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March 2025 Newsletter

Dear Friends,

Thank you for taking the time to look at my monthly newsletter for March 2025.

I hope you enjoy this update on some of the work I have been doing in Erith and Thamesmead and in Parliament over the last month.

As ever, if you want to get in touch, don’t hesitate to contact me using the email address: abena.oppongasare.mp@parliament.uk

Abena

Celebrating International Women’s Day 2025

This month, we celebrated International Women’s Day 2025 – an important occasion for girls and young women across our country and the world. It’s a time to reflect on the significant progress made toward gender equality and to renew our commitment to creating equal opportunities for everyone, regardless of gender or background.

This year was particularly special as we celebrated the remarkable progress in electing women to the House of Commons. In last year’s election, a record-breaking 263 women were elected, making up an all-time high of 40 percent.

To mark the day, I was proud to stand alongside my fellow women MPs in the House of Commons chamber. I also posted a video on the day, which you can see here.

Greenwich Mummies Forum visit on IWD

Lovely to join the Greenwich Mummies Forum at the Plumstead Centre as part of their festivities celebrating International Women’s Day (IWD). It was inspiring to hear from our local mums and shine a spotlight on their incredible strength.

Visit to Lessness Heath Primary School

Enjoyed my visit to Lessness Heath Primary School in Belvedere, meeting Headteacher Miss Bolton, Assistant Headteacher Mr Jackson and Primary First Trust’s CEO Miss Hamilton.

It was also fantastic to tour the school, meet the wonderful students during their lunch break, and even wish the school dog, Lola, a very happy birthday!

Visit to Oscar Mayer in Erith

Pleased to visit Oscar Mayer on Erith Marshes this month. I had a productive discussion with Alex James and his team on their role locally and the challenges they face. I’m committed to supporting our local businesses while also securing the strongest workers’ rights in a generation.

Ghana’s 68th Independence Day Parliament Event

I was thrilled to attend Ghana’s 68th Independence Day celebration reception in Parliament, hosted by Bell Ribeiro-Addy MP. It was a fantastic event, joined by Lord Paul Boateng, the Minister for Africa, Lord Collins, and many other important voices from the Ghanaian community here in the UK.

As the first female Minister of Ghanaian heritage, it meant a lot to be part of this celebration and represent our constituency, which has the largest African descendant population in the country. It was a great chance to shine a light on the incredible contributions of Ghanaians in the UK and come together for such a special occasion!

Usdaw ‘Breaking Down Barriers’ event in Parliament

Pleased to join members of Usdaw’s Breaking Down Barriers programme during their visit to the Houses of Parliament.

It was good to see the important work Usdaw is doing to strengthen representation in union roles, workplaces across the country, and in politics. The group was full of impressive individuals from all walks of life who asked thoughtful questions.

Women’s History Month in Parliament

This March, we’re also celebrating Women’s History Month. It was great to join fellow Members of Parliament at the House of Commons Speaker’s reception to mark the occasion and reflect on the progress made by women in the UK.

Update on the Government’s ‘Plan for Change’

This month, the Government has continued delivering on its ‘Plan for Change’. I’m pleased to see the Education Secretary recently launch the initial rollout of free breakfast clubs, benefiting children across England, including Jubilee Primary School and Willow Bank Primary School in our constituency of Erith and Thamesmead.

I also backed the Children’s Wellbeing & Schools Bill, which will cut school costs for families, drive up standards, and ensure no child falls through the cracks. Additionally, Parliament approved the Employment Rights Bill, the biggest upgrade to workers’ rights in a generation – strengthening sick pay, banning exploitative contracts, and protecting against unfair dismissal.

Finally, I welcome the Government’s “Pathways to Work” Green Paper, which includes proposals to tackle inactivity and improve employment support for disabled people and those with health conditions. While I recognise the sensitivity of this issue, I believe these crucial steps will contribute to creating a fairer system that enables individuals to live with dignity and independence.

Ministerial work in the Cabinet Office

I’ve been excited to carry on my work in the Cabinet Office this month. I began by attending and speaking at the opening of Lloyd’s of London’s ‘Life in the Sun’s Atmosphere’ exhibition. I spoke about what the Government is doing to build a more resilient society. Find out more here.

During Cabinet Office Questions, I was pleased to update the House of Commons on the Government’s emergency alert system to keep the public alert and safe as quickly as possible during emergencies.

Additionally, it was important and moving to join Cabinet Office colleagues and other Members of Parliament to commemorate the COVID-19 Day of Reflection – marking five years on from the start of the pandemic. It was a time to remember those we lost and honour the sacrifices made by so many.

Furthermore:

  • Greater London UNISON Regional Women’s Committee Networking Day – Great to speak with some amazing UNISON women about my background and path in politics.
  • Women in Westminster Reception – Lovely to join this important reception in Parliament to celebrate many successful and hard-working women in Westminster.
  • Ash Wednesday – Wishing everyone in Erith and Thamesmead a blessed 40-day period of Lent, which began at the start of this month on Ash Wednesday.
  • Happy Holi – Hope everyone who is celebrating a very happy Holi!
  • Ramadan Mubarak – A very peaceful Ramadan to those who observe.
  • Happy St Patrick’s Day – Hope everyone had a fantastic St Patrick’s Day this year!
  • Happy St David’s Day – Happy St David’s Day to everyone who celebrated!
  • Happy World Book Day – Was good to mark this day and celebrate the work of local teachers, librarians and parents who are getting more children every year into reading.

Stay updated on social media

For regular updates on my activities, follow me on Twitter (@abenaopp), Facebook (Abena Oppong-Asare MP, Erith and Thamesmead), and Instagram (abena.oppongasare.mp).

You can also sign up to my digital newsletter at www.abenaoppongasare.com/get_in_touch

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February 2025 Newsletter

Dear Friends,

Thank you for taking the time to look at my monthly newsletter for February 2025.

I hope you enjoy this update on some of the work I have been doing in Erith and Thamesmead and in Parliament over the last month.

As ever, if you want to get in touch, don’t hesitate to contact me using the email address: abena.oppongasare.mp@parliament.uk

Abena

Government’s ‘Plan for Change’

This month, I wanted to highlight some of the vital actions being taken by the Government that will make a real difference for Erith and Thamesmead residents.

Fixing our NHS remains a top priority, and I’m pleased to see that the extra 2 million NHS appointments promised by the Prime Minister has already been achieved seven months early. We must build on this progress to create an NHS truly fit for the future.

This month, the Government has also stepped-up efforts to expand social and affordable housing, a key issue for our community. Ministers announced a £350 million boost to drive construction, alongside measures to improve standards and crack down on rogue landlords in supported housing.

Additionally, the Chancellor has recently announced new measures to kick start the economy and put more money in people’s pockets. I back her belief in Britain’s potential and her refusal to accept a low growth future. I look forward to these projects creating a brighter future for the country and here in Erith and Thamesmead.

While tough decisions have been necessary, I hope you agree that this Government is making real progress on these and many other issues to deliver the change agenda the country voted for last year.

Greenwich Holocaust Memorial Day Event

I was honoured to attend the Royal Borough of Greenwich’s Holocaust Memorial Day commemoration. It was a poignant reminder to remember the past and stand against hatred. Grateful for the chance to reflect and pay tribute.

Visit to St Margaret Clitherow Primary School

It was a pleasure to be able to visit St Margaret Citherow Primary school in Thamesmead. Firstly, I thanked the students for their lovely designs for my recent Christmas Card Competition. I then had a mini-Interview with two of the runners up, Michelle and Arielle, who fired questions at me about my role in politics. I also asked what inspired their designs, and they shared that the beautiful scenery in our constituency was their main inspiration.

It was great to also join the Key Stage 2 assembly whereby the students asked about my role as their MP and my political journey. Lastly, I was taken on a lovely tour of the school by the Head Girl, Claire, and the Head Boy, Jimi.

Walkabout with Greenwich Safer Neighbourhood Policing Team

It was important to recently join a walkabout with the Thamesmead Safer Neighbourhood Team (SNT). It was insightful to see and hear firsthand how they deal with the challenges of policing in the local area. What stood out as especially valuable was observing how they cooperate with local schools to ensure a safe dispersal at the end of the school day – making sure the area is kept safe for the students and residents.

It is important we continue to restore trust in our police and crack down on all forms of crime.

Re-opening of Woodlands Farm Trust Education Centre

It was a pleasure to attend the relaunch of education classes at the Vaughan Mills Education Centre on Woodlands Farm, alongside Shooters Hill Councillors, Ivis Williams and Raja Zeeshan and the respective Mayors for Greenwich and Bexley.

I saw the fantastic nature on offer at the Farm on our tour led by Dr Barry Gray, chairman of the Woodlands Farm Trust. It is imperative more young people get outside and enjoy the great green spaces available to them in our constituency.

Ministerial work in the Cabinet Office

This month, I’ve been excited to continue my work in the Cabinet Office. I’ve had the privilege of visiting various teams across the country, each doing incredible work in their areas of expertise.

I began the month with an important visit to the University of Glasgow’s Advanced Research Centre to speak to them about their groundbreaking quantum research and the Government’s investment in the sector to build a more resilient Britain.

Following this, it was great to spend time with the Lincolnshire Resilience Forum (LRF), alongside fellow Minister Alex Norris, responsible for Local Growth and Building Safety. I was very impressed to see how the LRF Innovation Fund is driving projects that boost public preparedness and resilience. It was also good to visit the Waddington Fire & Rescue Training Centre, where teams master crisis response skills.

Lastly, it was a pleasure to open this February’s Local Resilience Forum Chairs’ Conference in Birmingham. During the event, I had the opportunity to engage with local resilience leaders from across the UK to discuss and identify key priorities for ensuring the safety of our communities.

Furthermore:

  • Visit to Parliament by Trinity School, Belvedere – Great to see their Year 11 GCSE Citizenship Studies class had a great visit to the Houses of Parliament, including meeting my Parliamentary team and visiting 10 Downing Street!
  • Visit to Parliament by St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School – Lovely to hear about their students’ visit to Parliament, including a tour, an Education Centre session as well as taking the time to raise some important local issues with me.  
  • New Location for Plumstead Post Office – In case you missed it, the Plumstead Post Office has reopened across the road at 7 Brewery Road. I know how vital the Post Office is to our community so I’m glad to see a smooth transition from the old location.
  • Knife Amnesty Bins – Important to see knife amnesty bins installed in our community by the Royal Borough of Greenwich. One is in Abbey Wood at the back of the Old Council Office.
  • Children’s Mental Health Week 2025 – This month I supported Place2Be’s important work marking Children’s Mental Health Week 2025. Find out more here.
  • National Apprenticeship Week – Good to see the Government going further and faster to support apprentices nationwide with up to 10,000 more places per year.
  • Time to Talk Day 2025 – This day gives us all a chance to get comfortable and start talking about mental health. Find out more here.
  • LGBT+ History Month – Glad to celebrate the heritage and contributions of LGBT+ communities in our local area and across the country this month.
  • Hearts Unions Week – Pleased to celebrate all the work unions do to make our workplaces fairer and stronger during this recognition week.

Stay updated on social media

For regular updates on my activities, follow me on Twitter (@abenaopp), Facebook (Abena Oppong-Asare MP, Erith and Thamesmead), and Instagram (abena.oppongasare.mp).

You can also sign up to my digital newsletter at www.abenaoppongasare.com/get_in_touch

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Response to the Autumn 2024 Budget

The Budget 2024

I am proud to support this Labour Government’s Autumn 2024 Budget, the first Labour Budget for over 14 years, which delivers on our promises of change for working people. It will fix the foundations of our economy, secure investment for the future, and begin the process of rebuilding Britain. It will also have a positive impact on our community here in Erith and Thamesmead.  

Delivered by the UK’s first female Chancellor Rachel Reeves, the Budget prioritised fixing Britain’s key public services, such as the NHS and our education system, and began the process of stabilising the broken economy left to us by the previous Conservative government. We also ensured that working people in communities like ours would not face higher taxes in their payslips, delivering on our manifesto promises not to increase VAT, national insurance or income tax on working people.  

The Chancellor highlighted that this Budget would turn the page on the last 14 years of economic decline, taking the tough decisions on spending and welfare by tackling fraud, tax avoidance and waste, and making sure that taxpayer’s money is spent efficiently and sets Britain up for future economic growth.  

Below are the key announcements from the Budget that I believe will bring positive benefits to the people of Erith and Thamesmead and the country:

  • Increasing the National Living Wage by nearly 7% – worth up to £1,400 for a full-time worker. 
  • Injecting an extra £25.6 billion for the NHS over two years to cut waiting lists. 
  • £2bn extra in NHS technology to improve Britain’s health services.  
  • No increase in Income tax, National Insurance or VAT for working people. 
  • Preserving the State Pension Triple Lock, with over 12 million pensioners gaining up to £475 next year. 
  • A 2.7% real terms increase to the Ministry of Defence’s budget to improve national security.  
  • Support for the recruitment of 6,500 teachers by increasing the Core Schools Budget by £2.3 billion next year.  
  • Abolishing the non-dom status.  
  • Maintaining the fuel duty freeze.  
  • £30 million to provide free breakfast clubs. 
  • £500 million investment to build 5,000 new social homes. 
  • Former mineworkers will receive £1.5 billion that was kept from their pension. 
  • The biggest increase to Carer’s Allowance eligibility since its introduction.  
  • £1 billion to help those facing financial hardship via the Household Support Fund.  
  • 40% relief on business rates, hospitality and leisure sectors. 
  • £500 million to fix local roads and fill a million potholes.  
  • Increase in the employment allowance to support small businesses.  
  • Cracking down on fraud, tax avoidance and waste.

I also spoke in person about how the Budget will impact the residents of Erith and Thamesmead, which you can watch here.

While I know there were tough decisions made, I fully support the Government’s commitment to delivering this needed investment in Britain’s future – fixing the NHS, protecting working families and rebuilding our country.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me at abena.oppongasare.mp@parliament.uk

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ITV’s Late Debate

It was a pleasure to be on the panel of The Late Debate with ITV News last week and discuss a number of important issues including the safety of public officials, tax incentives for London tourists and the upcoming Mayoral election. 

In particular, I raised my concerns about the current climate of abuse against people in public life, with people of colour and women often being more at risk. In my role as Chair of Labour Women’s Network (LWN), I have worked hard to train women to build resilience towards the abuse they are subjected to.  

People in public life should not be scared or intimidated while carrying out their responsibilities and I hope to see more progress in changing the current climate. 

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New Kitchen at the Javan Coker Foundation

I was also very pleased to join the Javan Coker Foundation (JCF) this month as they celebrated the installation of their newly refurbished kitchen at the JCF centre.

Alongside the Council Leader, Cllr Anthony Okereke, it was lovely to join the team for the opening and hear about all the great work they have been doing to support children and families in need.

If you would like to find out more about the charity and what they are doing in our community, then you can find their website here: https://www.thejavancokerfoundation.org/.

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Solus Repair Centre Visit

I was very pleased to be able to visit Solus Repair Centre in Erith earlier this month.

I particularly enjoyed meeting young people from the apprenticeship programme and discovering all the opportunities available to develop technical skills and expertise in the sector.

You can see my social media post about the visit below or here.

Photos

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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 challenges the Government’s lack of long-term support for Businesses

On 9th January, as Shadow Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, I spoke in the House of Commons in response to the Government’s latest statement on Non-domestic Energy Support for businesses.

I challenged the Government on this announcement, which proves their policy is just another example of sticking-plaster politics. Last year, businesses were promised clarity by this government, however, constant chaos in the Conservative party has meant firms, workers, and families had to go another Christmas worrying about their energy bills.

We all know that businesses need to plan ahead but these policies are forcing them to live day to day and not knowing what the next month will bring, let alone the next quarter. Unfortunately, as I stated to the Minister, this week’s announcement did not have to be this way and is just a sticking plaster for the wider energy challenges. There needs to be a long-term plan or this merry-go-round will only continue.

Speaking in the house, I set out Labour’s plans to “back British businesses and give them the certainty they need to plan and invest”. This includes scrapping business rates with a fair tax on the online giants, having a long-term industrial strategy alongside which our industries can invest, and, dealing with the energy crisis at its source.

You can read my speech here or watch the full speech here.

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Abena speaks out, another U-Turn on Alcohol Duty

I recently popped into the Standard, a pub in my Erith and Thamesmead constituency, which is really struggling with soaring energy bills and the lack of Government support. It needs the Government to be on its side.

Today the Government  announced they are freezing alcohol duty rates for six months.  I spoke out on behalf of British venues like the Standard who are concerned about this  sudden change after  the previous Chancellor announced a freeze, the current Chancellor scrapped it, and now it is back on.

This government isn’t providing the certainty that businesses and their hard-working employees need in order to plan for the tough winter ahead. Labour believes the alcohol duty system could be reformed to make the system  “simpler, more economically rational and less administratively burdensome on businesses and HMRC.”

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

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Abena closes the Financial Services and Markets Bill Debate

On 7th September, as Shadow Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, I spoke in the House of Commons on the Financial Services and Markets Bill, making the closing arguments for the Opposition.

I broadly welcome this legislation. I am committed to helping the UK’s financial sector maintain its position as a competitive global financial centre. At the same time, this should not mean any compromise on financial stability or consumer protection post Brexit.

Speaking in the House, I argued that that everyone should have access to the financial services they need, whether that is saving schemes or insurance, and regardless of their income or circumstances. I made the point that all too often, the most vulnerable in our society are unable to afford or are denied access to financial products and services that meet their needs.

I made clear to the Government that if they are serious about building a strong future for our financial services outside the EU, they should recognise that the Bill is an opportunity to rethink how financial resilience, inclusion and wellbeing issues are tackled in the UK.

More widely, I am disappointed that the Bill does not do enough on financial exclusion. I believe we need to protect access to face-to-face banking services and address the extra costs that poorer people pay for essential services such as insurance or loans or credit cards.

As the Bill proceeds through Parliament, I will support efforts to push for bolder, more radical action in a number of areas including green finance, financial inclusion and economic crime. It is important that this legislation delivers not just for our financial services industry but for the wider economy as well.

You can read my speech here or watch the speech here.