Last week, I asked the Secretary of State for Transport about the opportunities created by Virgin Trains joining Eurostar at the Temple Mills depot in Leyton. The expansion and competition at Temple Mills is good news for jobs and investment locally, and a real chance to expand cross-Channel rail and hopefully lower costs for customers.

Great to be back at Maximus UK in Leytonstone last week to celebrate the local businesses that engage with those seeking support into employment. Maximus delivers training and support to help people find meaningful work in our constituency.

After working so much on cross-channel rail and Leyton’s Temple Mills depot this year, it was high time I actually visited! Grace Williams, leader of London Borough of Waltham Forest, joined me on a very in-depth and compelling visit to the depot.

Fantastic to meet the team at Leytonstone’s newest High Road store - Marks and Spencer this week. Really good to hear that staff are recruited locally and several have been helped to find jobs here with a DWP partnership scheme.

Recently in Parliament, I held a meeting with representatives and workers from Prospect Union, one of the largest unions representing civil servants and workers in the defence and energy sectors.

I recently had the pleasure of hosting Mark Fuller from Comic Book UK in Parliament to talk about the vibrant UK comics scene - a sector booming with a projected growth of around 8.6% annually over the next few years!

Over the past few days, I have continued discussions with the government about proposed welfare reforms which began in March, when I went into Downing Street to press concerns directly. I have made clear my belief the government should have framed this issue very differently from the start.   As a result of this combined pressure from Labour MPs, significant changes have been made, including those confirmed last week and during the debate today. This includes confirmation

Great to visit the team at Maximus in Leyton on Employability Day. I had the chance to meet some of the dedicated staff delivering vital employment support through the Restart Scheme and Work and Health Programme, helping local people across Leyton and Wanstead into work.

It was very cool to bump into Leyton-based Ricky from comic publisher Avery Hill in Parliament! Our constituency is a thriving hub for artists and the creative industries. We must focus discussions on protecting artists from AI misuse, ensuring that the rights of small businesses and artists are safeguarded.

It was good to mark Workers’ Memorial Day with trade unions and constituents in Waltham Forest today. We paid tribute to those who have tragically lost their lives whilst simply going to work, both in Leyton and Wanstead and throughout our country.