Abena Oppong-Asare is the Labour MP for Erith and Thamesmead, having first been elected to parliament at the 2019 general election.

In the 2024 general election, Oppong-Asare received 22,246 votes, representing 55.1% of the vote share. The Reform UK candidate, Michael Pastor, secured 5,944 votes (14.7%) and the Conservative candidate received 5,564 votes (13.8%). Oppong-Asare was duly re-elected with a majority of 16,302 votes.

The Erith and Thamesmead constituency is located in South East London, covering parts of the London Boroughs of Bexley and Greenwich along the southern bank of the River Thames. It includes areas such as Erith, Thamesmead, Abbey Wood, Plumstead and Belvedere. Belmarsh Prison is located within the constituency.  

The constituency has been a safe Labour seat since its creation in 1997.

Political Career

Oppong-Asare served as a parliamentary private secretary (PPS) to the prime minister in 10 Downing Street from September 2025 to July 2026. A PPS acts as an unpaid parliamentary assistant, providing a link between the senior frontbencher and backbench MPs. The role is widely regarded as the first step on the ministerial ladder. Although they cannot speak for the government in debates, a PPS is bound by collective responsibility and becomes part of the so-called “payroll vote”, expected to support the official line in all divisions.

Oppong-Asare left government as part of the July 2026 reshuffle conducted by Andy Burnham upon his appointment as prime minister.

Oppong-Asare served as parliamentary secretary at the Cabinet Office from July 2024 to September 2025.

Oppong-Asare is a patron of the Labour Women’s Network (LWN). Founded in 1988, the LWN is a socialist society affiliated with the Labour Party that campaigns to secure the election of more Labour women to public office at every level. The organisation provides training, networking and support for women within the party. Oppong-Asare previously chaired the group.

Prior to the 2024 general election, which saw Labour returned to power after 14 years in opposition, Oppong-Asare served as shadow minister for women’s health and mental health (September 2023 – July 2024) and shadow exchequer secretary to the treasury (October 2020 – September 2023).

She also served as parliamentary private secretary to Luke Pollard as shadow secretary of state for environment, food and rural affairs (January – April 2020) and Anneliese Dodds as shadow chancellor of the exchequer (April – October 2020).

Oppong-Asare served on the House of Commons housing, communities and local government committee from March 2020 to February 2021.

Oppong-Asare delivered her maiden speech on 29 January 2020 during a debate on homelessness.

In it, she said: “I am here today to debate homelessness – an issue that, sadly, all too many of my constituents have experienced at first hand.

“Across the country, the numbers of people forced to rely on temporary accommodation are stark, but it is the stories behind the statistics that are truly heartbreaking: the family placed in accommodation two train journeys from their children’s school… and the family with a young child placed by another borough in a shared property with someone on the sex offenders register.”

She added: “My journey into politics has not been easy. I did not come from a political background. I remember telling a careers adviser that I wanted to get into politics and learn more about working for an MP.

“I was laughed at and literally told that the chances of someone like me getting a job in parliament were very slim, and to not even bother trying. I will not misuse parliamentary privilege by naming him, but I hope he is watching me now. When I see injustice, I always turn anger into action. That feeling of unfairness drove me to challenge the barriers that I faced as a black woman.

“I became the first ever black chair of the Labour Women’s Network, and I mentor and train many women like me, who do not normally get a chance in politics.”

Before entering parliament, Oppong-Asare was a Labour Party Councillor for the Erith ward on Bexley Council from 2014 to 2018. During this time, she served as deputy leader of the opposition Labour group (2014-16) and acted as the group’s spokesperson on education.

Political Views

Leadership elections and loyalty

Oppose leadership election: In May 2026, Oppong-Asare was among the over 100 Labour MPs who signed a joint statement insisting it was “no time for a leadership contest.” The letter was an intervention in the political crisis engulfing Keir Starmer’s premiership, after Labour suffered heavy losses in the 2026 local elections and devolved elections to the Scottish Parliament and Senedd Cymru. It was organised as a counterweight to a mounting rebellion that had seen high-profile figures, including some ministers, call for Starmer’s resignation.

The statement read: “Last week we had a devastatingly tough set of election results. It shows we have a hard job ahead to win back trust from the electorate.

“That job needs to start today – with all of us working together to deliver the change the country needs.

“We must focus on that. This is no time for a leadership contest.”

Labour deputy leadership 2025: Oppong-Asare was one of 175 Labour MPs who nominated Bridget Phillipson for the party’s deputy leadership in September 2025. The election followed the resignation of Angela Rayner, who stepped down as deputy prime minister and deputy party leader after an investigation into her tax affairs. It marked the first time since 2007 that Labour had held a deputy leadership contest while in government.

Phillipson, the serving education secretary, was widely viewed as the candidate favoured by Downing Street and the party leadership. She secured 175 nominations from the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP), comfortably exceeding the 80 required to reach the final ballot. She was ultimately defeated by Lucy Powell.

Labour leadership 2020: Oppong-Asare was one of 31 Labour MPs who nominated Lisa Nandy for the party’s leadership in early 2020. The election was triggered by the resignation of Jeremy Corbyn following the party’s defeat in the 2019 general election, which resulted in Labour’s fewest seats in the House of Commons since 1935.

Nandy, the MP for Wigan, argued that the party needed a “bridge” to reconnect with traditional working-class voters in northern England. She finished third in the contest with 16.2% of the vote.

Welfare

Welfare vote (July 2025): Oppong-Asare voted in favour of the government’s flagship welfare bill at second reading. The vote came after ministers agreed to significant concessions to avoid defeat via a mass rebellion of Labour MPs on 1 July 2025.

Assisted dying

Oppong-Asare voted against the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, better known as the assisted dying bill, at both second reading (November 2024) and third reading (June 2025).

Before Politics

Born on 8 February 1983, Oppong-Asare studied politics with international relations at the University of Kent, where she also obtained a master’s degree in international law with international relations.  

Before her election to parliament, she worked as a research policy lead at the Greater London Authority (GLA), supporting assembly members.

Personal Life

Oppong-Asare is of Ghanaian descent.

She grew up what she had described as “a non-political household”

Trivia

Oppong-Asare contributed to Stand Up and Be Counted: Be a Councillor guide, which was aimed at encouraging women from diverse backgrounds to stand for local government.

Oppong-Asare reportedly runs summer schools for young people interested in politics, public life and political campaigning.