Richmond Park News: 9 May 2025

ANNIVERSARY OF VE DAY:

Yesterday marked the 80th anniversary of VE Day, when Nazi Germany surrendered to the Allied forces and ended World War 2. 

Millions of Allied soldiers lost their lives to fight for the freedom of their loved ones, neighbours and for future generations, and it is extremely important that we commemorate the sacrifices that they made, and to remember all of those who died during the War. 

It was a pleasure to be invited to attend Richmond’s Poppy Factory’s celebration of VE Day and to speak with their team about the excellent support that they provide to veterans. Many veterans feel ostracised and lonely after serving in our armed forces, and the Poppy Factory undertakes excellent work to help veterans reintegrate into society and to find work.

The Poppy Factory moved to Richmond in 1926, meaning that it will be celebrating its 100th anniversary next year, and you can learn more about the important support provided by the factory by clicking here.

Lest we forget.

LBC CROSS QUESTION:

On Tuesday, I appeared as a panelist on LBC Cross Question, hosted by Iain Dale. 

Following Labour’s performance at last week's local elections, there have been rumours in the media that the government plans to revise the eligibility criteria for Winter Fuel Allowance. I spoke in opposition to the cuts last year, and when questioned by Iain Dale whether the government should indeed reverse their decision, I reiterated my position. The impact that these cuts have had on pensioners who do not quite meet the eligibility for Pension Credit has been significant, and I have received emails from my constituents to report that the cuts are impacting their ability to pay for basic necessities. 

In contrast to Labour’s fortunes, the Reform Party exceeded their own expectations and gained the most councillors in these elections. This has resulted in additional scrutiny being applied to the party, and the headline policy announcement from the party's newly elected Greater Lincolnshire mayor, Dame Andrea Jenkyns, was that the party would advocate for migrants to be placed in tents instead of hotels. 

In response to a question regarding my thoughts on this policy, I stated that while we do need to stop the dangerous boat crossings, placing migrants in tents is simply not the answer. Not only would this result in migrants living in horrible conditions, it would also beg the question of where the tents would be placed. I don’t believe that British people would be in favour of subjecting migrants to such living standards, and people would certainly not be in favour of migrants camping in their local public park.

You can watch the full episode of Cross Question by clicking here.

DATA (USE AND ACCESS) BILL REMAINING STAGES:

On Wednesday I spoke in the remaining stages of the Data (Use and Access) Bill. 

I first spoke in support of an amendment which would raise the age of digital consent from 13 to 16. This would allow children to enjoy many of the educational benefits and relevant services which social media can offer as well as continuing to enjoy the freedoms of engaging with friends, yet without the addictive risks of addictive algorithmic content.

You can watch a clip of this by clicking here.

I also spoke in favour of amendments 2-6 which related to copyright law and artificial intelligence. This is an issue which I have been repeatedly campaigning on in Parliament, particularly in relation to support and protections for the creative industries. These amendments would have ensured transparency in how AI systems are trained, and give rights holders more control over the use of their works. 

You can watch this speech by clicking here.

TIMES RADIO PANEL:

Last Sunday I appeared on the Times Radio Panel, presented by Ayesha Hazarika, alongside Andy McDonald MP, Sir Roger Gale MP and Anne McElvoy. 

While I do not agree with the two other MPs on the panel on a range of issues, I was pleased to hear them reflect upon their parties’ shortcomings at the recent local elections. It has become too common in politics for poorly performing parties to blame the electorate for their losses, so it was interesting to hear their reflections on why the electorate had not turned out for their parties. 

Of course, the Liberal Democrats made significant gains during the local elections, and I talked about how we look forward to continuing to build on our recent success. 

However, one of the listeners wrote in during the show to query whether my party would be able to increase our presence in London at the next set of local elections. In response, I talked about  a change to a system of proportional representation which would help as it would allow the electorate to cast a vote for the party that they wish to see in government, regardless of the politics of their constituency. 

You can watch a clip of the panel show by clicking here.

POINT OF ORDER REGARDING YOUTH MOBILITY:

On Wednesday I raised a point of order in the House of Commons regarding reports that the government would be introducing a Youth Mobility Scheme between the UK and the EU.

Introducing a Youth Mobility Scheme between the UK and the EU is an issue that I have been actively campaigning in favour of throughout this parliament. Whilst I was glad to see that the government is planning to implement such a scheme, I was disappointed that this announcement was made to the media, rather than in Parliament, where MPs could debate the details of this proposal. 

When I asked the Minister about plans for a Youth Mobility Scheme just 13 days ago, he said ‘a Youth Mobility Scheme is not part of our plans. We have always said that we will listen to sensible EU proposals, but we will not go back to freedom of movement.’

This was only the most recent example of the government denying such a scheme would be introduced. He previously told me that there were no plans for a  Youth Mobility Scheme on 5 December, 6 February and 6 March, in answer to my oral questions, on 21 January in response to a Written Question I tabled, and on 29 January during a Westminster Hall debate.

This being said, I am of course delighted that the government has considered my proposal and that they are reported to be close to agreeing to a Youth Mobility Scheme.

COURT TRANSCRIPTS LETTER:

On Tuesday I sent a letter to the Lord Chancellor regarding the cost of obtaining court transcripts, urging them to make the current 12-month pilot scheme, which offers free sentencing remarks to victims of rape and sexual assault, permanent.

Victims are often charged thousands of pounds to obtain a transcript of Crown Court proceedings. As trials are lengthy and traumatising experiences, some victims are advised to not attend. Being able to review their sentencing remarks helps provide victims and survivors with clarity and closure following the outcome of their case. 

Following my campaign through the last Parliamant, I was pleased that in May 2024, a 12-month pilot scheme was introduced to waive court transcript fees for victims of sexual violence, alongside a similar successful pilot scheme having taken place in Scotland.

However, as we approach 28 May 2025, the end of the pilot scheme is yet to be extended, and I am concerned that the government is yet to commit to making this a permanent scheme. 

You can view my letter by clicking here.

PUBLIC ACCOUNTS COMMITTEE:

This week, the Public Accounts Committee had the opportunity to question senior civil servants at the Home Office, and I used this as an opportunity to raise my concerns regarding the implementation of Operation Encompass.

Operation Encompass is a scheme which aims to increase the connection between schools and the police when a child is subject to or experiences domestic abuse. Last year, The Victims and Prisoners Act was granted Royal Assent, which placed Operation Encompass into law and put a statutory obligation on police forces to share Operation Encompass notifications with schools. 

However, I have received a report from an independent school in my constituency that the communication from the police has not been consistent in such cases, and The Legal Practice HCR Legal LLP, has reported that this disconnect can occur more frequently with independent schools.

I asked the Home Office’s Permanent Secretary, Dame Antonia Romeo DCB, whether this is under investigation within her department. I was pleased to hear that Dame Antonia would look into this further and that she would write back to the committee following the publishing of the government’s Violence Against Women and Girls’ (VAWG) Strategy. 

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

THAMES WATER BILLS:

Earlier this year, Ofwat gave Thames Water permission to increase their customers’ bills by an average of 35% over the next 5 years. 

This is only the average bill, and does not take into account inflation or changes in water usage. Therefore, some people may have had their bills rise by over 35%. 

I have received several emails to my office from constituents to report that their bills have increased by over 100%. While this could be due to a leak in their pipe network, it may also be due to an error - and this is what I would like to investigate. 

If your bill has risen by over 50%, I would first encourage you to report this to Thames Water, which can be done by clicking here, but I would also be grateful if you could notify my office so that I can make enquiries as to why this is occurring and to understand whether this is a wider issue.

It would be extremely helpful if you could pass on your Thames Water account number, a reference number if you have already reported the case to Thames Water for investigation, and a screenshot of your bill when contacting my office about this matter.

RICHMOND PARK ACADEMY VISIT:

Last week, I had the pleasure of visiting Richmond Park Academy. I was first welcomed into Ms Jacka’s English class in which students were exploring imagery used in Keats’ poetry. I very much enjoyed taking part in the discussion and I was impressed by the contributions made by the students.

Afterwards, I spoke with a group of sixth form students to discuss the challenges that young people are facing today, the role of backbencher MPs and how young people can get involved in advocating for causes that they are passionate about.  

I would like to thank Richmond Park Academy’s Headteacher, James Whelan, for hosting me, Ms Jacka for welcoming me into her classroom and the students for engaging in the discussions.

COMMUNITY NEWS:

KINGSTON SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS AI LITERACY COURSE:

ShopStartup will be running a series of free courses for business owners and entrepreneurs to learn about AI and the impact it can have on transforming small businesses. The sessions focus on better understanding of AI assistants and prompt engineering, as well as additional online security advice.

The sessions are free, and will be hosted at Canbury Works in Kingston. The next session is on Tuesday 16 May at 18:00 -  and you can find out more information, and reserve a place, by clicking here.

RICHMOND MAY FAIR:

Tomorrow, 10 May, the annual Richmond May Fair will take place on Richmond Green. The free, volunteer-run fair will have over 200 stalls, as well as representation from various charities, small businesses and schools.

The fair will run from 10:00-17:00, and you can find out more information here.