Richmond Park News: 28 March 2025

SPRING STATEMENT RESPONSE:

On Wednesday, the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves MP, announced her 2025 Spring Statement, and I was invited onto the Sky News Panel for their focussed coverage an hour before her statement.

While the focus of the panel was on the Chancellor’s statement, the conversation moved towards US-UK relations following the intelligence leak from the White House which resulted in a journalist being added to a group chat regarding possible US strikes in Yemen. The US administration has shown that it is not even capable of running a group chat, and the Vice-President’s comments regarding Europe undermine the sacrifice that many Europeans have made to fight for peace and democracy over the past century. The imposition of additional tariffs is a sign that the administration is currently an unreliable ally, and I stated that the UK should not be frightened to stand-up to President Trump.

Shortly after my appearance on Sky News’ Panel, the Chancellor spoke in the Chamber to announce the changes to the UK’s spending commitments. Most concerningly, the cuts to our welfare system went even further than expected, as the OBR forecasted that the planned cuts would have been insufficient revenue raisers. Therefore, on top of the cuts to Personal Independence Payments, the Chancellor announced that the health elements of Universal Credit will be cut by 50% and then frozen for new claimants. 

In the aftermath of the statement, I was interviewed by PA Media, LBC, GB News, Times Radio and Good Morning Britain, to ask for my comment on these cuts. In response, I raised my concern that these cuts would impact the most vulnerable of our society the most without hitting the intended goal of getting more people into work, nor growing the economy. 

In these interviews, I also pointed out that the clearest way for the UK to boost growth is to re-establish closer ties with our European partners, as the OBR projected that UK GDP is set to fall by 4% over the next 15 years as a result of the Brexit trade deal. This is especially relevant considering the OBR’s recent downgrade of projected growth in the UK from 2% to just 1%.

An announcement, however, that I welcomed from the government this week was the commitment to increase the UK’s defence spending by £2.2bn. In my interviews, I reiterated my support for the people of Ukraine and the need for the UK to step-up our defence spending in the wake of the uncertainty surrounding international relations.  

BBC RADIO 5 LIVE:

I was also pleased to join a panel on BBC Radio 5 Live, alongside Jeevun Sandher MP and James Wild MP, prior to the announcement of the Spring Statement, where we took calls from constituents from across the country.

The first call that we received was from someone set to lose out on their disability benefits due to the government’s cuts. This was a particularly important call as this person previously had their ill-health benefits removed, before being reinstated again, with this period of removed benefits causing her to develop chronic diverticulitis. While the number of people receiving ill-health benefits does need to be reduced, removing critical disability payments for those either in work or seeking work is not the way to tackle this issue, and the Government must instead properly resolve the health and social care system to help empower those with ill health.

Another caller later in the show raised the issue of free school meals after the Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson MP, was reported to put forward a £500 million package of savings in negotiations with the Treasury. These reports have since been dismissed by the Chancellor, and it is something that I will ensure that the government is held to account as children cannot be expected to learn on an empty stomach.

The debate then shifted towards the government’s general handling of our economy since they came to power in July. A matter that has arisen in my inbox recently is the cuts to the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure (RHL) Business Rates Relief Scheme. While these cuts were announced by the Chancellor last year, it does not seem that businesses were properly informed about them, resulting in business owners being shocked to see their bills nearly double. Having spoken with businesses in the constituency recently, I know that the changes to national insurance, as well as thefts in the area, have been extremely detrimental to their viability, and the additional cut to RHL business rates relief will only add to the difficulties that our high streets shops face, in particular for a number in my Richmond Park constituency.

You can watch a clip of the debate by clicking here. 

TIMES RADIO:

Last Friday, I appeared on Times Radio’s feature ‘A Constituency Knockout,’ which is a show which pits MPs against each other in a contest to determine which constituency has the most interesting facts. I am fortunate to represent Richmond Park, which is littered with history, and even my opponent, Paul Holmes, MP for Hamble Valley, conceded that he could not compete with Richmond Park’s royal links, musical history and defence innovation. The presenter, Ed Vaizey, declared Richmond Park the victor in the head to head battle with Hamble Valley. 

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

On a more serious note, I was asked what issues are residents of Richmond Park most engaged with. My inbox is always filled with a variety of different topics, but the international uncertainty and wars over the past several years is one which has caused great concern to residents of Richmond Park and in the UK, and this has been reflected by the number of emails that I have received and the impassioned content of these correspondences. 

WESTMINSTER HOUR:

Last Sunday evening, I was on Westminster Hour, with once again the dominant topic that was discussed was the expected inclusion of welfare cuts in the Spring Statement, which largely touched on issues already covered in this newsletter.

We also spoke about the important Planning and Infrastructure Bill that recently passed through its second reading in the Commons, and will shortly enter committee stage, where select MPs can scrutinise the Bill in detail. I know that building more homes, in particular social homes, is key to fixing the housing crisis and helping young people and families get onto the property ladder, and this Bill will be an important tool to achieving this aim.

However, the Bill in its current form is a return to centralised, developer-led approach to development which we saw under the Conservative Government. The Bill must do more to ensure local communities retain control of planning processes, and that development is community-led, and is done with proper, matching investment into local services like GPs and schools, whilst protecting green spaces.

I also spoke with host Vikki Young about the need to stand up to Trump and showing strength in the face of Trump’s bullying. Trump’s threats of tariffs, which would damage the British economy, must be matched with strength from the UK Government. Trump has consistently proven himself to be an unreliable ally, whether that be on international trade or standing up for Ukraine against Putin, and Parliamentarians must hold the Government to account on responding to Trump with strength.

You can watch a clip of the discussions by clicking here, and you can watch the full episode by clicking on the following link.

WESTMINSTER HALL DEBATE ON REJOINING THE EUROPEAN UNION:

On Monday, I attended the debate on the UK rejoining the EU as the Spokesperson for the Liberal Democrats. This debate was scheduled following a public petition on this topic which received over 130,000 signatures. 

In my speech I spoke about the benefits which a UK-EU youth mobility scheme would provide, allowing young people to have greater opportunities to work and travel abroad. This agreement would also benefit local businesses, as it has been shown that there are sectors which are unable to fill the void left by European workers following Brexit and the new Visa regulations.

On this topic I also called on the government to do more to support our small businesses. Many high street businesses have faced significant challenges due to the Brexit agreement, with significantly higher import and export costs and difficulties recruiting and retaining staff. 

I was pleased to be joined by so many of my colleagues, some of whom are of European heritage, and to hear about the changes to their personal lives which have been caused by the decision to leave the European Union.

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

TERMINALLY ILL (ADULTS) END OF LIFE BILL COMMITTEE:

Tuesday marked the final day of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill Committee, after months of scrutinising and deliberating the Bill’s details.

During this stage, we worked, line by line through the remaining amendments which have been tabled to this piece of legislation, discussing specifically how this procedure would be implemented if voted through into law in its next reading in Parliament. 

I was pleased that, over the course of our deliberations, the Committee accepted three of my amendments, including, this week an amendment relating to the bill’s implementation in Wales, which is a pertinent issue due to devolution.

I will now reflect on the work which this committee has undertaken and will continue to scrutinise the amendments which will be tabled ahead of the report stage which is expected to take place later in the spring. 

I was also asked to speak about the committee process on BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme, alongside Marie Tidball MP, and you can watch a clip of my interview here.

COMMUNITY NEWS:

KINGSTON 'WASTE NOT WANT NOT' COMMUNITY FRIDGE: 

Every night, the Save the World Club collects and delivers surplus food from supermarkets to local organisations, cafes and food banks. On Fridays, the food is distributed from their Kingston warehouse to local families in need.

The service is free and open to all, and you can find out more information here.

BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP SUCCESS FOR CHRIST’S SCHOOL

I am delighted that Richmond’s very own Christ’s School has, just this week, won the U16 Dynamik National Schools Premier Basketball Championship, the 5th time in the past 9 years that Christ’s School have won the Championship. The school’s success cements their reputation as one of the country’s most successful schools.

Well done to the whole team and all the staff at Christ’s School including MVP Arthur P-G, and Head Coach Will Wise.

RICHMOND BEVERLEY BROOK RESTORATION:

Richmond Council have been working with the Community BlueScapes on a series of restoration projects to restore the Beverley Brook in Barnes Green to its natural state, and mitigate flood risks for residents living nearby. 

If you are a resident or regular user of Barnes Green, the Community BlueScapes team would like to hear your thoughts on the proposed changes to the site at a series of upcoming drop-in sessions on the Green.

You can find out more about the drop-in sessions, as well as more information about the Barnes Green Restoration project, here.