Great to meet with colleagues from the Netherlands Embassy - Defence Attaché Captain (N) Rick Ongering and Economic Attaché Mohamed El Yemlahi - to discuss shared military mobility challenges and the essential role of rail links in enabling rapid and efficient mobilisation to Eastern Europe. 

Great to visit another local school in the constituency recently! Thanks to Wanstead Church School for hosting me and another brilliant set of questions from pupils in Key Stage 2.

Just before Christmas, it was great to meet with Rail Minister Lord Hendy. 2025 had been a year of focused work to support the expansion of cross-Channel rail links, in which I have made the case for the role of Leyton’s Temple Mills depot in enabling growth.

Following my recent visit to The Northcote Arms, I’ve written to the council to explore options to secure the pub’s future as a valued local community space. I’m committed to supporting local businesses and keeping our communities vibrant.

With December drawing to a close and the new year almost upon us, it has been a busy month – from visiting Mozambique as UK Trade Envoy to Southern Africa to talking to students at Leytonstone School. Here are some of the things I’ve been up to

As the year draws to a close, I want to thank everyone who has supported me and engaged with our work. This year has seen real progress - inflation rates are down, interest rates have been cut, and families are benefiting from expanded free school meals, cost-of-living relief, and new opportunities for young people.

Hello folks, the festive season is upon us, which means my team and I are at reduced capacity. The office will be closed for the holidays from 24 December 2025 to 3 January 2026.  My team and I will be checking our inbox periodically for urgent matters. If you are a constituent, please do still reach out for urgent matters

Last week I joined a parliamentary roundtable on the growing risk of lithium-ion battery fires in waste and recycling. Battery fires are rising sharply and pose real dangers to workers, services and the environment.

Had a wonderful visit to Leytonstone Salvation Army to support their Christmas Toy Appeal! It’s such an important initiative to make sure every child in our community can have a joyful Christmas. You can also help by donating to your local branch: Christmas Present Appeal | The Salvation Army

Great to meet with World Jewish relief last week and hear about their work supporting people both in Ukraine and in the UK, including their employment programmes for refugees after resettlement.

Today we are grappling with the horror of the attack in Sydney. My thoughts are with our Jewish community at this awful moment. What should have been a time of joy and peace was turned into an atrocity by antisemitic hatred. Rabbi Eli Schlanger grew up here in London, while Alexander Kleytman had survived the Holocaust as a child, and the youngest victim, Matilda, was just ten. This was an unspeakably evil act. 

Last week, as Chair of the Armed Forces Community APPG, I was pleased to host a meeting on social care and the Veteran Friendly Framework for care homes. With over 26,000 veterans living in care homes across England and Wales, it’s essential that social care services recognise military service and understand the unique experiences many veterans and their families bring with them.

This week, I met with L&Q Housing Association’s Chief Executive, Fiona Fletcher-Smith, and senior officers to discuss urgent steps to address the issues raised by constituents living in their properties.

I met with Creative Engagement Services during a recent patrol - they are piloting a new project to keep children and young people safe on their way to and from school in Waltham Forest by making pupil safety a shared community effort.

Ahead of Small Business Saturday, I caught up with Tuesday, the publican at the Northcote Arms in Leyton, to discuss the challenges facing our pub sector and what more can be done to support small businesses like the Northcote. The Northcote is just one example of the many independent pubs, businesses, and brewers across our constituency that play such an important role in our local economy and community. Supporting them matters.

Last week I had the pleasure of joining the Google Digital Garage event hosted by the wonderful Leyton Orient Football Club, where local small business owners and entrepreneurs could learn more about AI and other digital tools and skills. Great to see so many local businesses taking part and to chat with people about how they’re adapting to AI and new digital tools!

Brilliant to round off UK Parliament Week last Friday with visits to George Mitchell and Newport Schools in Leyton. All the pupils I spoke to had brilliant questions and a real enthusiasm to learn more about the work of our Parliament and my role as their MP!

It's December...and that means it's time for my monthly roundup of November! From pedalling hard in the RBL Poppy Ride to chatting about space and security, here is some of what I got up to last month

I had a brilliant evening with the 21st EFS Cubs in Aldersbrook as part of UK Parliament Week. The group has been learning about democracy, so they split into parties, created manifestos for how they’d improve the club, and elected spokespeople before holding a vote. I was glad to stay to the end and help count the ballots - and they took the process seriously! Thank you to Georgina and all the leaders for the warm welcome and for the work they do for young people in our comm

A big shoutout to East London Boxing Academy in Leyton, an absolute joy to visit and learn about your work. ELBA is a real community asset and one of the best clubs in London!