Richmond Park News: 20 June 2025

TERMINALLY ILL (ADULTS) END OF LIFE BILL THIRD READING:

This afternoon, the Terminally Ill (Adults) End of Life Bill passed its Third Reading in the House of Commons by a majority of 23 votes, it will now progress to the House of Lords.

This is a landmark decision, and from a personal view, it has been an honour and a journey to have been a part of the voting process and to have served on the Bill Committee. 

I have had reservations on this Bill regarding its safeguards for vulnerable members of society, including those with eating disorders, and these concerns were not addressed in the amendments made to the Bill. I voiced this in the Chamber today, while also highlighting the number of issues which are still yet to be decided upon - including whether assisted dying should be exclusively undertaken by the NHS. 

The intention of the Bill to provide relief to those suffering painfully with terminal illnesses is a matter which the vast majority of MPs have sympathy with, and agree with in principle. As the Bill will likely face additional scrutiny in the Lords and perhaps be subject to legal challenges, I stated my support for the matter to be brought before a Royal Commission for expert judgements to be made, as I do not believe that the complexities and medical knowledge required for making a judgement on the Bill make it suitable for politicians to preside over. 

I have received thousands of emails about this topic, and I would like to thank all of my constituents who participated in this debate and for contacting me with such considered and understanding emails.

You can watch my full speech by clicking here.

ITV LATE DEBATE:

Yesterday, I appeared alongside David Pinto-Duschinsky MP and Bob Blackman MP on ITV Late Debate to discuss a range of topics impacting residents of London.

Simon Harris, the host of the debate, opened the discussions by asking whether London had been short changed in the Spending Review. This has been a widespread critique of the Chancellor’s announcement, and I stated that the lack of investment marked for Richmond Park has resulted in continued uncertainty as to whether funds will be made available for the repair of Hammersmith Bridge, and pivotally there was no additional funding allocated for our Metropolitan Police Service. The Met Commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley, had warned the government that his force is facing a £260 million blackhole, which, if not addressed, will result in a cut to 1,700 officers. 

The conversation moved towards the obstacles facing drivers of electric vehicles which may discourage other people to change away from petrol or diesel cars. It is vitally important that the UK meets our net zero targets, and we should be removing barriers from the uptake of electric cars, such as reintroducing the plug-in car grant. In addition, I mentioned that there is a hidden inequality when charging electric vehicles, as those who do not have an accessible charging point at home have to pay VAT for on street charging. This disadvantages those without driveways, and I called for VAT on charging points to be cut.

You can watch the full debate by clicking here.

RESPONSE TO LABOUR’S 10 YEAR INFRASTRUCTURE STRATEGY:

As part of last week’s Spending Review, the government pledged £725 billion to rebuilding and developing our country’s infrastructure over the next 10 years. 

The government has correctly identified the need for investment in our schools, hospitals and social housing, but I raised my concern that these investment packages seem to not have been directed towards specific developments. In my speech, I raised that the ministers from the Treasury and the Department for Transport have been unable to clarify whether Hammersmith Bridge will receive funding through the £1 billion structure fund allocated for repairing our bridges and critical infrastructure. Without the advanced knowledge of what areas will be funded, it brings into question how the government reached their spending figures.

We have also seen our hospitals crumble over the past several years, which has brought alarm to patients, staff and the general public. The investment into our hospital infrastructure is much welcomed, and I asked the minister, Darren Jones MP, whether he will set up a crumbling hospitals taskforce to identify creative funding ideas, speed up construction timelines and put an end to the vicious cycle and false economies of delayed rebuilds leading to rising repair costs.

You can watch my questions to the minister by clicking here.

WESTMINSTER HALL DEBATE REGARDING GOVERNMENT SUPPORT FOR BUSINESSES IN RURAL AREAS:

On Wednesday, I spoke in a Westminster Hall Debate, secured by my colleague, Steff Aquarone MP, regarding government support for businesses in rural areas.

In my capacity as the Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Business, I called on the government to reverse its increase of the bus cap. This 50% rise from £2 to £3 is a tax which will hit working people, our communities and people on low income the most. Rural communities, and parts of London - highlighted by continued District Line disruptions, do not have a reliable transport service to their place of work, and adding another barrier to the use of public transport is impactful to businesses and everyday commuters.

When I speak with businesses in Richmond Park, the most common issue that is raised to me is business rates. This is an outdated system of taxation which the government pledged to scrap in the lead-up to the General Election. As such, I urged the government to act quickly to replace business rates with a Commercial Landowner Levy based solely on the land value of commercial sites rather than their entire capital value, thereby stimulating investment, and shifting the burden of taxation from tenants to landowners

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

TFL LICENCE DELAYS:

Since the beginning of the year, my office has been assisting constituents who have been impacted by TfL’s licensing delays which were caused by a cyber attack, coupled with the introduction of a new cyber software system. Many private-hire drivers in London have been unable to work as a result of TfL failing to address the backlogs which has consequently forced many drivers into serious hardship.

I have heard from my constituents who have been forced into rent arrears and been made homeless as a result of the delays. In another reported case of a driver being unable to work due to the delays, it is thought that the hardship caused by not receiving an income for a number of months contributed towards his death.

I wrote to the Deputy Mayor of Transport for TfL, Seb Dance, and to the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, to urge immediate action to address the delays and to compensate drivers, while also working side-by-side with Richmond and Kingston’s member for the London Assembly, Gareth Roberts, to tackle this issue. Yesterday, during Mayor’s Question Time, Gareth Roberts asked the Mayor when he would expect the backlog to be cleared and whether he supported providing compensation to impacted drivers.

I was pleased to hear the Mayor’s strong condemnation of TfL’s lack of urgency in addressing this matter, and his commitment to ensuring that the backlog will be cleared by next month, while also supporting compensation on a case-by-case basis. However, I brought this matter to his and TfL’s attention a number of months ago, so it is disappointing that the seriousness of this issue is only just being understood.

You can watch a clip of Gareth Roberts’ questions by clicking here.

TEDDINGTON DIRECT RIVER ABSTRACTION CONSULTATION:

On Monday of this week, Thames Water launched their statutory public consultation for the Teddington Direct River Abstraction (TDRA), which ends in 10 weeks, on 26 August. Thames Water have published details on the TDRA and the consultation, including relevant documents on construction and the impact of the scheme on the local community and environment, which you can find here.

I was pleased to meet Thames Water earlier this week to discuss the consultation, and will continue to engage with them throughout the process. I am pleased that Thames Water have confirmed there will be opportunities for local residents to raise concerns directly. You can find details of the TDRA public engagement sessions on page 16 of the Statement of Community Consultation.

You can also find out more about my opposition to the project, here.

BRITEBOX PROJECT EVENT:

On Wednesday, I was pleased to join Voices of Hope’s BRITE Box impact celebration in the House of Lords, to hear and speak about the success of their project.

BRITE Box is a project that sends recipe kits to families to help them cook healthy meals at an affordable price. Working particularly with those identified by schools and youth groups as being vulnerable to food insecurity, BRITE Box also includes illustrated recipe guides to help children be involved in the cooking, building their skills and their confidence in.

As the cost-of-living crisis continues to impact so many across the country and in Richmond Park, Voice of Hope’s work has had a tremendous impact, ensuring that young people stay healthy and are able to thrive. 

I thank Voice of Hope for their kind invitation, and wish them the best in continuing their BRITE Box project, which you can find out more about by clicking here.

CONSTITUTION UNIT CONFERENCE:

The Constitution Unit Conference is an event put on by University College London which brings together politicians from across all sides of the aisle to discuss pertinent constitutional matters, and I was happy to be joined by Alex Burghart MP and Baroness Diane Hayter of Kentish Town on the panel. 

It would have been remiss of me to not lead the debate with my calls for electoral reform in UK General Elections. The election in July produced the most disproportionate results in the UK’s history: with Labour gaining two-thirds of the seats with just one-third of the vote. The UK has transitioned into a multi-party system in recent years, but our electoral system is not fit to reflect this.

During the debate, I also commended the government on bringing forward reform to abolish hereditary peers from the House of Lords, although I urged the government to take bolder action by introducing a democratic mandate to the House of Lords.

I would like to thank UCL for organising the event and to Professor Meg Russell for chairing the panel.

COMMUNITY NEWS:

RICHMOND ARTS AND IDEAS FESTIVAL:

The Richmond Arts and Ideas Festival is a celebration of arts, culture, and community, initiated by Richmond Arts Service and supported by the British Council. 

The festivities have already begun, and they will continue until 29 June 2025. The festival consists of a series of artist-led, multi-disciplinary projects, events and performances which will take place in different venues around the borough. These artistic projects range from dancing on Richmond Green, to films and exhibitions in the galleries, to workshops and nature walks.

You can find more information about the festival by clicking here.

EAST SHEEN SATURDAY GARDEN MARKET:

The Hare and Hounds Pub in East Sheen is once again hosting their Saturday Garden Market. This bi-weekly event throughout June and July supports local business owners with an opportunity to show off their products and meet the community.

The market will run between 11:00-13:00 on 21 June to 5 July, and you can find out more information here.