Richmond Park News: 11 September 2026

TERMINALLY ILL (ADULTS) END OF LIFE BILL

The Second Reading of the new version of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill was rejected by MPs this afternoon by 286 votes to 270, meaning that Assisted Dying will not pass into law in the current Parliament.

I set out my reasons for voting against the Bill in the last session in my Third Reading speech, in June last year, which you can see here.

The legislation debated today has not been changed since it fell at the end of the last session, and - consequently - my views about it have not changed. I voted against the Second Reading today.

I am frustrated, on behalf of constituents who hoped to see this Bill progress, that the opportunity was not taken by the Bill’s supporters to address some of the concerns raised by opponents during the last Session, and to redraft the Bill in association with members of the medical and legal professions, into a form of legislation that might have attracted a greater breadth of support.

I was surprised to see the Bill defeated and to see so many previous supporters abstain or switch their vote.  From conversations, I believe it was the threat of the use of the Parliament Act to force it through without amendment that persuaded members not to support it this time.

You can also listen to a clip of my interview on this topic with BBC Radio 5 Live by clicking here.

TREASURY ORAL QUESTION

The renewed plans for a third runway at Heathrow had been almost single-handedly driven by the former Chancellor, Rachel Reeves MP. Following the cabinet reshuffle, Reeves was removed from government, and replaced by John Healey MP. 

As Reeves had invested a significant amount of political capital into expansion, I challenged Healey to not make the same mistakes as the former Chancellor, and to objectively examine the case for a third runway.

The government’s own financial report shows that the net present value of expansion ranges between minus £23.4bn to minus £62.5bn. I put these figures to the Chancellor, and asked what case he can make to continue with this absurd proposal.

The Chancellor’s response was disappointing, as he asserted his support for expansion. I suspect he may have second thoughts about being so robust in his convictions once he looks at the figures himself.

You can watch a clip of my question and the Chancellor’s response by clicking here.

The following day, I attended a protest on College Green alongside other Members of Parliament and activists to voice our opposition to a third runway at Heathrow Airport.

MEETING WITH SAINSBURY’S REGARDING SHOPLIFTING

During my series of coffee mornings with residents in the spring, a number of people raised their concerns about shoplifting on local high streets.  In both Ham and Mortlake, people expressed frustration that their local Sainsburys did not do more to tackle shoplifting in their stores.

Last Friday, I met with staff members from the Sainsbury’s on White Hart Lane in Barnes to speak to them further about this issue as well as to listen to the impact that incidents of shoplifting have on their feeling of safety at work.

We discussed some of the additional anti-theft features that Sainsbury’s have installed, including flaps in front of frequently-stolen items and screens around the kiosk.  But Bruno, the area manager told me that Sainsbury’s prioritise the safety of their staff above the retention of stock and do not encourage them to detail shoplifters.

He told me that this is a change of approach compared to 10 or 20 years ago, and has come about because cuts to policing mean that stores can no longer rely on backup from the police if they retain an offender.  

However, I would still encourage residents to report incidents of shoplifting to the police, as it is vital that we continue to build the data to show that shoplifting is an issue which requires additional central funding to combat.  I will continue to fight in Parliament for Richmond Park to have the police force that it needs.

WESTMINSTER HALL DEBATE ON WORLD SUICIDE PREVENTION DAY

Yesterday marked World Suicide Prevention Day, and time was allowed in the House earlier this week for MPs to discuss what more can be done to help support those struggling.

Over 70% of people who die by suicide are not in contact with specialist mental health services, and as mentioned in my previous newsletter, Philip Pirie and I have penned an open letter to the Prime Minister to call on him to launch a public health campaign to tackle the stigma towards suicide.

No one should be suffering in silence.

You can read our open letter to the Prime Minister by clicking here, and watch a clip of my speech during the Westminster Hall Debate on Suicide Prevention Day by clicking here.

STATEMENT ON JAGUAR LAND ROVER JOB CUTS

On Wednesday I spoke in the ministerial statement regarding the announcement of job cuts at Jaguar Land Rover (JLR).

Earlier this week it was reported that JLR is planning to cut as many as 4,000 jobs over the next two years to cut costs in response to cheaper Chinese rivals, in addition to the costs associated with last year's cyber attack.

This news will be devastating for the thousands of workers and families affected by the redundancies at Jaguar Land Rover, as well as for companies in the impacted supply chain industries. When Starmer’s Government announced they would underwrite a rescue loan for JLR last year, Liberal Democrats asked that the Prime Minister assure workers that the deal would be enough to protect their jobs - it wasn’t. 

This development lays bare that the government’s growth mission is falling far short. We need to see bold action from the Chancellor on growing the economy across the UK and I asked the minister if he would commit to entering a Growth and Defence Partnership with the EU which would support our auto industry by removing ‘Rules of Origin’ trade barriers. 

You can watch my speech by clicking here. I also spoke to LBC on this topic on Monday, which you can listen to by clicking here.

PUBLIC ACCOUNTS COMMITTEE ON DEVOLUTION

One of Andy Burnham’s central tenets towards reforming how politics can work for everyone in this country is through devolving more power to local representatives. 

Earlier in the week, I attended a Public Accounts Committee session on ‘Devolving Power in England,’ in which I asked Mayors from Cambridgeshire and Liverpool about their experiences of devolution under the current system, and what they would wish to see changed. 

It was interesting to hear reports from the Mayors that an outcomes framework, which sets out what targets local authorities should aim to meet, could just impose an even greater feeling that local governments are simply a delivery arm for central government funding.

The local authority leaders stated that, for devolution to actually put power in the hands of local representatives, greater funding flexibility is needed to enable them to address the issues which matter to their residents.

You can watch an extended clip of my line of questioning by clicking here.

COMMUNITY NEWS

ST MARY MAGDALENE CHURCH FUNDRAISER

On Tuesday 22 September, in a tremendous effort to raise funding for new bells at St Mary Magdalene Parish Church and to support the Richmond Soup Kitchen, Reverend Stanier will be on his feet preaching from dawn to dusk in a fundraising event which he is terming the ‘Richmond Preachathlon.’

Local celebrities will be present at different times throughout the day, who will be supporting the Reverend in his 12 hour challenge. 

Over the past year, the Parish members have raised over £210,000 in donations, and they are now less than £30,000 away from being able to afford the new church bells.

If you are able to donate to the Reverend’s incredible effort, you can do so by clicking on the following link.

KINGSTON HERITAGE - CELEBRATING COMMUNITY COLLABORATIONS

On 19 September 2026, Kingston Heritage will be holding a special free event as part of the Kingston Heritage Festival. The event celebrates the partnerships and stories that make Kingston a welcoming, creative and inclusive borough. 

The event will be held at Stanley Picker Gallery, the Royal Borough of Kingston-upon-Thames between 12:00-13:00. 

You can find out more information about the event by clicking here.

SHEEN COMMON LITTER-PICK

Habitats and Heritage have organised two litter-picks in East Sheen over the next month, with the first taking place a week on Sunday 20 September between 9:30-11:00 on Sheen Common.

If you are able to volunteer your time to support the community, you can sign-up by emailing cleansheen@habitatsandheritage.org.uk