Richmond Park News: 31 October 2025

WESTMINSTER HALL DEBATE ON STATUTORY MATERNITY AND PATERNITY PAY:

My week in Parliament started off with a Westminster Hall Debate regarding Statutory Maternity and Paternity Pay. 

Too often parents struggle on inadequate parental pay and without sufficient access to shared leave. Childcare costs are eye-watering, and the balance between family life and work has only become more challenging. Not only is this unfair on families, but it also has a significant knock-on effect on our economy. 

Consequently, I asked the Minister if he would consider the Liberal Democrat’s proposals, which would not only benefit families, but also businesses and the economy, by encouraging workforce participation and making it easier for people to advance their career while starting a family.

More broadly I asked the government to look into the prevalent inequality in caring responsibilities, and I asked what steps they are taking to support millions of family carers. 

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

DEPARTMENT FOR BUSINESS AND TRADE QUESTIONS:

Yesterday, in my capacity as Business Spokesperson for the Liberal Democrats, I asked the government about reforms to the Apprenticeships Levy.

Businesses repeatedly tell me that the Apprenticeship Levy doesn’t work - funding is hard to access, and millions go unspent. In the summer, I welcomed the government’s announcement that they would be introducing a broader and more flexible growth and skills levy. However, since June’s announcement, firms and young people are still awaiting details about this policy. I therefore asked the minister to provide clarity regarding what training this will fund, so that business and young people can plan ahead.

I also raised the issue of the sky high energy prices which are a significant challenge for many businesses, but specifically those in the hospitality sector. I urged the government to act with more urgency in addressing these costs, including through accelerating the launch of the industrial competitiveness scheme, as the consultation for which is not even due to be launched until the end of the year. I also asked the Minister to consider Liberal Democrat proposals to break the link between gas and energy prices. 

You can watch clips of my questions by clicking here and here.

LBC INTERVIEW REGARDING ANDREW MOUNTBATTEN WINDSOR: 

The breaking news yesterday evening was that Buckingham Palace had announced that Prince Andrew would vacate the Royal Lodge and he would be stripped of his Royal title.

I was invited onto LBC to discuss this matter, and I expressed my support for the Royal Family’s decision. The reputation of the Royal Family has been questioned as a result of Prince Andrew’s actions, and I am pleased that the monarchy has taken this step. With the Royal Family holding such importance and tradition in this country, I hope that this step will go a long way to rebuilding public trust with our institutions.

You can listen to my interview by clicking here.

PUBLIC ACCOUNTS COMMITTEE ON WATER SECTOR REGULATION:

On Monday I went to a Public Accounts Committee event in Harrow on water regulation. The meeting was attended by those affected by poor water quality during leisure activities, such as open water swimming, surfing, rowing, and sailing, as well as other members of the Public Accounts Committee. 

Keeping our rivers clean from pollution is vitally important, and I believe that all parties in the Commons are in agreement that our water companies are not doing enough to protect water quality levels across the country.

In our constituency, I was happy to write a letter of support for the Ham and Kingston Bathers’ application for the stretch of the Thames behind the YMCA Hawker Centre to be designated Bathing Water Quality. If approved, this would compel the Environment Agency to routinely test the water quality in the area as to ensure environmental standards are met and to protect the health and safety of the river users. 

You can read my letter by clicking here.

POINT OF ORDER ON THE LENDING STANDARDS BOARD:

On Thursday, I raised a point of order in the Chamber regarding the government’s abdication of their responsibilities to respond to Members of Parliament across all benches.. 

At the start of July, the former Economic Secretary to the Treasury, Emma Reynolds MP, agreed to meet with me regarding the closure of the Lending Standards Board (LSB) ahead of the launch of their ‘Ethnicity Code.’ This was planned to be a ground-breaking step towards tackling the barriers ethnic minority business owners face in accessing finance.

I had asked the minister what steps the government would take to ensure the ethnicity code is implemented, supported and scaled, so that its principles were embedded across the financial system, and the Treasury Minister at the time had promised a meeting to discuss this matter. However, following the government reshuffle, this meeting has not been forthcoming and my correspondence chasing the Treasury on this matter had not been responded to.

As the LSB closes this week, I asked Madam Deputy what I could do to secure the meeting to discuss this important issue. Following this prompt in the Chamber, I have unsurprisingly seen my correspondence addressed and a meeting has now been set.

You can watch my Point of Order by clicking here.

FULL OF LIFE FAIR:

Last week, I attended the Full of Life Fair in Twickenham. The Fair was put on to provide older residents, as well as carers, with the local information, resources and activities they need to live long, healthy and happy lives.

I also spoke with representatives from the police during this visit, and I promised that I would publicise their Met Engage platform, which is designed to enable residents to connect with their local policing teams and help inform them of any recurring criminal activities or issues occurring on local streets. 

You can learn more about Met Engage by clicking here.

WORK EXPERIENCE PLACEMENTS:

This week, I was delighted to be joined by 7 fantastic work experience students. I was very impressed to see their application to the tasks that they were provided, and it is always enjoyable to see the faces of people who are excited to visit Parliament.

I had begun to write this piece for my newsletter yesterday evening, but this morning I received an excellent article submitted by one of my work experience students, Lilabella, which detailed a summary of her week. This article was a better summary than anything I could have written, so I have copied an excerpt of it below:

‘From classrooms to Commons’

This week, the great and renowned halls, offices and corridors of Parliament, so commonly associated with power and prestige, unconventionally echoed with… teenage voices.

As part of an annual scheme with the local MP for Richmond Park, Sarah Olney, seven sixth form students took part in Sarah’s Parliamentary work experience programme.

The students were arranged to: have a guided tour around Parliament; to attend debates within the House of Commons; to complete a set of research tasks over the period of four days; and to receive a comprehensive insight into how casework, the passing of legislation and campaigning are actually conducted from those within the political sector.

One of the students who was selected to attend this week, commented that “the most interesting part of this experience was getting to really understand the interaction between different staff who work for the same MP and how they work together to fulfill the MP’s role.”

It is delightful to see that MPs such as Sarah Olney are taking action to provide such opportunities for the local youth through these schemes, enriching their development and encouraging a new generation of aspiring politicians.

It is impossible to ignore that inevitably, the youth will be our future.

COMMUNITY NEWS:

KEW VILLAGE MARKET:

The Kew Village Market is returning this Sunday, 2 November, from 10:00-14:00. With over 50 stalls and live music from local acts, the market’s stalls include award-winning food to hand-made crafts and gifts. There will also be a variety of street food, locally cured charcuterie, cheese, fresh fruit and vegetables, nuts and much more.

All operating profits are donated to charity, and the Kew Knitters will set-up a stall to raise money for Motor Neurone Disease. In addition, this weekend’s market will include performances from two local acts, with ‘Those Dirty McGuffins on stage at 10:30, followed by ‘The Dave Sinclair Four’ at 12:30.

You can find more information regarding the market by clicking here. 

THE CONSERVATION VOLUNTEERS:

The Conservation Volunteers West London will be meeting on 20 November from 10:00-16:00 to help clear vegetation in Queen Elizabeth Field, TW10 7RS. The group will work along the path in Queen Elizabeth Field to remove brambles encroaching on the patchwork meadows and remove blackthorn suckers sticking out onto the access path. 

Residents wanting to get involved with volunteering can join-in and meet at the Ham Street Car Park at 10:00. Volunteers should bring a packed lunch and water, suitable outdoor clothes and suitable outdoor footwear.

New volunteers can register and get in touch with the team ahead of the event by clicking here.