Richmond Park News: 9 January 2026

PRIME MINISTER’S QUESTION:

The period after Christmas can be a challenging time for so many people, and this is consistently reflected in the high suicide rates in the month of January.

Alongside my constituent, Philip Pirie, I have been calling on the government to launch a public health campaign to encourage discussions about the topic of suicide. It is vitally important that those struggling feel comfortable reaching out for support, and it is equally important that people check on those they believe could be experiencing mental health difficulties or suicidal thoughts.

Earlier this week, I met with the Samaritans to discuss the messaging around my campaign, and a phrase that stood out to me was ‘suicide is preventable.’ People wrestle with suicidal thoughts due to a variety of reasons, such as difficulties in their personal lives, financial uncertainty and mental health problems. These are all extremely challenging matters to cope with, and it can be equally difficult for people to know how to help someone experiencing these difficulties.

That is why I asked the Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, to put his weight behind my public health campaign to tackle the shockingly high rates of suicide in this country.

While the Prime Minister stated his willingness to work across the benches on suicide prevention, I was disappointed that he did not use his platform to echo my calls and to commit to continuing this discussion with me.

You can watch a clip of my question to the Prime Minister by clicking here.

Please reach out to loved ones if you are struggling, and please also check on those who you suspect could be.

DEPARTMENT FOR ENERGY SECURITY AND NET ZERO ORAL QUESTION:

‘We owe it to future generations not just to have good environmental principles, but to act on them. That’s why I will be voting against the third runway at Heathrow.’ These were the words of Ed Miliband, the current Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, in 2018. 

I put these words back to the Secretary of State, and asked him if he would stand by his convictions and still vote against a third runway at Heathrow based upon the environmental degradation that the nearly 300,000 additional flights a year will cause.

I wish I could report what the Secretary of State responded, but instead of answering the question himself, he let his junior minister, Katie White MP, respond. 

It is unacceptable that ministers in this government believe they can escape accountability for questions asked directly to them, and I raised this point to the Speaker of the House via a Point of Order, which you can see by clicking here.

You can also watch my question to Ed Miliband, and Katie White’s response, by clicking here.

WESTMINSTER HALL DEBATE ON THE FUTURE OF THAMES WATER:

My colleague, Layla Moran MP, secured an important debate regarding the future of Thames Water, and I used this as an opportunity to raise my concerns about their project which crosses the border of Ham and Kingston, named the Teddington Direct River Abstraction (TDRA) proposal.

With Thames Water in £17bn worth of debt, the cost of the TDRA proposal seems even more ridiculous, with the costs expected to exceed £450million before it would even become operational.

In my speech, I stated that Thames Water should abandon this unpopular and costly scheme, and instead put the money towards reducing people’s sky high water bills.

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

WESTMINSTER HALL DEBATE ON THERAPEUTIC TREATMENT:

On Thursday, I attended a Westminster Hall Debate which focused on the importance of therapeutic methods of treatment. 

The constituency of Richmond Park is home to the Cassel Hospital, an adult’s Tier 4 mental health hospital which treats people with complex, multiple diagnosis presentations. 

NHS England is currently conducting a review of all Tier 4 treatment centres, and as I have heard testimony from patients and former patients at the hospital that their treatment has been life saving, I called on the government to ensure oversight of any decisions made which could impact life saving services. 

Recent studies underline that therapeutic treatment improves patient outcomes, while therapeutic communities also a strain off of other NHS services as they reduce the number of hospital admissions and use of emergency services. 

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

COMMUNITY NEWS:

ST MARY MAGDALENE COMMUNITY CHOIR:

Every Wednesday between 11:00-12:00, St Mary Magdalene’s Church on Paradise Road, Richmond, opens its doors for a community choir practice. 

People of all ages, backgrounds and ability are welcome to join, free of cost. 

If you are interested in becoming part of their Community Choir, you can contact the church’s music director, Seb, on 07933024101.

CHILDREN’S PLAY CENTRE IN CANBURY GARDENS:

Kingston Council are investing in a new children’s play space in Canbury Gardens, and the Council are inviting local residents to have their say on what the playground looks like, and what is included in it.

From listening to community voices, the Council has already designed two initial concepts for the play space for older children, but they would like to hear more voices so the playground can best reflect the needs and wants of the community.

You can see the initial designs, give feedback to the consultation, by clicking here. 

THE CHOIR OF ALL SAINTS KINGSTON:

On 17 January, the Choir of All Saints Kingston will be performing Rachmaninov’s Vespers and William Byrd’s Mass for four voices as part of a fundraising event.

The choir will be performing between 19:30-21:00, with doors opening at 19:00. 

Tickets for adults are £20, but only £10 for under 18s. There will also be a bar serving refreshments for the event.

If you want to learn more about the event and buy tickets, you can do so by clicking here.