Richmond Park News: 13 February 2026

Parliament is now in recess for a week, and therefore I will not be producing a newsletter next week. 

My staff and I will continue to monitor and respond to emails as normal, so please do not hesitate to get in touch.

DEPARTMENT FOR ENERGY SECURITY AND NET ZERO QUESTION: 

On Tuesday, during departmental questions for Energy Security and Net Zero, I pressed the Government to update the UK emission trading scheme to reflect the carbon abatement cost of major projects, including the proposed Heathrow expansion.

In 2021, it was predicted that the carbon abatement for a third runway at Heathrow would cost £100 million, and costs will have only risen. The emissions trading scheme has stated that only 15% of the clean-up costs for Heathrow’s expansion will be covered by Heathrow; and therefore the rest will fall to the taxpayer.

It is therefore disappointing to hear that the Minister will not update the emissions trading scheme, as they refused to comment on the carbon prices, stating prices are set by the markets.

You can watch my question by clicking here.

MEETING REGARDING SUICIDE PREVENTION:

On Monday, I met with Baroness Merron to discuss my proposal for a public health campaign to tackle the stigma towards suicide.

In the past months, I have met with Mind, the Samaritans, the British Standards Institute, and the National Suicide Prevention Agency, to discuss effective strategies for reaching the 75% of people who die by suicide who aren’t in contact with mental health services. 

I discussed with Baroness Merron what more can be done to help those closest to people grappling with suicidal feelings to feel confident in raising the topic with them.  People need to know best practice for approaching this topic and how to refer friends or family members for professional support. This should be widely covered via adverts and discussions in places of work and education, led by professionals. 

Public health campaigns have proven to be effective. This can be seen by tackling the AIDS epidemic in the 1990’s, as well as through the recent ‘Pharmacy First’ signposting adverts which have encouraged better signposting for treatment of ailments.

I will continue to push on this campaign.

WESTMINSTER HALL DEBATE ON ONSHORING IN THE FASHION AND TEXTILES INDUSTRY:

On Thursday I spoke in the Westminster hall debate on Onshoring in the fashion and textiles industry, in my capacity as business spokesperson. 

During my remarks, I highlighted the urgency to transform the way fashion operates. We must reduce pollution, curtail environmental damage, and tackle unethical practices in the supply chain. 

The fast fashion industry has been linked to unethical labour practices and modern slavery, tarnishing the appeal of the garments people wear - we urgently need a more sustainable fashion industry and increasing domestic production is an important aspect of that. 

Currently, less than 3 % of clothing worn in the UK is made domestically, showing the scale of decline, however, the UK fashion and textiles sector retain a base of skilled mills, heritage factories, and emerging micro-factories that could support scaled-up onshoring and as such there is significant potential for growth domestically. 

I called on the government to do more to help UK business by championing start ups and the UKs entrepreneurs as well as more generally taking steps to tackle high business costs, for things like energy and people and they must upskill our workforce to be able to do the jobs created.

You can watch a short clip here, and find my full speech here.

PUBLIC ACCOUNTS COMMITTEE:

In Monday’s Public Accounts Committee session we examined the progress of the Government's New Hospital Programme.  The Programme has created a standard hospital design that can be implemented in multiple sites, known as Hospital 2.0.

I asked Paul Mustow, Joint Senior Responsible Owner, when would Hospital 2.0 be implemented and used by patients. I also asked what metrics will be used to measure whether they are delivering improved patient care and workforce wellbeing. 

Paul acknowledged they were looking to build the clinical benefits into the design from the outset which then runs into the operation of the hospitals. He also stated there will be about £7.5 billion of additional benefits from a combination of things within the programme.

You can watch a clip by clicking here.

In Thursday's Public Accounts Committee session we examined the Civil Service Pensions Scheme. 

When Capita took over the administration of the Civil Service Pension scheme, it said that it had inherited a backlog of 86,000 cases with 15,000 unread emails, which has subsequently increased to a backlog of 120,000 cases. 

This has left retiring civil servants without access to their pensions, having worked towards their target retirement date for their whole career. Capita’s Managing Director, Chris Clements said that payments to the most serious cases would be made by the end of February, and that normal service would resume from March. 

Capita informed us that any impacted constituents can get in touch, and we can assist in progressing your case.

LOAN CHARGE MINISTERIAL MEETING:

On Wednesday, as part of the Loan Charge and Taxpayer Fairness APPG, I met with Dan Tomlinson, the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury.

The Government commissioned the McCann review in January 2025, which aimed to bring the matter to a close, and ensure fairness for all taxpayers. The Government accepted most of the recommendations, however their proposed solution is not without its flaws. We therefore pushed the Minister to ensure the Government’s proposals are fair and just.

Over 50,000 people have been directly impacted by the scandal, and tragically 10 people have lost their lives. It is therefore vital that a fair and final resolution is found.

HONG KONG LUNAR NEW YEAR:

On Tuesday I spoke at a Lunar New Year reception in Parliament. This event included an award ceremony for individuals and organisations that have made an outstanding contribution to Hong Kong’s fight for freedom and I was pleased to add my praise to their admirable advocacy. 

In my speech, I highlighted the concerns of many Hongkongers in the constituency, who are extremely concerned about the developments in their country over the past years. 

The threat to pro-democracy campaigners from the Hong Kong police is deeply worrying. I know from the experience of my own constituents of the terrifying impact which transnational repression can have, uprooting lives and placing an entirely unacceptable stress on those campaigners in the UK.

I spoke of the deeply alarming sentencing of Jimmy Lai is another example of the deeply troubling signal about Hong Kong's legal system and press freedoms.

I reiterated calls made by my Liberal Democrat colleagues for the Government to make clear that it is illegal to bounty hunt in the UK, and emphasized how vital it is that the UK plays a leading role as part of a coalition of liberal democracies to respond to these challenges. 

MAKE-UK APPRENTICESHIP DROP-IN:

On Wednesday I attended Make UK’s National Apprenticeship Week event in Parliament and met with award winning apprentices. I met apprentices from Automate BEST (Business, Education, Skills and Training), an organisation dedicated to promoting and supporting apprenticeships across engineering, manufacturing, robotics, and machine vision. 

It is essential that money raised for skills is fully invested in high-quality training, particularly in sectors such as manufacturing and engineering where shortages are most acute. 

National Apprenticeship Week provides an important opportunity to celebrate the value of apprenticeships and reinforce the need for long-term investment in skills to support jobs, growth and productivity across the UK.

COMMUNITY BATHING ON THE RIVER THAMES

The Government has announced 13 new bathing spots across England, including on the Thames in Ham and Kingston. This will be London's first ever river bathing site. 

This is a huge win for our local community, especially following the campaign to oppose the Teddington Direct River Abstraction (TDRA) project. 

We will continue to oppose the TDRA project, fighting against the sewage scandal, and continuing to put pressure on the Government to protect our rivers for everyone to enjoy.

MEETING WITH THE NAMASTE GROUP IN KINGSTON

Today I met with the Kingston Namaste group, where we discussed the concerns their community has with the proposed changes to indefinite leave to remain.

They explained to me how the proposed changes will impact people who moved here in the expectation that they would be able to build a secure future for their families. The proposals mean that each family member will need to qualify separately for ILR status, creating years of uncertainty and instability for young people who have grown up here and expected to be able to stay.

I am completely opposed to these sudden and retrospective changes to entitlement to indefinite leave to remain. Families who have worked hard, paid taxes and integrated into British society should not face more years of insecurity and additional costs. 

I raised this important issue during Prime Minister’s Questions last year, and I will continue to oppose the government’s plans.

COMMUNITY NEWS:

Online Safety:

The Royal Borough of Kingston Upon Thames Community Safety Team is putting on ‘Protecting Young Minds’, a series of safeguarding workshops for parents and carers on online safety. 

The series is being delivered by Groundswell, and it will explore understanding the harmful online influences and groups, warning signs that a young mind is engaging with harmful online activity, understanding parental controls, how to have difficult conversations and how to access support. 

Session Details, including how to register:

• Tuesday 17th March 2026: In person, The Kingston Academy School, 6:00pm - 7:30pm. Sign up via Eventbrite.

•  Friday 8th May 2026: Online, 10:30am - 12:30pm. Sign up via Eventbrite.