Former Labour MP requires extra testing after stroke on New Year’s Day
Jonathan Ashworth, the former Labour MP for Leicester South, explained an ischemic stroke left him with stiffness in his left arm, and a loss of sight in his left eye
Former shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth has revealed he suffered a major stroke two months ago.
The ex-Labour frontbencher, 47, says the stroke on New Year’s Day left him with stiffness in his left arm and a loss of sight in his left eye.
Now he is urging people to learn the warning signs. He said: “I had a blood clot that was restricting blood and oxygen getting to my brain. What caused my stroke was really high blood pressure. I never knew I was living with such high blood pressure.
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“When I got the message from the local GP saying you need to come in for your health check, I was like ‘I’m too busy’ and kept putting it off. My message to your readers is to make sure you are keeping your blood pressure under control.”
The Stroke Association predicts that, by 2035, someone in the UK will have a stroke every three and a half minutes – up from five minutes currently – without urgent action.
Mr Ashworth said: “We need to really expand access to blood pressure support so that people can get their checks and that people can take their blood pressure seriously.
“In the NHS itself, we need 24/7 access across all stroke sites for a procedure called thrombectomy [which removes blood clots from blocked arteries and veins]. We need to see the investment in stroke services helping people get their blood pressure checked and making sure that the rehab needed is properly supported as well.”
Mr Ashworth, who has never smoked, had been planning to run a double marathon for the National Association for Children of Alcoholics, and is now hoping to run a half marathon for them in autumn.
He said: “They must have thought I was eccentric in the hospital because I was practising Shakespearean monologues because I wanted to reassure myself that I could still speak and memorise things.
“I’m doing a lot of physical rehab, I’ve been trying to get my arm moving and stacking two pence pieces. My two girls, they’re into Wicked, so I’ve been doing Wicked-themed Lego to help my arm.” Mr Ashworth lost his seat in 2024.
He praised the NHS for his treatment, and warned of the service’s future should Reform UK win power. He said: “Nigel Farage has spoken about a social insurance-based model where they would check your purse before your pulse. Are we really going to go down the road where healthcare becomes financially ruinous?”
He also praised the government, adding: “They are doing important things – scrapping the two-child limit, increasing the minimum wage, investing in energy infrastructure.”
