This month, I was drawn to ask my second Prime Minister’s Question under a Labour government. I used it to raise the issue of blood donation, praising the work of Brixton Blood Donor Centre. It is excellent news that 10% of new donors to Brixton are Black—three times the national average. But we still need more to come forwards.

The NHS needs to recruit 12,000 new Black blood donors this year to meet increasing demand for life-saving blood transfusions. This increasing demand is primarily driven by Sickle Cell anemia, the fastest growing genetic condition in the UK. Just 2% of regular donors in the UK have the rare Ro blood subtype needed to treat this disease. Black donors are 55% more likely to have this blood subtype.

At the moment, eligibility criteria around travel and iron-levels are seeing many willing Black donors turned away. I was glad to hear the Prime Minister echo my praise for Brixton Blood Centre and agree to set up a meeting about a review of the rules.