Richmond Park News: 25 April 2025

CABINET OFFICE QUESTIONS:

On Thursday I spoke in Cabinet Office Questions to once again call for a Youth Mobility scheme between the UK and the EU to be established. On 19 May, the Prime Minister will be hosting a UK-EU summit in London in which he will host other European leaders. Given the state of international relations and the global economy, it is imperative that the government seizes this opportunity to commit to real action towards rebuilding our relationship with Europe. 

Following my question, the BBC and The Times reported that the government is currently considering implementing a Youth Mobility scheme. This would be an excellent step towards providing more opportunities for our young people and to addressing the shortages in our workforce.

During this debate, I also asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Pat McFadden MP, about the recent announcements regarding reform of the civil service. In particular, I asked about the reported plans to cut the Cabinet Office workforce by a third, the impact this will have, and what opportunities MPs will have to scrutinise the incoming reforms.

While I welcome the streamlining of our bureaucracy, the government has made sweeping statements about cuts in the media without bringing the debate to Parliament for discussion. Many civil servants work highly stressful jobs, and concerns about their job security will be weighing on their minds as much as it would for people in most other sectors.

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

LIBERAL DEMOCRAT OPPOSITION DAY:

Wednesday marked the second Liberal Democrat Opposition day of this Parliament, and we brought a motion to the House regarding the ongoing sewage crisis facing our waterways. 

Many of my colleagues raised the damage that is being done to the rivers and lakes in their constituencies by water companies as a consequence of sewage dumping. My colleague, Charlie Maynard MP, has been leading the fight against Thames Water in the courts, as he provided a witness statement earlier in the year on behalf of customers during the High Court deliberation as to whether to approve a £3bn loan to the water company, and I was pleased to hear him once again call for Thames Water to be placed into special administration during the debate.

The one downside of having so many colleagues speak in the Chamber of the need for urgent action against sewage dumping across the UK, was that the Speaker had to call the debate to a close before I had the opportunity to speak. Therefore, I followed-up on this matter by writing a letter to the Minister for Water and Flooding.

In this letter, I highlighted that, last year, Thames Water’s Event Duration Monitors measured an average of 12.4 hours per spill event of sewage outflow during storm overflows - this was longer than any other water and sewage company in England. In our constituency, there were 65 sewage discharges into our rivers from 8 storm overflows. In total, these sewage discharges lasted for 119 hours.

As the government has stated that they will monitor Thames Water’s situation closely, but placing the company into special administration is not currently under immediate consideration, I asked what the government’s red-lines are for taking this action.

You can view my letter by clicking here.

WESTMINSTER HALL DEBATE ON TRADING WITH THE EU:

Yesterday, I spoke in a Westminster Hall debate regarding our trading relationship with the EU. While the government has said they will be pragmatic in their approach to rebuilding ties with the European Union, it was pleasing to see that this debate was secured by a Labour MP and was well attended. It is perhaps a signal that the government is beginning to listen to our calls for closer ties to be established. 

The impact of Trump’s tariffs have been felt across the globe, as well as by businesses in the US itself. The current US administration has proved to be an unreliable ally, and it is clear that we cannot rely on the US to continue to provide the UK with favourable trading terms.

In the lead up to the EU referendum nearly a decade ago, the economic argument from the Leave campaign was that our trading ties with the US would open up after leaving the customs union. This has not materialised, and it is time that the UK forms a new custom union with Europe to improve our trading terms with our largest trading partner. 

The warm words of pragmatism from the government towards our European neighbours are no longer sufficient, and I called on the Prime Minister to seize the opportunity which will be presented at the UK-EU summit next month.

You can watch my speech by clicking here.

REPORTED PARKING CHARGES IN RICHMOND PARK:

This week, an article was published by a local news outlet which reported that the Royal Parks will be introducing parking charges in Richmond Park.

I have spoken with the Head of Policy at the Royal Parks, and he has assured me that there have been no formal approaches to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport regarding this matter. I was informed that the article referenced inaccurate information, and it has since been deleted from the outlet’s website. 

Any changes to parking charges in Richmond Park would require an Act of Parliament. I want to provide assurances that I would speak strongly against the introduction of any parking charges in Richmond Park if they are brought before Parliament.

WRITTEN QUESTION REGARDING REHYDRATION CLAUSES:

When there is a significant disparity in weight between two combat fighters, they will normally meet at a catchweight. To prevent the heavier fighter ballooning back up in weight after the weigh-in the day before the event, a rehydration clause is sometimes added to their contract which stipulates that they must be at a certain weight on the day of the fight.

This can be extremely dangerous as often the fighter will have to cut weight the day before the fight for the weigh-in, then eat and rehydrate back to their normal weight, before having to make another weight-cut the day of the fight. Studies have shown that this can cause serious long lasting injuries to fighters when hit to the head as their brain has decreased cushioning forces when dehydrated which makes the fighter more vulnerable to concussions.  

In response to concerns raised to me by my constituents, I have submitted a Written Question to the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Lisa Nandy MP, to ask whether she has reviewed the impact of rehydration clauses on combat athletes’ health and well-being.

COMMUNITY NEWS:

NETWORK RAIL DIGITAL LINESIDE NOTIFICATION:

Network Rail is set to introduce a new digital service that will let people know about upcoming railway engineering work, emergency work and get updates about current maintenance and upgrade projects in real-time. 

The opt-in service is free to all, and aims to ensure that people are informed about any impacts to their journeys that they may need to plan around.

You can sign-up to receive these updates by clicking on the following link.

RICHMOND COUNCIL AIR QUALITY STRATEGY:

Richmond Council has been awarded the ‘Air Quality Strategy of the Year’ Award at the latest Fleet Vision International Awards in recognition of its work to tackle air pollution and improve public health. 

The Council’s approach – which includes promoting greener transport, cutting engine idling near schools, and reducing congestion using advanced air quality monitoring – has seen nitrogen dioxide levels in the borough fall significantly in the last 5 years.

I am pleased to see Richmond Council leading the way in creating a greener, healthier environment, and you can read more about the award by clicking here.

MAGICAL MUSICAL STORIES:

On Saturday 17 May between 14:30-16:00, St Mary’s Church in Barnes will be hosting two musical performances in aid of NSPCC Childline. 

The performances targeted towards children and families include Sergei Prokofiev’s musical Peter and the Wolf, as well as an adaptation of the Persian legend from the Shahnameh, Zal and the Phoenix.

You can find out more details about the event and buy tickets by clicking on the following link.