Richmond Park News: 19 June 2026

MAKERFIELD BY-ELECTION

The big news this week was the election of Andy Burnham to Parliament, as he comfortably won the by-election in Makerfield.

I appeared on BBC News and LBC overnight as the results were declared, with speculation of course centred around whether Sir Keir Starmer would step aside in the face of Andy Burnham’s challenge for leadership, and what an Andy Burnham-led government might look like.

While there is great momentum behind Andy Burnham, it remains to be seen whether his popularity in Manchester can be translated to the national scale, and I remarked that, despite his left-wing convictions, he is yet to provide a clear vision for the direction he wants to take the nation. 

The next week in Parliament will certainly be interesting, and if there is indeed a change in leadership, I will make sure to hold Andy Burnham to his opposition to a third runway at Heathrow, and his favourability towards changing our electoral voting system.

ED DAVEY’S SPEECH

On Wednesday, I attended a speech delivered by Ed Davey on the Liberal Democrats’ vision for closer ties with the EU.

In his speech, Ed reiterated that the UK must mend our damaged relationship with Europe, and this begins by securing closer economic and defence ties with our European partners. This includes forging a new UK-EU Customs Union, re-joining the Single Market, and agreeing a new defence pact with our European allies which would be underpinned by a new European Security Council.

These policies are intended to rebuild trust with the European Union, and to set the UK on the path towards EU membership in the long run.

MINISTRY OF HOUSING, COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT ORAL QUESTION

The Government's proposed High Value Council Tax Surcharge, also referred to as the ‘Mansion Tax,’ will be collected by Councils but retained by the Treasury. As Councils neither control the charge nor keep the revenue, I asked the Minister for Local Government, Alison McGovern MP, why it is being called a Council Tax at all, and if she would ensure a fair proportion is reinvested in the capital given that most of the revenue from this surcharge will be raised in London

Without exaggeration, Alison McGovern provided possibly the worst response I have received from a Minister during my time as an MP, as she paused mid-response to joke with the Conservative benches, before completely dodging my question. 

You can watch my question and the Minister’s response by clicking here.

WESTMINSTER HALL DEBATE ON TACKLING ABUSE AGAINST PEOPLE IN CUSTOMER-FACING ROLES

No-one should have to ever face abuse in their place of work, but this is all too common an experience for people in customer-facing roles, and I attended a Westminster Hall Debate to speak on behalf of people in this sector.

Due to the lack of funding provided by the government and the Mayor of London, the Metropolitan Police’s resources are stretched to the limit, and so often I hear from businesses to state that the police have been unable to spend the time following-up on criminal activity in their stores. 

Shoplifting has risen a staggering 48% in England and Wales over the past 5 years, and so often it is young staff members who have to deal with this and are sometimes threatened by the criminals. I called on the government to address this issue via a mass CCTV rollout, offering small independent convenience stores grants and loans of up to £6,500 to install modern CCTV in order to prevent shoplifting and make our high streets safer. 

I also highlighted some of the difficult decisions that our local police force are having to make, in the light of insufficient resources, such as choosing between whether to patrol Teddington Lock to deter youngsters from jumping into the Thames, or to patrol Richmond Green where there has recently been a spate of anti-social behaviour.

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

STEEL INDUSTRY

In my capacity as Business Spokesperson for the Liberal Democrats, I have been speaking to many representatives of the steel sector about their concerns for forthcoming changes to the tariff regime that are due to be implemented at the beginning of next month.  I chaired a cross-party roundtable on Monday to hear their concerns about the impact on the steel industry’s supply chain if these proposed changes are implemented.

On Wednesday I had the opportunity to raise these issues as I responded to an urgent question in the chamber.  I asked the minister to delay and taper implementation of the tariffs until proper mitigations have been agreed with industry as well as asking for  exclusions for specialised steels  where no domestic production capability exists, which are critical for defence and manufacturing. 

You can watch my full speech by clicking here.

MEETING WITH FOREST’S CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

At the beginning of the month, Forest bikes entered Richmond Borough and replaced Lime as the sole operator.

Lime bikes are being phased out over this month, although rides will still be able to be completed on them if travelling through Richmond. Over the past few years, I have received countless emails from constituents to raise that Lime were not doing enough to remove poorly parked bikes.

Last Friday, I met with the Chief Operating Officer (COO) for Forest to ask how they would address this issue and improve on the service provided by Lime. Forest’s COO, Will, informed me that they have an 80 strong team across London that constantly travels through their operating areas to move badly parked bikes and to service them. 

Their app also can detect if a bike is about to be parked in an antisocial manner, and sends a message telling the cyclist to park properly, while the QR code on the bicycle by the handlebars goes directly to the operation Centre so that people can report poorly parked bikes easily. More information regarding how to report a Forest bike parked in an inconsiderate manner can be found here.

I also understand that some residents are concerned that Forest does not offer third party insurance, and Will stated that this is something that Forest are looking into.

MEETING REGARDING THE POST OFFICE IN BARNES

The Post Office on Church Road in Barnes is set to close, and it provides vital services to many constituents, therefore I arranged an urgent meeting with the Post Office and local councillors. 

This allowed me to understand the process that they are undertaking to appoint a new operator, as well as ensure they understood the needs of the local area. We discussed when the current Post Office branch may close, as well which retailers may be suitable to open a new branch.

I am pleased to hear that there will be another branch opening, and I will look to support the process of getting the new branch up and running, to bring back the vital services to residents.  

COMMUNITY NEWS

KINGSTON PRIDE

Pride in Kingston is a three day festival event spanning from Friday 26 June to Sunday 28 June which aims to celebrate the borough’s LGBTQ+ community through performance, creativity and connection.

There are a number of things to participate in, such as on Friday, with a pride party and celebration AFTERDARK by Unapologetic. On Saturday, a pedestrian pride parade, a community celebration with pop-up performances at the Bentall Centre. And on Sunday, a community workshop day open to all ages to encourage participation, self - expression and community connection. 

The event is free, and will be held in Kingston Town Centre. For more information, please click here.

KEW FETE:

On Saturday 20 June between 11:00-18:00, Kew Fete will be taking place,which is a wonderful event organised and run by local volunteers, raising money for local charities. Altogether there will be 120 stalls, including Reuben Bond’s vintage fairground with carousels, a helter skelter and many more rides for the kids. There will also be a range of food options with the Food Court hosting over 15 stalls with a great selection of food and drink.

As it is a family friendly but busy event, young children must be accompanied by a responsible adult. Entry to the Fete is free with the event being held at Pond Side, Kew Green, TW9 3AP.

For more information, please click here.