Richmond Park News: 30 January 2026

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8 hours ago
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HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE DAY:

27 January marked Holocaust Remembrance Day. This year’s theme was ‘Bridging the Generations’ - with fewer and fewer survivors to give testimony to their personal experiences of the death camps, it is increasingly important that younger generations take time to reflect upon the history and the lessons of the Holocaust - when 6 million Jews were murdered by the Nazis.

To mark Holocaust Remembrance, it was a privilege to attend the Holocaust Memorial event at Richmond Synagogue. I would like to extend my thanks to Rabbi Golker and the synagogue community for their warm welcome and a moving and thought-provoking evening.

I also signed the Holocaust Book of Commitment, which pledged my commitment to honouring the millions of Jewish people who were murdered during World War 2.

PRIME MINISTER’S QUESTIONS:

The ballot for Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) has been kind to me recently, as I have been drawn for 3 of the last 6 PMQ sessions.

Wednesday marked a month to the day since protests erupted in Iran, which have been met by a bloody crackdown by the Iranian regime. I have been sickened by the scenes, as bodies have piled up on the streets of Tehran, and it is estimated that over 6,000 people have been murdered in the past month.

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) are committing atrocities, and I believe that this matter has not been highlighted enough in Parliament.

Last year, the then Shadow Home Secretary, now the Foreign Secretary, Yvette Cooper MP, asked the Conservative government if they would finally proscribe the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organisation. She has since described the Iranian regime as a ‘consistent threat’ to the UK’s stability, security, freedom and to our national interest.

I therefore asked the David Lammy MP, who was deputising for the Prime Minister, if the government would heed their own calls, and proscribe the IRGC as a terrorist organisation.

While the Deputy Prime Minister condemned the Iranian regime’s brutal crackdown, he would not commit to a policy his own Foreign Secretary was pushing for a year ago.

However, I am pleased to see reports today that the UK is set to ban the IRGC as a hostile state agency. This comes following the EU’s proscription of the regime as a terrorist group yesterday.

You can watch a clip of my question and the Deputy Prime Minister’s response here.

LBC NEWS INTERVIEW ON IRAN AND CHINA:

Following on from my PMQ, I appeared on LBC News to discuss the current situation in Iran, as international tensions have been growing.

During the interview, I reiterated my calls for the IRGC to be proscribed as a terrorist organisation, and I also expressed my concerns about British-Iranians living in the UK, some of whom are subject to transnational repression by the Iranian regime.

I was then asked about the Prime Minister’s visit to China, and the package deal which he has come back with.

While China is a major player in international politics, and thus negotiations with the superpower must be kept open, it is clear that the Prime Minister’s agreements have compromised British security. I voiced my serious concerns about the placement of the Chinese super-embassy in the heart of London, while underscoring, much like with Iran, the targeting of our own citizens here in the UK, who fear reprisal from the Chinese government.

You can see a clip of my interview by clicking here.

DEPARTMENT FOR BUSINESS AND TRADE QUESTIONS:

On Thursday, during departmental questions for Business and Trade, I pushed the government to explain their plan for achieving economic growth after the Secretary of State for Business and Trade described the proposal of negotiating a new Customs Union as ‘foolish.’

This remark contradicted the Prime Minister’s Chief Economic Adviser, who has stated that joining a Customs Union with the EU would be one of the most effective ways of generating growth, while the Health Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister have also spoken of the economic advantages of joining a Customs Union.

With the Secretary of State away in China, the Trade Minister, Chris Bryant MP, responded to my question, in which he openly acknowledged the damage which Brexit has caused. It remains unclear why the government is resistant to negotiating a bespoke UK-EU Customs Union.

You can watch this question by clicking here.

Secondly, I asked the minister about the rise in unemployment levels. 84,000 jobs in the hospitality sector alone have been lost since the rise in the rate of employers National Insurance Constitutions was introduced - a hike which blindsided businesses.

This policy has been particularly damaging to young people, many of whom traditionally found their first jobs in the hospitality sector. I therefore asked what steps they were taking to tackle the rising costs of employment to bring more people into work - which the minister was unable to provide a convincing answer for.

You can watch my follow-up question by clicking here.

TREASURY URGENT QUESTION:

On Tuesday the government announced that they would be cutting business rates for pubs and music venues by 15%.

While this is a welcomed first step, this comes only after the announcement of new, higher rateable values from the Valuation Office Agency. This has meant that many businesses have seen huge and unaffordable increases to their business rates bills.

While Tuesday's announcement will be reassuring to many publicans, there are still many business owners in the rest of the retail, hospitality and leisure sector who will see huge and unaffordable rises in their business rates bills.

I therefore asked why the government is not focusing on delivering a package which provides better business rates relief for all those businesses that will still be struggling with the rate hike.

The minister, Dan Tomlinson MP, responded to state that pubs are unique, hence why they are being treated as so, but I remain unclear why this would preclude other hospitality businesses being afforded the same relief.

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

WESTMINSTER HALL DEBATE ON THE SAFETY OF WOMEN:

On Tuesday, I spoke in a Westminster Hall Debate which focused on the safety of women when walking, running and cycling.

More than four years on from the horrific murder of Sarah Everard, too many women are still suffering life-changing crimes on our streets, while the inquiry held following her murder highlighted that sexually motivated crimes against women in public are not prioritised to the same extent as other serious offences. This is shameful.

My speech focused on the withdrawal of support and protection for women when they are out running or cycling. Richmond Park is one of, if not the, most popular areas in our constituency for people to go running and cycling, but this can be daunting during the winter months when it is dark in the morning before work, and in the evening after work.

The decision to disband our dedicated parks policing unit is one which I fought strongly against. The removal of a dedicated patrolling unit has reduced the policing presence in the park, which will undermine even further women’s feeling of safety when running or cycling, especially during dark hours.

I was pleased to hear that other members across different political parties concurred that this decision was a step backwards, and you can watch a clip of my speech by clicking here.

HAMMERSMITH BRIDGE EVENT:

It is a year to the day since the last Hammersmith Bridge Taskforce took place, which also marks the last time the government laid out any sort of vision for getting the bridge fixed.

The government’s refusal to discuss this topic in any detail shows an abhorrent disregard to local residents who are impacted by the bridge’s closure. Fleur Anderson, MP for Putney, has also become increasingly frustrated with the government’s opaqueness, as she also remains in the dark, despite being a Labour MP!

Fleur and I attended a protest last Saturday, which thousands of people showed up to, to send a message to the government that they cannot ignore this issue any longer.

I made a speech at this event to call on the government to repair Hammersmith Bridge to a standard which would enable our buses and blue lights to cross once again, and I was also delighted to be joined by members of Richmond Council who echoed my calls.

RADIO JACKIE:

Last week, I appeared on Radio Jackie, and the first question I was asked was regarding President Trump’s aggression towards purchasing, or taking, Greenland.

I believe that the UK must swiftly coordinate with our European partners to prepare a robust package of retaliatory measures and tariffs that would hit Trump and his cronies where it hurts. President Trump must understand that there would be consequences if he goes ahead with these damaging threats towards Greenland, and we must stand beside our European and NATO allies on this matter.

The interview also covered topics such as my push for a public health campaign to tackle the stigma towards suicide and my hopes and expectations for business policy in 2026. You can watch the full interview by clicking here.

COMPENSATION FOR TAXI DRIVERS

In December, I wrote to Seb Dance, The Deputy Mayor of London to outline the difficulties that taxi drivers are experiencing as a result of delays in renewing their licences. Drivers who have contacted my office have detailed the financial hardships that have been forced upon them by TfL’s mismanagement, as they are of course unable to work without a licence.

I am pleased to confirm that a compensation scheme has now been established, along with a clear timeframe for processing delayed licence applications.

On 22 January TfL introduced a one-off goodwill payment to affected licensees who meet specific criteria. Under this Scheme, eligible taxi or PHV licensees will receive a one-off goodwill payment equal to the refund value of both their Application Fee and their Grant of Licence Fee.

This totals £300 for taxi drivers and £310 for PHV drivers. Licensees who meet the criteria and had a period of more than seven days without a licence will receive an enhanced one-off goodwill payment totalling £500. If you are affected, click here for details of the scheme.

While I am pleased that TfL are finally taking action to address this wrong, I will continue to monitor this situation closely to ensure that the Deputy Mayor Of London keeps to his commitments.