Richmond Park News: 26 June 2026

WESTMINSTER HALL DEBATE ON PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION

Early on Monday morning, Sir Keir Starmer announced that he would step down as Prime Minister, with Andy Burnham expected to succeed him.

Despite Burnham seeming to almost be the Prime Minister-elect since the turn of the year, there has been very little scrutiny regarding what a Burnham premiership would implement and change. However, one area of reform that Burnham has been public about is his wish to reform the electoral system, as he has been quoted as stating that he is ‘committed to proportional representation.’ 

On Wednesday, I led a Westminster Hall Debate regarding the need for electoral reform in the UK’s national and local elections. With the growth of the multi-party system, a sense of disconnect between politicians and voters and successive unstable governments, the case for electoral reform has never been stronger. 

In my speech, I referenced Burnham’s past comments on proportional representation and asked the Minister, Samantha Dixon MP, if Labour would be open to electoral reform under a future government. While Samantha offered warm words of encouragement towards making our electoral system more democratic, she did not go so far as to say that it would be on the immediate agenda of a future Labour government. 

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

TREASURY ORAL QUESTION

Tuesday marked 10 years since the Brexit referendum, and since that day we have had 10 Home Secretaries, 9 Foreign Secretaries, 8 Chancellors, 7 Defence Secretaries and 6 Prime Ministers. These numbers will almost certainly increase next month.

Brexit has significantly contributed towards the instability that we have in our politics today, so I asked the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves MP, if she agreed that leaving the European Union has impacted growth in the UK, and what plans she has to reverse this trend.

Unfortunately, the Chancellor failed to even mention Brexit in her response, and instead listed off her self-proclaimed achievements. Her response was not indicative of a government which has been so unpopular they’ve had to draft an outsider in to shake things up. 

You can watch a clip of my question and the Chancellor’s response by clicking here.

DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION ORAL QUESTION

Earlier this month, the government announced that they are over 70% of the way to meeting their target of recruiting 6,500 teachers. However, this does not tell the full story.

The government’s initial manifesto commitment was to recruit 6,500 new expert teachers in key subjects, but this was revised to only include recruiting teachers in secondary schools, specialist schools and further education colleges, while dropping the specific commitment to filling gaps in required fields. 

Not only has the government moved the goalposts on their commitment, but the Department for Education’s own report published this month found that there are 1,907 fewer teachers overall than when the government came to office.

While I understand the point raised by the Secretary of State for Education, Bridget Philipson MP, that falling birth rates have contributed towards falling teacher numbers in primary schools, the government cannot claim success despite not meeting its original commitment.

The following day, the leader of the opposition, Kemi Badenoch MP, launched an attack on Bridget Phillipson’s record as Secretary of State during Prime Minister’s Questions. While Kemi repeated the same point that I had made the day prior, I thought her attack was deeply unpleasant and not a way I would like to see politicians, or anyone, speak to one another.

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

UKRAINIAN FOLK FESTIVAL

Last Sunday, I attended Ivana Kupala, which is a folk holiday celebrated in Ukraine in June, at St Luke’s Trust in Kew.

The festivities brought the Ukrainian community living in the borough together, and it put a smile on my face to see Ukrainian natives of all ages singing and dancing. Almost all of the Ukrainians who were celebrating Kupala have been directly or indirectly impacted by the horrors of the war over the past years, and I am pleased that this festival gave them the opportunity to come together as a community and celebrate their culture.

Credit @olesia.belei_ 

COMMUNITY NEWS

SUMMER SOCIAL HIKE

On Sunday 5 July 2026, Trail Therapy will be holding a free Summer Social Hike, a 12km summer community walk in South West London, into the parks of Richmond and Putney. 

The starting point will be from Richmond train station, for a departure time of 10:15 am to the end point of Wimbledon Park station. Altogether, the hike will be 12km for 3-4 hours (excluding breaks) with a difficulty level of moderate urban - nature walk.

Please ensure you wear comfortable walking boots or shoes, and you are encouraged to bring water and snacks, although there will be a stop at a cafe for lunch.

The community hikes bring much attraction and will require RSVPing to know who the team should wait for.

Please RSVP here.

KINGSTON PRIDE 2026

June is Pride Month, and Kingston council are making the occasion with events and community activities, where everyone is welcome. 

They will be raising the Progress flag at the Guildhall to show their support for local LGBTQIA+ events and to celebrate the community groups and people who make Kingston a more inclusive place to live and work.

The events are open to everyone, whether you are part of the LGBTQIA+ or an ally, and you can find out more here.