Battersea's MP, Jane Ellison, has written a letter to US President Barack Obama urging him to release Shaker Aamer, the last British resident still incarcerated in the Guantánamo Bay military detention facility, whose wife and children live in the constituency.

Mr Aamer was detained by US forces in 2002 and has been held, without charge or trial, in Guantanamo ever since. His youngest child has never met his father.

Commenting on the situation, Jane said "I have written to President Obama to urge him to release Mr Aamer on compassionate grounds. A recent report by the charity Reprieve on Mr Aamer’s situation indicated that he was in very poor health. The UK Government has made representations on behalf of Mr Aamer but it the US administration that makes the decision on his release.

"The difficult legacy of Guantánamo Bay is a major embarrassment for the United States and I am disappointed that President Obama has not yet fulfilled his election promise to close the camp. However, people often forget that behind the politics is a family in deep distress and a man in poor health. It is time to bring Mr Aamer’s detention to an end."

Earlier today, Jane took part in the Victoria Derbyshire Show on BBC Radio 5 Live to talk about Mr Aamer’s case. Jane has also been talking to other areas of the media to raise the profile of the case and will be meeting with senior Foreign Office officials later this month.