Awesome to drop into Earl’s Sandwich Shop in Cann Hall! I even filmed a quick Instagram Reel with founder Tim - you can catch it on my page or on Earl’s. If you haven’t visited yet, definitely pop by - they’ve got fantastic food and a brilliant team that offers so much to our community.

I joined residents at the Avenue Road drop-in to listen directly to their experiences and concerns after years of uncertainty. Avenue Road remains the council’s highest priority regeneration scheme, and it was important to be there alongside council representatives from London Borough of Waltham Forest and the Cann Hall Labour Team to answer questions and explain the next steps.

World Cancer Day was this week, and it is an opportunity for us to reflect on the impact cancer has on our lives and our loved ones, and to take action for our health. The government is launching the new National Cancer Plan, which commits to welcome action, including meeting all cancer waiting time targets by 2029 and using new technology to drive up survival rates and quality of life after diagnosis.

t’s been a very busy start to the year - more hectic internationally than any of us might have hoped. Here’s a look at some of what I’ve been up to in the first month of 2026

This week I met with Lt Col Joe Winch, a colleague from my Staff College days, to discuss the challenges faced by veterans living with complex PTSD. We spoke about the lifelong impact that complex PTSD can have, not only on veterans themselves but also on their families, as well as the MoD's initiatives Op Valour, which provides recovery pathways for veterans and Op Fortitude, which focuses on tackling veteran homelessness.

Yesterday, I was honoured to join with local leaders and faith communities from across Redbridge to commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day in Valentines Park in Ilford. Our community came together to remember six million murdered Jews, other victims of Nazi atrocities and those who have lost their lives in subsequent genocides

Last week, I chaired the latest meeting of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on the Armed Forces Community, beginning with our AGM and followed by an important discussion on how the Armed Forces Covenant works in practice for Service children with special or additional educational needs or disabilities.

The Armed Forces All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) gathered on Tuesday, January 13th, 2026, to hold its Annual General Meeting (AGM). This event marked the official start of the APPG’s 2026 engagement year and provided an opportunity to reflect on the progress made in 2025.

It was great to visit JobsPlus on the Beaumont Estate in Leyton and see first-hand how a community-led approach to employment support is transforming lives. JobsPlus are working in partnership with L&Q and other housing associations in social housing communities, bringing together one-to-one employment support, skills training, confidence-building and local partnerships - all delivered in the heart of the neighbourhood. It’s designed to reach people facing complex barriers to

January marks a year since my appointment as the UK’s Trade Envoy for Southern Africa.ver the past year, I have undertaken visits to Angola, DRC, Mozambique, and Zambia, engaging with Presidents, Ministers, High Commissioners and Ambassadors from across the region, to break down barriers to the trade and investment needed to meet our shared growth and security goals.

Marking Blue Monday with a 4.5k run in support of the Labour Men and Boys Group. The distance reflects the 4.5-year life expectancy gap for men, and the need to make it easier for men and boys to look after their health and ask for help.

Really lovely to visit Good Shepherd Studios in Leytonstone again and catch up with Danie! From coworking and independent film to youth projects and community events, it’s a really fantastic example of how local spaces can bring people together and support creativity in Leytonstone.

This week in the Defence Select Committee, I spoke about the incredible work of our local Air Cadets here in Leyton and Wanstead - young people from every background learning skills, teamwork and service. They are representative of modern Britain, but our armed forces still aren’t. The Ministry of Defence has more to do. Women and ethnic minorities remain underrepresented, even though young people want to serve - despite what some headlines might suggest. The recruitment p

Great to meet residents at our Cann Hall and Cathall coffee morning last week - a really useful chance to talk through local issues and help with casework. Also good to catch up with Vicky from Idea Space the Leytonstone-based community arts charity doing brilliant work to make the arts accessible to everyone!

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. 

Last week, I was proud to lead a debate on therapeutic play and children’s healthcare -inspired by my constituent Sarah and her son Hari, who was helped so much by therapeutic play after his leukaemia diagnosis.

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.