Richmond Park News: 6 February 2026

ITV LONDON LATE DEBATE:

Yesterday, I appeared on ITV London Late Debate alongside Conservative MP, Bob Blackman, and the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, Dan Tomlinson MP.

This week’s revelation that Prime Minister Keir Starmer knew that Peter Mandelson had maintained his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, even after he had been convicted for soliciting child prostitution, and still appointed him as Ambassador the United States, is a sickening indictment not only on the Prime Minister’s judgement, but also on the attitude of many powerful men towards crimes of a sexual nature.

During the debate, I called for a confidence vote to test whether Labour MPs still support the Prime Minister. I am sick of the scandals that have stained British politics over the past decade, while also failing to tackle the matters which are important to UK residents. 

The debate then moved onto the proposed changes to policing put forward in the Home Secretary’s White Paper. This includes removing counter-terrorism responsibilities from the Met, to enable them to focus on policing our London communities.

Last week, Gregory and Co on Paved Court, in Richmond, was burgled. The film showed two men with hammers smash the window while people frighteningly watched on. 

While the police were on the scene within 3 minutes, the best reform that the government can take is to properly fund our forces so we can improve the visibility of our officers and give them the resources to deter and tackle crime. 

My best wishes also go out to those impacted by the burglary.

During the debate, we also discussed reforms to leasehold and commonhold, and you can watch the full programme by clicking here.

DEPARTMENT FOR ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS ORAL QUESTION:

Thames Water’s typical metered charges increased by 40.7% this financial year, and prices will rise again each year until 2030. During a cost of living crisis, rising utility bills have hit so many residents' pockets, and structural reform is needed to bring down the average water bill after years of our water companies being mismanaged.

In my question, I also highlighted the importance of encouraging customers to meter their water usage. The average non-metered household in London is charged £81 more a year than a metered household - but this is not widely known.

I therefore asked the minister, Emma Hardy MP, what steps are being taken to advertise the benefits of water meters.

I was pleased that the minister agreed with me on the benefits of water meters, and added that they also help people to manage consumption, as well as saving on bills.

You can watch my question by clicking here.

MINISTRY OF JUSTICE ORAL QUESTION:

Court delays are more than just frustrating, they provide an element of unfairness in our justice system.

In the Chamber, I raised a case that was brought to my attention regarding a landlord attempting to evict a tenant who had been withholding their rent payments. Despite using accelerated judicial procedures, my constituent is still waiting for the court to provide the correct possession order documents - 11 months after starting eviction proceedings. This delay has cost him thousands of pounds.

During a housing crisis, we should be freeing up housing for reliable tenants and those who are looking to get onto the housing ladder, and I raised this point to the minister.

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

BACKBENCH BUSINESS DEBATE ON ROAD SAFETY:

Yesterday, I spoke in a debate in the Chamber regarding safety on our roads, in which I voiced my support for the government’s commitment to publishing a new road safety strategy.

Young people are involved in a disproportionate amount of road traffic collisions, and I welcome steps taken to consult on reducing the number of accidents 17-24 year olds are involved in. 

In my speech, I also called on the government to examine perceptions towards drunk driving. In the UK, it is still seen as somewhat acceptable, especially among young people, to drive while over the limit.

However, drunk drivers can also be confident drivers, who, after three pints, would rather not have the inconvenience of having to book a taxi or leave their car parked elsewhere overnight. The media portrayal of drunk drivers stumbling to their vehicles is not always the case in drunk driving accidents, and more needs to be done to raise awareness of the dangers of driving over the limit.

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

WESTMINSTER HALL DEBATE ON POSTAL SERVICES IN RURAL AREAS:

On Wednesday, I spoke in the Westminster Debate on Postal Services in Rural Areas in my role as Business Spokesperson for the Liberal Democrats. 

Post Offices across the UK play a vital role in our local communities, with millions of people depending on them. They provide a number of critical services on local high streets, from community banking and foreign exchange, to the provision of DVLA services. 

In my remarks, I highlighted that rural communities face multiple access challenges, including poor digital connectivity, cuts to public transport and the loss of local services, all of which make access to alternatives more difficult when post offices or banks close.

I also spoke about the services provided by Royal Mail, and highlighted that they are continually missing their own targets - despite the tireless work of their staff members. 

For example in 2024/25, Royal Mail delivered only 76.5% of first class mail within one working day of collection – against a target of 93%. They also missed their target for second class mail to be delivered within three working days of collection as well as their targets for daily delivery routes. I underlined that Ofcom should step in to hold this faulty service to account. 

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

SOCIAL MEDIA FOR UNDER 16s FORUM:

On Wednesday evening, I hosted a virtual Q&A for constituents on the proposed social media ban for under-16’s. I have received over 1200 emails on this issue, so I understand it is a matter which people feel strongly about. 

We urgently need to act and ban harmful social media content for young people, and I voiced my approval for film style age-ratings to be implemented on social media platforms.  

I would like to thank everyone who was able to attend and who engaged in the forum.

PUBLIC ACCOUNTS COMMITTEE:

In Monday’s Public Accounts Committee session, we examined the progression towards meeting the targets set by the government’s Environmental Improvement Plan.

I asked Philip Duffy, the Chief Executive of the Environment Agency, what steps are being taken to make it easier for businesses to access and understand the environmental guidance that they must adhere to. 

Philip agreed with my assertion that it is too difficult for new businesses to collate all the information necessary, and that steps are being taken to improve the customer pathway for finding and implementing environmental guidance.

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

CHRIST’S SCHOOL VISIT:

Last Friday, I attended Christ’s School’s annual Citizenship Fair. As always, the quality of the presentations was very high, I was impressed by the students’ engagement in a range of matters, as well as their knowledge about current affairs.

The projects included issues such as modern day slavery and anti-social behaviour, and I would like to thank the teachers and students for welcoming me to their fair. 

HAMER ENVIRONMENTAL PODCAST:

Hamer Environmental an environmental consultancy group, specialising in energy related projects, which aims to help developers ensure that the environment and wildlife are properly protected.

Hamer Environmental are led by a constituent of Richmond Park’s, Nathan, and I recently joined him on the group’s new podcast ‘Charging Ahead with Hamer.’

During the podcast, we discussed how the UK’s energy policy could be advanced to provide more environmentally friendly uses of energy and how this can save people on their bills.

Our conversation touched on many more important environmental and energy centred matters, and you can listen to the full podcast on either Apple or Spotify.

CORRECTION:

In last week’s newsletter, I incorrectly stated that ‘thousands’ of people attended the Hammersmith Bridge protest on 24 January. This was a typo. In fact, there were over one hundred people in attendance. Apologies for the error.

COMMUNITY NEWS:

RETROFIT COMPLIANCE WORKSHOP:

On Friday 13 February, Kingston Council, in collaboration with other Boroughs, are putting on a free workshop for companies who are considering accreditation to PAS 2035 - the UK’s overarching retrofit standard for domestic buildings.

If this is something that interests you or your company, you can find out more information about the event by clicking here.

CHAMBER BUSINESS COFFEE MORNING:

On Thursday 12 February, Richmond Borough Chamber of Commerce are delivering a business networking event for its Business/Company members - growing businesses by networking over coffee, tea and pastries at The Terrace - Twickenham Film Studios. 

If this is something that interests you, you can find out more information about the event clicking here.