LET'S MAKE HEALTH EQUAL

Taking action on health inequality to Parliament

Our parliamentary champions span the major political parties and have committed to campaign alongside us to #MakeHealthEqual and ensure action on the building blocks of health is front-and-centre in national policymaking.

In July 2025, we headed to Parliament — one year on from the government’s health mission pledge to halve the gap in healthy life expectancy between the most and least deprived areas of the country.

Hosted by one of our parliamentary champions, Afzal Khan MP, the event was a pivotal moment to take stock, spark action, and push forward our shared goal: making equal health a reality. Alongside our members, supporters, and award-winning author and activist Darren McGarvey, we came together with a united voice, calling for a bold, cross-government strategy to close the health gap.

We were pleased to be joined by the Minister for Public Health and Prevention, Ashley Dalton, who spoke about the government’s ongoing commitment to tackling health inequalities and the underlying drivers of ill-health.

It was a fantastic moment to continue building cross-party momentum and strengthen the effort needed to turn ambition into action.

Making equal health a reality

Hosted by Afzal Khan MP, our reception brought together MPs from across the Parliamentary Champions Network, alongside the Minister for Public Health and Prevention, Ashley Dalton, with one clear message: it’s time to make equal health a reality.

Reflecting on the government's 10-Year Health Plan

Minister Ashley Dalton looked back on the progress made in tackling health inequalities during Labour’s first year in government and shared what’s ahead following the release of the 10-Year Plan.

A united call for action

Darren McGarvey, author, campaigner and long-standing supporter of our #MakeHealthEqual campaign shared his first-hand experience of poverty and inequality, and called for united action on the building blocks of health.

A united call for action

A strong show of support came from our members and wider community, who joined us in urging MPs to commit to making equal health a reality across the UK.

Reflecting on the government's 10-Year Health Plan

This followed on from our very first parliamentary reception in November 2024 — hosted by Emma Lewell-Buck MP — which brought the ‘youngest ever protest’ to Parliament to launch our Parliamentary Champions Network.

As part of our #MakeHealthEqual campaign, we partnered with renowned photographer Emli Bendixen to create a one-of-a-kind exhibition, shining the spotlight on 50 babies from across the UK to highlight the 16-year gap in life expectancy between places in Britain because of things like income, housing and air quality.

It provided a unique opportunity for MPs to understand the scale of health inequalities both nationally and within their own constituencies.

Bringing the ‘youngest protest’ to Parliament

To launch our campaign, we travelled the UK to capture images of the next generation at risk of poor health and shorter lives. Now, we’ve taken them to Parliament to show MPs how health inequalities are cutting lives short across the UK.

Bringing the ‘youngest protest’ to Parliament

We were joined by cross-party MPs to pledge their support for our campaign in Parliament, hosted by Emma Lewell-Buck, MP for South Shields and Andrew Gwynne, MP for Gorton and Denton.

Our regional champions

We’ve named regional champions to help keep momentum driving forward and bring health to the forefront of the agenda in Westminster – including, Emma Lewell-Buck, Andrew Gwynne, Beccy Cooper, Sarah Owen, Afzal Khan and Sian Berry.

Hearing from our members

Dominic Watters, a food poverty campaigner for The Food Foundation who lives in Canterbury, shared his first-hand lived experience of food insecurity and poverty, and how this has impacted his family’s health.