Former MP urges people to check for 'silent killer'

Former Labour MP Jonathan Ashworth is campaigning for better awareness of high blood pressure after suffering a stroke on New Year's Day.

The 47-year-old, who represented Leicester South from 2011 to 2024, said he was unaware he had been living with dangerously high blood pressure and that he regretted skipping routine GP health checks.

Ashworth is urging people to get checked as health officials estimate 24,000 people in Leicester could unknowingly have the same "silent killer" condition.

The former shadow health secretary said a check-up for hypertension - which often presents no symptoms but significantly increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes - "could save your life".

Ashworth said the moment he fell ill hit him "like a lightning bolt".

"I had pins and needles but I could still speak and had no facial droop," he told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

"Being a politician, that's a stressful lifestyle. Maybe that contributed, but I was quite healthy.

"I have never smoked and I was training to run a double marathon."

The stroke left Ashworth with stiffness in his left side and partial blindness.

To regain movement in his hand he has been learning the piano and reciting lines from Shakespeare's Hamlet to test his speech and memory at the Leicester Royal Infirmary.

"Everyone's stroke journey is different," he said. "It's not like recovering from a broken ankle.

"You have some days where you're making progress and some days where you feel like you're going backwards.

"A stroke is devastating.

"My first message to people in Leicester is get your blood pressure checked - it could save your life or help you avoid living a life with a disability.

"But my second message is that you can live a fulfilling life post-stroke," he added.

Ashworth thanked the NHS staff who treated him, but felt more could still be done to highlight the issue.

According to health officials at Leicester City Council, 24,000 people in the city do not know they have high blood pressure, which Ashworth said were "shocking figures".

Hypertension is the most common cardiovascular disease condition among residents, and contributes to the region's higher-than-average under-75 mortality rate, according to recent documents from a meeting of the city council's health and wellbeing board.

Amy Endacott, who wrote the report, said the condition was more prevalent in groups that make up significant portions of the local population, including older people, certain ethnic minority communities, and residents experiencing high levels of deprivation.

The council said the uptake in blood pressure checks was about 20% higher than the national average, but agreed more could be done to identify hidden cases and tackle the health inequality.

The authority said a "dedicated task group" was working to help people access tests at their local pharmacy, GP surgery, or library, as well as community outreach pop-up events.

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