The Member of Parliament for Caerphilly, Chris Evans, has urged the Welsh Government to implement a Men’s Health Strategy following the announcement of a UK Government plan focussed on England.
Mr. Evans made the comments on 19th November 2025 during a Westminster Hall Debate on the topic of reducing the stigma of suicide. In his contribution, he drew on the recent examples of the late Hefin David MS and boxer Ricky Hatton to call for more action to support men’s mental health.
To coincide with International Men’s Day UK on 19th November, the UK Government announced a 10-year Men’s Health Strategy for England. Mr. Evans has written to Jeremy Miles MS, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care at the Welsh Government, urging a Welsh equivalent of the strategy.
Mr. Evans said: “I am pleased that on International Men’s Day, the UK Government announced a 10-year Men’s Health Strategy for England. I strongly believe that Wales should have an equivalent strategy, and I have written to the Minister urging this.
“Sadly, suicide is the joint-leading cause of death for men in Wales under 50. My constituency has the seventh highest suicide rate in Wales. This is something we do not talk about or get to grips with enough.
“A proper strategy, led by the Welsh Government, NHS Wales, and the many fantastic charities such as Men and Boys, that support men’s mental health, could save lives. We must start by challenging the stigma and stereotypes around men’s mental health, so men who are struggling can get the often life-saving help they need.”
A clip of my contribution in the debate is below.
