West Ham & Beckton / data
James Asser · Labour Party · sitting since 04 Jul 2024 · every division, speech and committee appearance.
Since election
659days
from 04 Jul 2024
Divisions
433
of 504 possible
Attendance
86%
71 absent / paired
Whip alignment
97%
vs party majority
Speeches
82
46 debates
Written Qs
26
26 answered
Committees
1
memberships
Expenses
£174k paid
FY 2024–2025 · 101 claims
Interests
1
1 category
A · Overview
Issue volume
Top issues by total divisions voted — engagement only, not direction.
| Issue | Volume | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| Economy | 86 | |
| Taxation | 81 | |
| Crime & Policing | 44 | |
| Employment | 43 | |
| Education | 31 | |
| Welfare and Benefits | 29 | |
| Constitution and Democracy | 27 | |
| Housing | 23 |
Speech topics
Words spoken, by topic. Source: Hansard.
| Topic | Debates | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Social Care | 9 | 5,632 |
| Health | 11 | 4,637 |
| Culture Community | 9 | 3,113 |
| Education | 7 | 2,750 |
| Local Government | 7 | 1,939 |
| Crime | 4 | 1,674 |
| Defence | 9 | 1,638 |
| Economy Jobs | 6 | 731 |
B · Notable divisions
Free votes, rebellions and high-salience whipped votes — the moments that distinguish this MP from the party machine. The full division-by-division record will follow once the per-MP archive is wired.
| Date | Division | Whip | MP voted |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 Jun 2025 | Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: Amendment 24Vote on whether to prevent someone from qualifying as 'terminally ill' under the assisted dying bill solely because they have chosen to stop… | Free vote | Aye |
| 20 Jun 2025 | Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: New Clause 16A procedural vote on whether to allow New Clause 16 to be formally considered as part of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill at Rep… | Free vote | Aye |
| 20 Jun 2025 | Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: Third ReadingMPs voted on the Third Reading of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill — the final Commons vote on whether to pass the assisted dyin… | Free vote | No |
C · Speeches
| Date | Contribution | Words |
|---|---|---|
| 22 Apr 2026 | Procedure Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 1526)This follows on from what you have said; you may want to build on it, or you may feel that you have covered it already. You have said that you have a good working relationship with… | 67 |
| 16 Apr 2026 | Child PovertyChild poverty is a major concern in my east London constituency, and faith and community organisations play an incredibly important part in providing support. While my constituency… Cost Of LivingSocial CareCulture Community | 97 |
| 16 Apr 2026 | Child Poverty5. What steps the Church of England is taking to help tackle child poverty. Cost Of LivingSocial CareCulture Community | 14 |
| 15 Apr 2026 | Procedure Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 1526)The Government, in their written evidence, have suggested or put forward that consideration could be given to limiting the number of WPQ submissions that could be made, citing the … | 41 |
| 15 Apr 2026 | Procedure Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 1526)I had a feeling you might not. | 7 |
| 17 Mar 2026 | Meningitis OutbreakI join other hon. Members in sending my condolences to the families of the students who have died. As my right hon. Friend will be aware, I was once upon a time the National Union … Health | 151 |
| 12 Mar 2026 | Trade with Europe14. What steps he is taking to increase trade ties with Europe. Economy Jobs | 12 |
| 12 Mar 2026 | Business of the HouseThis weekend marks the 50th anniversary of the West Ham station attack, in which an IRA bomb exploded on a tube train, injuring nine people. Post Office engineer Peter Chalk was sh… DefenceCost Of LivingLocal Government | 135 |
| 12 Mar 2026 | Trade with EuropeI put on record my role as chair of the all-party parliamentary group for Bulgaria. The APPG recently visited Sofia, where we met businesses that are keen to build their trade rela… Economy Jobs | 117 |
| 26 Feb 2026 | Youth Activities: Urban Communities4. What steps her Department is taking to support youth activities in urban communities. Culture CommunityEducationCrime | 14 |
| 26 Feb 2026 | Youth Activities: Urban CommunitiesBased in North Woolwich in my constituency is Fight for Peace, a boxing and martial arts facility that also delivers employment and education skills for young people, helping to di… Culture CommunityEducationCrime | 114 |
| 05 Feb 2026 | Business of the HouseRokeby school in Canning Town has just received national recognition from the Department for Education for its exceptional achievements among disadvantaged pupils. This is an incre… Mp PerformanceCost Of LivingHealth | 79 |
| 05 Feb 2026 | Water Infrastructure: InspectionsMy constituents are plagued with endless disruption and roadworks from Thames Water, which is leading to disruption for motorists, delays in public transport and, in some cases, se… UtilitiesEnvironment | 72 |
| 05 Feb 2026 | Water Infrastructure: Inspections13. What steps she is taking to improve the inspection of water infrastructure. UtilitiesEnvironment | 13 |
| 04 Feb 2026 | Topical QuestionsT2. The London Design and Engineering university technical college in the Royal Docks has just received an “outstanding” Ofsted report, including a commendation for the way it prep… TechnologyHealthEducation | 68 |
D · Written questions
Top departments
| Department | Questions | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Department for Education | 5 | 19.2% |
| Home Office | 5 | 19.2% |
| Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government | 5 | 19.2% |
| Department of Health and Social Care | 4 | 15.4% |
| Department for Transport | 2 | 7.7% |
| Department for Work and Pensions | 1 | 3.8% |
| Department for Business and Trade | 1 | 3.8% |
| Department for Culture, Media and Sport | 1 | 3.8% |
Most recent
| Date | Department | Question | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25 Mar 2026 | Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government | To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent progress he has made on the regulation of property managing agents; and whether steps are being taken towards the introduction of a single regulator. | Answered |
| 06 Feb 2026 | Department for Education | To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many applications to open Sixth Forms and Post 16 offers the Department has granted in (a) England, (b) London and (c) West Ham and Beckton constituency in each of the last three years. | Answered |
| 20 Nov 2025 | Department for Business and Trade | To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the arrangements that will apply from January 2026 for the import of raw cane sugar; and what steps he is taking to provide continuity and certainty for co… | Answered |
| 27 Oct 2025 | Department for Transport | To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many people held pilot licences issued by the Civil Aviation Authority permitting them to fly commercial passenger flights on (a) UK-registered aeroplanes and (b) aeroplanes operated by UK-li… | Answered |
| 15 Oct 2025 | Home Office | To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to tackle shoplifting. | Answered |
| 15 Oct 2025 | Attorney General | To ask the Solicitor General, what steps she is taking to help ensure effective prosecution for shoplifting. | Answered |
| 14 Oct 2025 | Department for Education | To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to protect in-school resource provision for pupils with special educational needs. | Answered |
| 10 Oct 2025 | Home Office | To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) adult and (b) child passports have been revoked since 1 January 2024. | Answered |
| 07 Jul 2025 | Department of Health and Social Care | To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve access to NHS dentistry in (a) England, (b) London and (c) West Ham and Beckton constituency. | Answered |
| 09 Jun 2025 | Home Office | To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department's White Paper entitled Restoring control over the immigration system, published on 12 May 2025, whether the proposed extension of the qualifying period… | Answered |
| 09 Jun 2025 | Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government | To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to help increase the availability of affordable housing in West Ham and Beckton constituency. | Answered |
| 12 May 2025 | Department for Transport | To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will take steps to extend the availability of DNA spit kits to licensed private hire drivers. | Answered |
| 08 Apr 2025 | Home Office | To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of protections for overseas (a) health and (b) social care workers on a visa sponsorship arrangement. | Answered |
| 18 Mar 2025 | Ministry of Defence | To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to support jobs in the defence sector. | Answered |
| 10 Mar 2025 | Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government | To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle hate crimes based on religion in (a) England, (b) London and (c) West Ham and Beckton constituency. | Answered |
E · Committees
| Committee | Role | House | Start | End |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Procedure CommitteeSelect | Member | Commons | 04 Nov 2024 | present |
F · Expenses
Every business-cost claim reimbursed by IPSA in the current financial year, grouped by category. “Aggregated” rows are IPSA’s own year-end totals for cost types like payroll and rent that aren’t itemised claim-by-claim.
Category breakdown
| Category | Claims | Paid (£) | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Office Costs | 90 | 29,428 | 16.9% |
| Staffing | 10 | 144,379 | 83.1% |
Top itemised cost types
| Cost type | Category | Claims | Paid (£) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent | Office Costs | 9 | 13,658 |
| Bought-in services | Staffing | 4 | 8,358 |
| Website hosting and design | Office Costs | 1 | 4,800 |
| Advertising and contact cards | Office Costs | 2 | 4,300 |
| Training - staff | Staffing | 5 | 3,180 |
| Pooled staffing services | Staffing | 1 | 3,000 |
| Software & applications | Office Costs | 3 | 2,310 |
| Stationery & printing | Office Costs | 50 | 896 |
| Equipment - purchase | Office Costs | 8 | 745 |
| Venue hire, meetings & surgeries | Office Costs | 2 | 630 |
| Landline phone & internet - rental & usage | Office Costs | 2 | 598 |
| Training - staff | Office Costs | 1 | 375 |
Most recent
| Date | Category | Description | Paid (£) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 Apr 2025 | Office Costs Rent | Rent | 1,951 | Paid |
| 31 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Rent | 2024-25 [***] rent pro-rata | -1,951 | Paid |
| 26 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Mobile telephone - contract & usage | WWW.VOXI.CO.UK [200011725-10215] | 12 | Paid |
| 17 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Advertising and contact cards | JOGPOST [200011725-6228] | 3,780 | Paid |
| 17 Mar 2025 | Staffing Bought-in services | Comms & Media | 2,388 | Paid |
| 17 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Advertising and contact cards | JOGPOST [200011725-6229] | 520 | Paid |
| 16 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Equipment - purchase | Other office equipment | 6 | Paid |
| 13 Mar 2025 | Office Costs TV licence | TVLICENSING.CO.UK [200011725-6570] [200011792-277] | 85 | Paid |
| 12 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Equipment - purchase | Television | 224 | Paid |
| 12 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Translation services - other languages | BSL interpreter for surgery | 204 | Paid |
| 12 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Equipment - purchase | Other office equipment | 49 | Paid |
| 12 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Equipment - purchase | Other office equipment | 20 | Paid |
| 11 Mar 2025 | Staffing Training - staff | Training day for all staff provided by Paul Richards | 1,020 | Paid |
| 04 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Rent | Rent | 1,951 | Paid |
| 25 Feb 2025 | Office Costs Bought-in services | Comms & Media | -228 | Paid |
| 24 Feb 2025 | Office Costs Venue hire, meetings & surgeries | Venue hire, meetings & surgeries | 570 | Paid |
| 24 Feb 2025 | Office Costs Mobile telephone - contract & usage | WWW.VOXI.CO.UK | 12 | Paid |
| 20 Feb 2025 | Staffing Training - staff | PARLI-TRAINING | 469 | Paid |
| 20 Feb 2025 | Staffing Training - staff | PARLI-TRAINING | 416 | Paid |
| 20 Feb 2025 | Office Costs Equipment - purchase | Other office equipment | 85 | Paid |
G · Register of interests
Every financial interest declared by the MP, grouped under the Register’s official categories. Retracted entries are hidden but counted above.
8. Miscellaneous1 entry
16 Aug 2024
School Governor, Kingsford School, Beckton, Newham. This is an unpaid role.
(Registered 30 July 2024)
H · Ward results
Most recent winning councillor in each ward — 11 wards, 27 councillor seats.
| Ward | Councillor | Party | Votes | Election |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beckton | Blossom Young | Labour Party | 597 | 18 Jul 2024 |
| Canning Town North | Areeq Uddin Chowdhury | Labour Party | 937 | 05 May 2022 |
| Canning Town North | Rita Chadha | Labour Party | 1,080 | 05 May 2022 |
| Canning Town North | Shaban Mohammed | Labour Party | 965 | 05 May 2022 |
| Canning Town South | Alan Griffiths | Labour Party | 585 | 05 May 2022 |
| Canning Town South | Belgica Flor Guana Ruilachamin | Labour Party | 536 | 05 May 2022 |
| Canning Town South | Rohit Dasgupta | Labour Party | 630 | 05 May 2022 |
| Custom House | James Beckles | Labour Party | 1,453 | 05 May 2022 |
| Custom House | Sarah Ruiz | Labour Party | 1,293 | 05 May 2022 |
| Custom House | Thelma Rosemond Naa Kai Odoi | Labour Party | 1,284 | 05 May 2022 |
| Green Street West | Amar Virdee | Labour Party | 1,722 | 05 May 2022 |
| Green Street West | Lewis Gordon Godfrey | Labour Party | 1,876 | 05 May 2022 |
| Green Street West | Mumtaz Khan | Labour Party | 1,868 | 05 May 2022 |
| Plaistow North | Sophia Naqvi | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | 1,266 | 23 Nov 2023 |
| Plaistow South | Carleene Lee-Phakoe | Labour Party | 1,284 | 05 May 2022 |
| Plaistow South | Jane Barbara Lofthouse | Labour Party | 1,292 | 05 May 2022 |
| Plaistow South | Neil James Wilson | Labour Party | 1,360 | 05 May 2022 |
| Plaistow West Canning Town East | Dina Hossain | Labour Party | 1,654 | 05 May 2022 |
| Plaistow West Canning Town East | John James Morris | Labour Party | 1,578 | 05 May 2022 |
| Plaistow West Canning Town East | Simon Rush | Labour Party | 1,475 | 05 May 2022 |
| Royal Albert | Ann Rosemarie Easter | Labour Party | 849 | 05 May 2022 |
| Royal Albert | Tony McAlmont | Labour Party | 692 | 05 May 2022 |
| Royal Victoria | Caroline Adebowale Adaja | Labour Party | 833 | 05 May 2022 |
| Royal Victoria | Steve Brayshaw | Labour Party | 856 | 05 May 2022 |
| West Ham | Charlene McLean | Labour Party | 1,626 | 05 May 2022 |
| West Ham | John Charles Whitworth | Labour Party | 1,458 | 05 May 2022 |
| West Ham | John Morrison Gray | Labour Party | 1,758 | 05 May 2022 |
I · Demographics
| Indicator | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Population (2021 Census) | 140,809 | Electorate 78,964 (2024) |
| Median age | 32 | years |
| Degree-educated | 41.7% | level 4 or above |
| Ethnicity (White) | 38.0% | 2021 Census ethnic group |
| Owner-occupied | 29.6% | households |
| Private-rented | 36.1% | households |
| Social-rented | 34.0% | households |
| Employment rate | 61.6% | 16-64 in work |
J · Public spending
HMT publishes headline spending identifiable by region in PESA. Constituency-level capital allocations (Levelling-Up Fund, Towns Fund, UKSPF, transport capital, BEIS R&D) are published as separate departmental datasets. We are evaluating the cleanest reconciliation for a per-constituency view.