Richmond Park News: 24 October 2025

BBC NEWSNIGHT:

The revelations that Prince Andrew had only been paying a ‘peppercorn’ rent for his accommodation at the Royal Lodge has been prevalent in the media over the past week, and I was joined on BBC Newsnight by the former Conservative MP, Rory Stewart, and the new Green Party Leader, Zack Polanksi, to discuss this controversy.

I am rarely surprised by my co-panelists comments during media appearances, but I have to admit that I was taken aback by Rory Stewart’s dismissiveness towards both Prince Andrew’s sexual assault allegations and his rent payments. While I agree with Rory’s assertion that there are other important issues going on globally, this does not mean that Prince Andrew should escape accountability.

As you will know, I serve on the Public Accounts Committee, which has the explicit purpose of ensuring that public finances are utilised effectively. It is important that government funds are spent and distributed properly, and I believe that Rory Stewart’s assertion that this is not a matter which should be investigated by Parliament was misguided.

You can watch the full Newsnight episode by clicking here, and a clip of my disagreement with Rory Stewart by clicking here.

GOVERNMENT STATEMENT ON HEATHROW EXPANSION:

At the end of July, the deadline for companies to submit their proposal for a third runway closed, and earlier this week, the government announced that they had narrowed down the selection to two proposals, Heathrow Ltd’s and the Arora Group’s. 

The Secretary of State for Transport, Heidi Alexander MP, addressed Parliament this week to set out a timeline for the expansion process, and reiterated the government’s commitment to ensuring that the proposals must meet Labour’s ‘four tests,’ which include environmental, social and economic measures. 

As the environmental and social consequences are unavoidable, I challenged Heidi Alexander on the economic ‘benefits’ that a third runway would bring, as the government is still yet to produce any economic analysis to support this assertion.

I was surprised to hear the Secretary of State promise that the infrastructure for the third runway would be privately financed - this news comes only a month after I met with Heathrow who stated that they would be seeking external funding for the necessary upgrades for transport links to the airport. 

There are so many obvious issues with the government’s plans for a third runway, and it wouldn’t surprise me if even the Secretary of State is frustrated with having to answer for the Chancellor’s desperate initiative. 

You can watch my question by clicking here.

WESTMINSTER HALL DEBATE ABOUT GOVERNMENT SUPPORT FOR THE CO-OPERATIVE SECTOR:

On Tuesday, I spoke in a Westminster Hall Debate regarding government support for the co-operative sector.

The government could be doing so much more to help our domestic businesses, and some of their policies, including the National Insurance Contributions rise, have actually had a detrimental impact. 

Co-operatives are owned by, and run for, the benefit of their members, and the sector is made up of more than 10,000 enterprises – from local community pubs and credit unions, to building societies, mutual insurers and retail societies. 

During the debate, I stated my support for employee participation in the workplace, together with wider employee ownership, as it is important for diffusing economic power, promoting

enterprise, increasing job satisfaction, and improving service to customers.

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

PUBLIC ACCOUNTS COMMITTEE REGARDING GOVERNMENT SPENDING ON PUBLIC SERVICES AND ON LEGAL AID:

Earlier this week, I sat as a lead member for a Public Accounts Committee session which concerned identifying the costs of government services and generating income.

The Committee has concerns regarding the responsibility and accountability for addressing the lack of government departments' service cost information, which is a foundation for improving productivity and hence the affordability of public services.

I challenged Catherine Little, the Permanent Secretary, Cabinet Office and Chief Operating Officer for the Civil Service and Conrad Smewing, a senior Treasury civil servant, on this matter, and you can watch a clip of my questions by clicking here.

Yesterday, I attended another Public Accounts Committee session in which I challenged senior civil servants in the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) regarding the value for money service provided by Legal Aid.

I questioned Jane Harbottle, the Chief Executive of the Legal Aid Agency (LAA), about the impact that the removal of remote Legal Aid provision has had on vulnerable groups. In response, the Chief Executive stated that the LAA has moved to empower Legal Aid solicitors to make individual-based decisions regarding how they can best deliver advice to people, and that they trust the solicitors to make adaptations where appropriate.

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

KENYA WOMEN’S CAUCUS:

This week, I was pleased to welcome members of the Kenya Women’s Parliamentary Association to Westminster for a discussion on gender-sensitive budgeting. During our meeting, we explored why it is vital that financial decisions are also scrutinised through a gender lens, ensuring that public spending benefits everyone fairly. 

I was joined by Martha Wangari MP and other experts who shared Kenya’s experience in embedding gender-responsive budgeting across government processes.

We exchanged ideas on reducing barriers to female participation in the financial fields, promoting women’s voices and how we can ensure that funding reaches vital areas, such as tackling gender-based violence.

ST MARY MAGDALEN’S CATHOLIC PRIMARY SCHOOL VISIT:

Last Friday, I visited St Mary Magdalen’s Catholic Primary School in Mortlake to meet their pupils and to answer some questions that the school's Year 6 students had about the challenges of being an MP, as well as queries about national and local politics.

A question that I always get asked during school visits is whether I get nervous when speaking in Parliament or on TV. While there are times when nerves do play a role, public speaking is like most other things in life, the more you do it, the more you feel confident and at ease.

Another matter which always comes up on the doorstep and in my inbox is the status of the repairs for Hammersmith Bridge. This government has repeatedly tried to deflect this issue and push it even further down the line, proven by the fact that the Minister for Local Transport, Simon Lightwood MP, was unable to confirm whether the Hammersmith Bridge Taskforce would reconvene in 2026 in response to my Written Question tabled earlier this week. I can assure residents that I am continuing to push the government on this matter, even if there aren’t any immediate updates to provide.

It was great to see that the Year 6 pupils had prepared a number of interesting questions, and I would like to thank all of the school’s staff members who were extremely welcoming to me, as well as to the Headteacher, Martin Brannigan, for giving me a tour of the school. 

COMMUNITY NEWS:

ARTS RICHMOND’S LITERATURE FESTIVAL:

The Richmond Art’s Literature Festival is back this November, celebrating the incredible creativity and talent within our community with a great line-up of events throughout the month.

Whether you’re an avid reader, a budding writer or simply curious, there’s something for everyone to enjoy. Events include speakers from politics and journalism with Reeta Chakrabarti and Justin Webb, among others, taking part. 

For more information and to book tickets, please click on the following link.

ST MARY MAGDALENE CHURCH BELLS FUNDRAISING:

St Mary Magdalene Parish Church is fundraising to install a new set of bells. The current set are old, as well as not tuneful, while also being difficult to ring, which has caused beginner bell-ringers to drop-out. 

The church is a quarter of the way towards their target of £200,000, and they need as much help as possible to hit this figure.

If you would like to donate to this cause or if you would like to become a bell ringer, you should email smmringers@gmail.com. You can also donate by scanning the QR code below.