Labour Party shows 'clear commitment' to mental health by appointing dedicated shadow minister

The Labour Party has created a dedicated shadow minister for mental health for the first time, appointing Luciana Berger in the role.

Jeremy Corbyn named Liverpool Wavertree MP Ms Berger as the first dedicated shadow minister for mental health following his leadership victory on Saturday. The post is Cabinet-level.

She will work alongside Heidi Alexander who has been chosen as the new shadow health minister.

Jeremy Corbyn said: “I am delighted that we have established a shadow cabinet position for mental health which is a matter I have long been interested in.”

Geoff Heyes, policy and campaigns manager at the mental health charity Mind, welcomed the appointment, saying: “We are really pleased to see the Labour party showing such clear commitment to mental health. We don’t yet know what responsibilities the post will include, or whether the role will be solely about mental health, but we are very much encouraged to hear ‘mental health’ explicitly referenced while the shadow cabinet is being assembled.

“Mental health problems are very common and will affect one in four of us in the next year. Despite this, for decades mental health service provision has lagged far behind the standards of care we take for granted when it comes to our physical health. We have seen in recent years a commitment from all political parties to addressing this huge imbalance but there is still a very long way to go.”

He added: “Parties are also starting to understand that mental health is about much more than NHS service provision. It affects and is affected by all areas of our lives. We expect the new shadow minister to make sure that mental health is on everyone’s agenda, recognising the impact that all areas of public policy can have on everyone’s wellbeing.

“We look forward to working with Luciana Berger MP and her team in her new role.”