to have a “do not resuscitate” order placed on them. Does she share my view that those issues in the equality impact assessment reinforce the point that for people with learning disabilities, this legislation would remain unsafe?

[Ms Oppong-Asare]

I thank my hon. Friend, and I do share those concerns. I have met with constituents who have also been impacted, and I have seen that in the equality impact assessment.

My point is whether people would be making this choice in circumstances none of us would want for ourselves: the person unable to access the social care they need, the person worried about the financial consequences of their illness, the person who feels like a burden to those they love, or the person facing loneliness, dependency or abuse. Where evidence identifies greater risks for particular groups and where respected voices continue to raise concerns about whether existing safeguards are sufficient, I believe Parliament has a duty to take those concerns seriously and to test whether more can be done, because access to death should never be easier than access to dignity in life.

I want every person approaching the end of life to receive the dignity, support and compassion that I have seen provided by our hospices across the country. But, having considered the evidence before us, I am not persuaded that these serious concerns about inequality, disability, safeguarding and end-of-life uncertainty have been adequately resolved. Until I can feel confident that the safeguards are strong enough to protect the most vulnerable, I do not believe that Parliament should create a legal route to an assisted death.

Budget Resolutions

Debate between Daniel Francis and Abena Oppong-Asare

Wednesday 26th November 2025 Commons Chamber

[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.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Daniel Francis and Abena Oppong-Asare

Thursday 5th June 2025 Commons Chamber

[Ms Oppong-Asare]

We like to work with the Northern Ireland Executive on this issue. It is important that we share best practice and deal with the problems across the board.

[Daniel Francis (Bexleyheath and Crayford) (Lab)]

2. What steps he is taking to strengthen cyber-security.