Created in the 2023 boundary review, replacing West Ham.
One of the youngest constituencies — median age 32.
James Asser
Labour PartyJames Asser is the Labour MP for West Ham and Beckton, and has been an MP continually since 4 July 2024.
Vote on whether to add a provision to the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill ensuring that if an independent doctor dies or becomes too ill to complete their assessment before signing off on an assisted dying request, a further referral can be made to another doctor — mirroring an existing provision in the Bill for the attending doctor.
A 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 Report Stage, after proceedings had been interrupted on 13 June when an objection was raised. The debate excerpts do not reveal the substantive content of New Clause 16.
MPs voted on the Third Reading of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill — the final Commons vote on whether to pass the assisted dying legislation in its amended form. Passing Third Reading sends the Bill to the House of Lords.
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Sign up freeCoverage of West Ham and Beckton has been mixed for James across 40 recent articles.
A new constituency created in the 2023 boundary review. Won by Lab in its first election in 2024. Centred on Newham. Population 140,809, notably young (median age 32 vs 41 nationally), a majority-minority constituency. Recorded crime is 60% above the national average.
Labour Mayoral Candidate Bought Council House While Already a Homeowner
Novara Media · 9 Apr 2026
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Sign up freeMedian Income▼
£30,000
per year (HMRC 2022-23)
Mean Income▼
£37,700
per year (HMRC 2022-23)
Businesses▼
4,805
VAT/PAYE registered (ONS 2024)
Schools▼
46
29 primary, 8 secondary, 9 other
Total Income Tax▼
£428m
from 70,000 taxpayers
Median Tax▼
£3,290
per taxpayer / year
Mean Tax
£6,080
per taxpayer / year
Source: HMRC Survey of Personal Incomes, tax year 2022-23. Allocated by taxpayer residence. Covers income tax only — excludes NI, VAT, and capital gains. Sample-based estimate (~8% confidence interval).
Attainment 8▼
46.3
average score (DfE)
GCSE Pass Rate▼
63.8%
5+ GCSEs 9-4 (DfE)
1 city — 137,223 total population
Source: ONS Built-Up Areas (Census 2021) + data.police.uk — crime rates are per 1,000 population (last 3 months)
Source: data.police.uk — street-level crime data aggregated from LSOA to constituency
27 councillors across 11 wards · Last elections: Jul 2024
| Ward | Party | Councillor | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beckton | Labour Party | Blossom Young | Jul 2024 |
| Canning Town North | Labour Party | Areeq Uddin Chowdhury | May 2022 |
| Labour Party | Rita Chadha | May 2022 | |
| Labour Party | Shaban Mohammed | May 2022 | |
| Canning Town South | Labour Party | Alan Griffiths | May 2022 |
| Labour Party | Belgica Flor Guana Ruilachamin | May 2022 | |
| Labour Party | Rohit Dasgupta | May 2022 | |
| Custom House | Labour Party | James Beckles | May 2022 |
| Labour Party | Sarah Ruiz | May 2022 | |
| Labour Party | Thelma Rosemond Naa Kai Odoi | May 2022 | |
| Green Street West | Labour Party | Amar Virdee | May 2022 |
| Labour Party | Lewis Gordon Godfrey | May 2022 | |
| Labour Party | Mumtaz Khan | May 2022 | |
| Plaistow North | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | Sophia Naqvi | Nov 2023 |
| Plaistow South | Labour Party | Carleene Lee-Phakoe | May 2022 |
| Labour Party | Jane Barbara Lofthouse | May 2022 | |
| Labour Party | Neil James Wilson | May 2022 | |
| Plaistow West Canning Town East | Labour Party | Dina Hossain | May 2022 |
| Labour Party | John James Morris | May 2022 | |
| Labour Party | Simon Rush | May 2022 | |
| Royal Albert | Labour Party | Ann Rosemarie Easter | May 2022 |
| Labour Party | Tony McAlmont | May 2022 | |
| Royal Victoria | Labour Party | Caroline Adebowale Adaja | May 2022 |
| Labour Party | Steve Brayshaw | May 2022 | |
| West Ham | Labour Party | Charlene McLean | May 2022 |
| Labour Party | John Charles Whitworth | May 2022 | |
| Labour Party | John Morrison Gray | May 2022 |
Source: DCLEAPIL v1.0 by Jason Leman, LEAP (Andrew Teale) & Democracy Club. CC BY-SA 4.0. Data last refreshed: 1 Apr 2026.
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lab | 16,434 | 45.2% | |
| Ind | 7,180 | 19.8% | |
| Green | 3,897 | 10.7% | |
| Con | 3,781 | 10.4% | |
| Ref | 2,800 | 7.7% | |
| LD | 1,606 | 4.4% | |
| Ind | 460 | 1.3% | |
| Ind | 190 | 0.5% |
James Asser has not appeared in national political news coverage tracked by our system. This is common for backbench MPs who focus on constituency-level work rather than national policy debates.
19 articles hidden as not sufficiently relevant to this constituency
Labour's mayoral candidate for Newham, Forhad Hussain, allegedly bought a council-subsidised property under the Right to Buy scheme in 2016 while already being a homeowner and a sitting councillor, potentially breaching scheme rules. The story raises questions about his fitness to lead the borough given Newham's severe housing crisis and ongoing council housing scandals.
A+E After Dark documentary series returns tonight with an episode featuring Newham Hospital in East London, documenting emergency department night shifts and staff challenges including violence, discrimination, and life-or-death medical decisions. The episode comes amid NHS England data showing violence against staff has reached a three-year high, with 14.47% of employees experiencing physical assault.
A+E After Dark returns for its seventh series, with episodes filmed at Newham Hospital in East London among three UK locations. The documentary highlights the pressures faced by NHS A+E staff, including rising violence, discrimination, and life-threatening medical emergencies, with new data showing record levels of assault and abuse against NHS workers.
One year after opening, the Silvertown Tunnel has reduced congestion at the neighbouring Blackwall Tunnel by over 10% during peak times and increased cross-river bus trips from 2,700 to 10,400 daily. However, critics argue the £4 toll has displaced traffic to free crossings like the Woolwich Ferry and Tower Bridge, creating congestion elsewhere in the region.
The article provides a comprehensive guide to the May 2026 local elections across England, including all 32 London boroughs where West Ham and Beckton constituents will vote for councillors. It discusses the shifting political landscape, with Labour defending most seats but facing potential losses to Reform, Lib Dems, and Greens, and notes that mayoral elections are also happening in Newham (the borough containing West Ham and Beckton).
The 2026 local elections will take place on Thursday, May 7, across 136 local authorities including all 32 London boroughs. This will be the largest set of local elections in England for three years, with 5,013 seats contested, more than half currently held by Labour.
This article discusses how Newham, London's most deprived borough (including West Ham and Beckton), has become a popular filming location for major Hollywood productions despite its severe poverty, homelessness, and deprivation. The piece highlights the irony that while these films generate millions, little economic benefit returns to the struggling communities where they are filmed.
London boroughs face a worsening temporary accommodation crisis, with 76,000 households now in temporary housing across the capital. A campaign is calling on all councils to commit to providing 'five basics' (kitchen facilities, laundry, storage, WiFi, and clear information) to families in temporary accommodation, with Newham experiencing the highest rate in the country at 6% of all households.
The National Education Union backed working with the Green Party to oppose Labour's academisation plans ahead of May local elections. A Newham delegate spoke at the NEU conference calling for opposition to school privatisation and support for returning academies to council control.
PM Keir Starmer is launching Labour's local elections campaign with a focus on cost-of-living measures and a new 'Pride in Britain' slogan. The party anticipates significant losses in Wales, Scotland, and English councils, with particular concern about losses in London councils including Newham (which covers part of West Ham and Beckton).
A study reveals Newham has the highest home repossession rate in England and Wales at nearly 200 cases per 100,000 people in 2024, with London accounting for over 9,500 cases. The article discusses rising repossessions post-pandemic and upcoming Renters' Rights Act protections.
Tower Hamlets Council is promoting plans to build up to 10,000 new homes across multiple sites in the borough, including the Billingsgate Fish Market site after its relocation to Newham. The council is positioning these developments as major opportunities for developers in 2026, with a focus on mixed-use regeneration around Canary Wharf and South Poplar.
New official guidance from Active Travel England prioritises women's safety in public spaces, with examples from Newham's Greenway and Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park highlighting how design choices affect women's ability to use streets and parks safely. The guidance recommends better lighting, CCTC, removing dark underpasses, and consulting women in urban design—drawing inspiration from schemes in Spain, Sweden and Liverpool.
UK's first circular construction hub, Tipping Point East, has opened in Newham's Royal Docks, transforming a derelict warehouse into a facility to sort and reuse construction waste materials. The project is a collaboration between Yes Make, Resolve Collective, Material Cultures, Newham Council, and the Greater London Authority, aiming to reduce the 10 million tons of construction waste produced annually in London.
New data reveals London has England's highest child poverty rates at 38%, with three east London boroughs (Tower Hamlets, Hackney, Newham) among the worst affected nationally. The government has announced poverty reduction measures including scrapping the two-child benefit limit, aimed at lifting 550,000 children out of poverty by 2029.
A woman was sexually assaulted in a lift at Elephant and Castle Tube station and again on a Northern line train on March 6. British Transport Police have released CCTV images of a suspect and are appealing for information, with the article noting that Newham (which includes parts of East London near West Ham and Beckton) recorded the second-highest number of sexual offences on the London transport network.
A City AM investigation finds that Newham has London's cheapest average pint at £4.20, with prices ranging from £2.87 to over £8 across the capital. The article highlights significant price variations across London boroughs and attributes rising costs to increased business rates, wages, and energy prices affecting pub landlords.
Newham Council has approved plans to add a fifth storey to Francis House in Plaistow, creating five new flats (four one-bed and one two-bed). The development is intended to increase the borough's housing stock on a site previously converted from offices to residential use.
The University of East London has begun construction on a £45 million New Academic Building at its Stratford Health Campus in West Ham, with completion expected by July 2027. The project will train healthcare professionals, create local jobs and apprenticeships, and represents part of a wider £170 million investment in the campus.
Newham Council has completed 81 genuinely affordable homes at Greenhill Centre in Manor Park, offering London Affordable Rent levels with nine wheelchair-accessible properties and Passivhaus energy-efficient design. The development includes community spaces and represents part of the council's broader housing programme launched in 2021 to address local housing needs.
HM Land Registry has developed an AI tool to digitise local land charges records held by local authorities, with a successful pilot in the London Borough of Newham reducing processing time from three months to four weeks. The tool uses optical character recognition and large language models to automate data extraction and validation while maintaining quality standards.
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