MP's Update - July 2026

Two weeks is a long time in politics! As we know the Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, announced he would be resigning - with a new Prime Minister set to enter office later this month (assuming that we don’t have a leadership contest) I had hoped that Keir would remain in office but he has listened to voices across our party, the cabinet and the country and decided to step down. I believe in doing so he has put the stability of our country first.

I believe that as Prime Minister he will leave a strong legacy. He was able to return the Labour party to being a credible party of Government and has led a Government that has delivered so much for my constituents; from cutting NHS waiting times and introducing free breakfast clubs, to giving a much-needed pay rise to our front-line public sector workers.   

We’ve now got a Renters’ Rights Act and Employment Rights Act, capital funding grants for West Thames College and three local secondary schools, and the Government has given Hounslow Council the fair funding it deserves. 

Andy Burnham’s stunning result in Makerfield has shown the deep support for his new way of doing politics. He has started to set out his broad-brush vision: a country better-connected, investment where it is needed most (including in London) prioritising (good) growth and regeneration, devolving far more power to local authorities, building Council housing and more.  

Runway 3 at Heathrow:  On the day of the Makerfield by-election the Government confirmed its support for a third runway at Heathrow by launching a 10-week public consultation on a draft Heathrow Expansion National Policy Statement.   Whilst saying that this has the potential to support Economic Growth, Transport Secretary Heidi also said that “the Government’s four tests for Heathrow should be applied:  Economic Growth across the UK, compatibility with the UK’s legally binding climate targets, keeping within legal air quality limits, and that noise is no worse than current levels, with reductions where possible, supported by effective mitigation”. The draft HENPS sets out a long list of requirements that any applicant, which could be Heathrow Airport Ltd or Heathrow West would have to demonstrate for their proposal to be viable.

The most significant local impact of a third runway will be much more noise for the northern parts of Cranford, Heston, Osterley, Brentford, and Chiswick as thousands of homes and other buildings are under what would be the fixed final approach to the new runway. The government has said that should the expansion go ahead, there will be “effective mitigation” on noise – as the HENPS progresses, I will hold our government to that commitment as many residents have told me that the existing mitigation schemes are not effective.

The other local impact will be yet more traffic congestion on the M4 and M25, on local roads and on the existing public transport network, if the roads are not to grind to a halt.  I have long said that Heathrow at its present size needs new rail links to relieve these pressures, and these links will be even more necessary should the third runway be given the go-ahead. 

The draft HENPS will be scrutinised in detail by the Transport Committee so, as Chair, I will have the opportunity of forensically questioning Heathrow Airport, the Department of Transport, and other organisations supporting and opposing the application at our sessions in September.  As it stands (unless Andy Burnham changes this), our report, with recommendations, will then go to Government before a Parliamentary vote in December.

People locally know my views on a third runway at Heathrow, and I will continue to be a strong voice for our constituency in Westminster.

---

MY WESTMINSTER NEWS

Railways Bill: At the debate on the report stage of the Railways Bill (the purpose of which is to set up Great British Railways) I moved amendments seeking to strengthen accessibility by making it a duty of GBR to address access for all disabled passengers, rather than merely “take account” of it. The other amendments sought to place the forthcoming Long Term Rail Strategy, and any revisions to it, before Parliament, thus giving it greater weight, and with less opportunity for future governments to change it on a whim – a problem that has bedevilled our rail system for many decades. I didn’t press these to a vote, but I know they will be debated extensively in the Lords.

At Transport Questions: On the back of our Committee report into Taxi & Private Hire Vehicles, I asked the Transport Secretary what she was doing to restrict out-of-area working – an issue highlighted in Baroness Casey’s report on group-based sexual exploitation released last year. Heidi’s response was fairly positive.

At Education Questions: I asked Minister Georgia Gould what the Government is doing about the shortage of specialists that children with SEND need, such as educational psychologists and occupational therapists.  I was pleased that she said that, as part of the Experts at Hand service for all schools, the Government is investing £40 million for training new educational psychologists and other therapists; developing the workforce so all children have access to an inclusive education.

Bedford Train Crash: Heidi came to the Chamber following this tragic crash where a train driver lost his life and many passengers were injured.  She assured me, following my question on the potential trauma of those working on the route, that there would be appropriate and sufficient support for those affected, including passengers and EMR staff.

Illegal Israeli Settlements: I joined almost 140 MPs and most Select Committee Chairs, in writing to ask the Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper to lead on a ban on trade with illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank, which are illegal under international law.  Having raised this in the Commons in May too, I am glad Yvette has now issued more sanctions on some trade with settlement businesses, but there is more to do.

Unsafe Cladding Bill: The Bill to force building owners to remediate cladding on all high-risk blocks of flats by the end of 2029 was published in May and addresses weaknesses in previous post-Grenfell building safety legislation.  I was briefed about the detail by Building Safety minister Sam Dixon where I had the chance to challenge her on some of the detail based on the experiences of constituents who own flats in affected buildings.

SWR Timetable refresh consultation:  SWR are planning a significant revision to their timetables for next year, with a major consultation taking place this Autumn.  Managing Director Lawrence Bowman came into Parliament with his top team to listen to MPs with constituencies along their routes.  I told him that we want to see more 15-minute trains on the Hounslow loop line later into the evenings and at weekends, as well as better reliability, plus fewer cancellations now! 

Parliamentary Bike Ride: Well – less a serious ride, and more a networking event while riding bikes through Hyde Park and parts of central west London!  Here are the MPs and peers who took part including me and previous Transport Committee Chair, now Transport Minister, Lilian Greenwood MP.

Thames Water: In despair at Thames Water polluting our rivers and charging our constituents more for the privilege, TW area MPs have written a letter to Thames Water, another to Environment Secretary, Emma Reynolds, and held a meeting with the Water Minister.  In June, we had the chance to challenge senior TW representatives from Thames Water at a scrutiny session in Parliament.  We challenged them on their performance, financial position and the impact on our constituents; as well as the deal proposed by Thames Water’s creditors, which requires OFWAT to waive fines on the company to 2030.

Jewish Leadership Council: I met JLC’s leaders to discuss how I can use my role to address antisemitism locally and how we can address this scourge that is challenging British values.

The Indian Workers Association and other groups organised a meeting for MPs where we heard of their concerns about the Home Secretary’s restriction to visa routes and entitlements available to migrants in the UK, and the rise of racist attacks that too many south Indian-origin people have experienced.

Transport Committee questions the Secretary of State: Our bi-annual session with the SoST covered a wide range of issues, detailed in full in the transcript.  In one response, she warned of further subsidy cuts to railways and was challenged on issues ranging from the HS2 timelines, value for money in roads improvement, and Heathrow expansion.

---

MY CONSTITUENCY NEWS

The Nationwide Building Society is one “bank” staying on Hounslow High Street. The team pride themselves on being customer friendly, and it was great to see they have “Dementia Clinics” for customers with dementia, with specially trained staff.  I was pleased to cut the ribbon to celebrate the recent refurbishment of their premises.

I aim to visit all the schools in the constituency regularly, but this was my first visit to Spring Grove Primary School in Hounslow, a friendly one-form entry school where the year 6 students told me they were particularly concerned about the rise of racism and hate crime.  It is very sad that children are picking up this growing trend, especially in the online media space. So, I was glad to hear from senior staff that teachers are supporting students in a positive way. 

In memory of murdered Henry Nowak, the Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha in Southall organised an Akhand Paath, a special 24-hour recitation of the Guru Granth Sahib Ji (the holy scriptures is perhaps an appropriate translation).  I joined Southall MP Deidre Costigan at this special occasion, which reminded all of us that we have more in common than divides us in West London. I am proud to represent a constituency where people of all faiths (and none) live, work, learn and mourn together.

HMOs: I have been contacted by a number of residents about houses in multiple occupation (HMO) in Hounslow and the impact that they are having on traffic, recycling and other local services. Hounslow Council introduced a tough licensing scheme for HMOs, which must be registered and I have written to the Council to see what further national action is needed. 

Isleworth Ait, the island in the Thames across from Church Street, is owned by Thames Water and managed by the London Wildlife Trust. The local volunteer team go there to manage the vegetation and maintain the paths every 2nd Saturday of the month (except August, or when windy or if river conditions are dangerous). I joined them cutting back the invasive Himalayan balsam, encouraging the traditional Osiers and creating safe homes for the more vulnerable birds and other wildlife. I learned about the important work LWT do to protect and improve our valuable nature sites across London. To join the monthly work parties, or donate to support this work, you can sign up on the LWT Website.

Forest Bikes: Rental bikes are hugely popular, but also when left on footways or badly ridden, they are a nightmare for pedestrians, particularly those with sight or mobility issues. In my experience, Lime bring more challenges, whereas Forest are less subject to these issues as they are more difficult to “hack” and they enforce stronger sanctions on their subscribers.  Forest bikes are now operating in Richmond borough, and I met the Forest team outside Richmond station to discuss the challenges.

Brentford Canal Festival: this year’s was better and bigger than ever and was also a great opportunity to catch up with so many friends.  There was music, food, local craft sales, community stalls and trips on the Usain Boat.  Massive thanks to all the Brentford Voice volunteers without whom it just wouldn’t happen.

Across England, each borough area has a Healthwatch service that provides advice, support, and signposting for people needing help in navigating the NHS, including GP surgeries, hospitals, dentists and other health services.  Both Healthwatch Hounslow and Healthwatch Richmond have contacted me raising concerns about the Government's proposals to end the requirement for NHS areas to provide and fund local Healthwatch services.  This means that if there is insufficient funding or support for independent advice and support for patients, these services will cease to exist.  I have raised my concerns with Health Minister Karin Smyth MP, and I am sure I am not the only MP to have done so.  Watch this space……

Marlborough Primary School in Isleworth celebrated their 90th anniversary in June, and it was great to be at the special celebratory assembly where I met long-standing former headteacher Jack Ingram, and he and I then unveiled this wonderful poster made by the children.

With best wishes,