Richmond Park News: 12 June 2026

BBC POLITICS LIVE

On Sunday, I appeared on BBC Politics London alongside co-host of the ‘What’s Left’ podcast, Freddie Feltham, and the CEO of the Friends of Afghan Women Network, Shabnam Nasimi.

The Mayor of London recently announced a funding package to help prevent a ‘lost generation of young men,’ in an attempt to combat negative social media influences. The £1 million package aims to support vulnerable boys in schools, fund a new programme for fathers, and put footballing mentors into communities across the capital.

Earlier that week I had met with the producer and director of Louis Theroux’s Netflix documentary 'Inside the Mansosphere,’ a show which provided an insight into the lives of social media figures who many young men look up to. The ‘Makers of the Manosphere’ highlighted the difficulties young people are having forming meaningful relationships because they have grown-up with insecure beliefs about the opposite gender, and view relationships as a means to take advantage of another person. 

I raised this on the show, and also stated that while the Mayor’s initiatives around football are positive, more needs to be done to reach out to young men who are not involved in sport and other social groups.

The discussion then moved on to the government’s policies towards Aghanis who previously assisted the UK’s efforts in the region, but remained under threat from the Taliban. Nearly a year ago, it was revealed that the previous Conservative government had covered-up a data leak which revealed the names, contact details and some family information of people potentially at risk of retribution from the Taliban. 

Despite the government assuring these people refuge in the UK, applications for relocation via safe routes to this country have been closed. This is a betrayal to those who supported British forces, and I urged the government to re-examine the closure of these routes.

The show also discussed nightlife licensing in London, and you can watch the full programme by clicking here.

STEEL BILL REMAINING STAGES

On Monday and Tuesday I spoke in the Committee and Remaining Stages of the Steel Industry (Nationalisation) Bill, which sought to give the government the power to nationalise the steel industry.

The steel sector is a vital strategic industry in the UK, as we rely on it for essential parts of our national infrastructure, transport, advanced manufacturing, and perhaps most topically, for our defence capabilities. 

While the government needed to act to support our steel industry, I laid amendments to the bill which aimed to ensure greater Parliamentary oversight of potential spending associated with this legislation as well as amendments which would boost stakeholder engagement to ensure jobs can be protected and environmental concerns are heard and considered appropriately.

You can watch a clip of my speech by clicking here.

PUBLIC ACCOUNTS COMMITTEE ON INVESTMENT IN RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE

I attended the Public Accounts Committee session on investment in research infrastructure, where we examined how UK Research and Innovation, the body responsible for allocating public funding to research, is making good use of public funds. 

This gave me the opportunity to question Ian Chapman, the UKRI Chief Executive, about how funding decisions are made when balancing competing research fields, and how UKRI evaluate very different types of research. 

I was pleased to hear that all potential investments are considered under the same evaluation criteria, which include will they advance knowledge, benefit the public and what impact it will have on individuals lives. 

You can watch a clip of my question by clicking here.

THERAPEUTIC COMMUNITIES ROUNDTABLE

Richmond Park is home to the only NHS funded therapeutic community in London, the Cassel, but funding for the hospital is under NHSE review.

Therefore, alongside Sojan-Joseph MP, I hosted a roundtable discussion for patients and doctors who have first-hand experience of being in a therapeutic community.

From listening to the heartbreaking testimony of former and current patients, it was evident to understand that the holistic treatment that therapeutic communities provide is absolutely vital to helping people with complex mental health disorders. 

Not only do therapeutic communities provide better patient outcomes, they also save the taxpayer money as patients are far less likely to require hospitalisation or the use of emergency services if they are or have received treatment in a therapeutic community.

I would like to thank the brave people who stood-up and gave testimony of their experiences, as I understand that this must have been incredibly difficult to do, and I can provide assurances that I will continue to spotlight the excellent work the Cassel does in our constituency.

VISIT TO THE HAMMERSMITH CONTROL CENTRE

One of the most common emails I receive as an MP for Richmond Park is regarding the unreliability of the District Line. This not only creates frustration for commuting residents, it also impacts local businesses in Kew and Richmond. Consequently, I visited TfL’s control centre in Hammersmith to discuss the service with TfL and Network Rail.

As I have observed, the Richmond District line service always seems more crowded than the Ealing Broadway services, and earlier this year I asked for a comparison between the two lines to see their usages and frequency. TfL’s data showed that over twice as many people use the Richmond service than the Ealing Broadway line, but Richmond has the same amount of trains per hour as the Ealing Broadway service during off-peak times and on weekends, while only having one more train an hour during peak weekday commuting hours.

During the meeting at the control centre, I challenged TfL and Network Rail to review their timetable, as this does not seem like a fair deal for passengers travelling on the Richmond line.

I also spoke with Network Rail about the reliability of the service, and I have followed-up with their team to request further information regarding mitigations that will be put in place over the summer to ensure that the service will run smoothly, despite the heat.

THOMSON HOUSE SCHOOL VISIT

Last Friday, I visited Thomson House School in Mortlake, and I was delighted to hear the news that the school had recently been graded as ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted. This is an excellent reflection on the hard work of the teachers at the school, as well as the behaviour and work ethic of the pupils. 

As some local residents may know, the Department for Education withdrew its funding for Livingston Academy, the school which was due to be built as part of the Mortlake Brewery development. While enrolment in primary schools in Richmond and across London has fallen, creating funding concerns for local schools, modelling has consistently reported that extra provision is needed for secondary school placements.

Amongst the matter of school placements in the borough, we discussed a range of issues impacting pupils at the school, including space for the pupils to play and safe crossings in the area.

I would like to thank everyone at Thomson House School for welcoming me last Friday.

INDEPENDENT BOOK SHOP WEEK

As independent bookshop week begins tomorrow, I attended a drop-in in Parliament to speak with local store owners, and to discuss the challenges that their shops are facing.

While the government has stated that their business rates reforms were designed to help small businesses, this has not been the experience for the vast majority of local stores on our highstreets, as business rates have only risen following re-evaluations.

The book store owners cited that the average independent bookshop in England currently pays around £6,168 per year in business rates, projected to rise to £8,950 by 2029/30. This is not a sustainable model given the low profit margin on book sales.

I would therefore like to encourage everyone to visit a local bookstore this weekend, and to support these businesses which are such an important staple of our highstreets. 

COMMUNITY NEWS

EMPLOY RICHMOND 2026

On 26 June 2026, Work Match will be holding a free open-air jobs and skills fair for residents of Richmond-upon-Thames around Little Green, TW9 1LX, between 10:00-14:00. The fair will be a great opportunity to connect with employers, receive career guidance and meet with Work Match’s recruitment team to learn more about how they can help you on your career path. 

For those seeking to work closer to home, save money on their commute, looking to change jobs, take on their first job role or are interested in developing employability skills, this is ideal for you. 

You can learn more about the fair by clicking here.

KINGSTON GOOD FOOD GROUP

On 29 June 2026, The Kingston Good Food Group will be holding a session to connect others within the borough, map existing community assets, and explore how we can work together to build a stronger, more resilient local food system for the future. 

Kingston Hive is keen to hear from people and groups working in community food growing, food surplus and redistribution, food education and cooking skills, climate and sustainability projects and community wellbeing and resilience. 

The collaborative gathering will be from 10:00-12:00 at Kingston Welcare, KT2 6LQ, with limited spaces available to foster collaboration and participation. 

To reserve a free spot, please click here.