Dear John,

I hope you’re well. It’s been another long week across Harrow and Westminster but as Carers Week 2025 comes to a close, I was pleased to join this year’s Harrow Carers Information Event. It was a powerful reminder of the strength, compassion, and resilience shown by our local caring community - truly bringing this year’s theme, “Caring About Equality”, to life.

My heartfelt thanks to all unpaid carers supporting a loved one or relative here in Harrow. I have known many in my own life and have met so many through my work - your dedication does not go unnoticed, and we are deeply grateful to you.

Below is my newsletter covering some of my work in Parliament and locally in Harrow too – as always, throughout the year, you can find regular updates from me on Facebook and Instagram, or if you have an issue you would like to raise with me, contact me on [email protected] or 02072194243.

Ahmedabad Plane Crash

Like many in Harrow, I was deeply shocked and saddened by the devastating plane crash in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, on Thursday morning.

The scale of this loss is unimaginable, with victims including not only 241 passengers on board but also residents and students at a nearby medical college - young people who had dedicated their lives to helping others.

Here in Harrow, I know many residents with close ties to Ahmedabad and Gujarat. I was honoured to join prayers at Siddhashram Dham, which continue this weekend - a deeply moving gathering as we stood together in remembrance of all those lost on Flight AI171.

My thoughts remain with the victims, their families, and all those affected by this terrible tragedy. 🕯️🇮🇳

For relatives seeking information:

📞 The Indian High Commission has activated an emergency line: 07768 765 035

✈️ Air India has set up an emergency desk at Gatwick Airport, and a full passenger list is available.

Spending Review 2025

NHS Waiting Lists

Across the country, NHS waiting list figures show a drop in April for the first time in 17 years (excluding the first year of the pandemic) and have fallen to the lowest level in two years. This Labour Government met its promise of 2 million more appointments seven months early, and now more than 3.6million extra appointments have been delivered since July.

This is a clear example of Labour delivering on their promises and the steps being taken to get the NHS working for patients once again’.

The data follows the announcements made by the Chancellor in the Spending Review, with record levels of investment in our National Health Service to get the NHS back on its feet and fit for the future, enabling the NHS to deliver on the Government’s Plan for Change to cut waiting

lists, improve patient care and modernise services.

After the Tories left waiting lists at a record high and patient satisfaction at a record low, hundreds of people across the borough were stuck left waiting for treatment.

That’s why falling waiting lists across London and across the country is such good news, as this Labour Government puts the NHS on the road to recovery.

Health and Social Care Secretary, Wes Streeting, said:

“We are putting the NHS on the road to recovery after years of soaring waiting times, by providing record investment and fundamental NHS reform.

“Thanks to our interventions and the hard work of NHS staff, the overall waiting list has now fallen in April for the first time in 17 years – dropping by almost a quarter of a million since we took office.

“This is just the start. We’ve delivered millions of extra appointments since July, we are pushing on with our mission to get the NHS working for patients nationally once again as we deliver our Plan for Change.”

Winter Fuel Payments

📣I’m delighted to welcome the news that over 9 million pensioners across England and Wales will receive Winter Fuel Payments this winter, thanks to a new income threshold of £35,000.

No one needs to apply; the payment will be automatic, helping pensioners heat their homes through the colder months. This is part of the Government’s commitment to supporting older people, along with the Triple Lock increase of up to £1,900 to the State Pension.

I’m proud to back this vital support for our pensioners. Please share to make sure everyone who qualifies knows what to expect!

Read more: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/nine-million-pensioners-to-receive-winter-fuel-payments-this-winter.

Free School Meals Extension

🍎 Great to see the positive response to the government’s announcement to extend free school meals to every child in a household on Universal Credit.

The last Labour government lifted 2 million children out of poverty. By the time the Conservatives left office 11 months ago, child poverty had surged by over 90% to 4.3 million.

From next year, this policy will support both primary and secondary pupils, building on Sadiq Khan’s great work to tackle child poverty head-on and provide free school meals to all primary school children in London.

This change will lift hundreds of thousands of children out of poverty - including far too many here in Harrow. Urgent action like this is long overdue.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cdr5mr5l2d1o

I was delighted to return to my old primary school, Pinner Park, to take part in Three UK’s Discovery session with Year 6 pupils - exploring green screen movie-making and tackling a topic close to many of our hearts: plastic pollution.

Now in its 10th year, Discovery is a free programme designed to help young people develop the skills and confidence needed to thrive in a digital world. Through fun, hands-on workshops, pupils learn how to use mobile technology creatively and safely.

It was fantastic to see the students so engaged - scripting, filming, and editing their own campaign videos to raise awareness of the very real threat plastic pollution poses to our planet. Their creativity and passion shone through in every frame.

Cracking down on sewage dumping - finally some action! 💦⚖️🚨

One of the biggest issues people raised with me during the election was the disgusting state of our waterways - with raw sewage being pumped into rivers right here in Harrow.

We promised to take this seriously - and here’s some real progress.

⚖️ A record 81 criminal investigations have now been launched into water companies.

🔍 That’s a 400% increase in investigations compared to last year - finally some proper enforcement.

⛓️ Bosses who break the law could face prison sentences, and companies are looking at huge fines.

On top of that, water companies will now be made to invest £104 billion to improve infrastructure and cut sewage dumping nearly in half.

This is long overdue but it shows what happens when we stop turning a blind eye and start holding polluters to account. This is just the beginning - next year, we'll deliver 10,000 inspections using the tougher powers under the Act. 💧

It's an example of how change takes time: this legislation was drafted in August, introduced in September, became law in February, and is starting to have an impact now. But it's clearly starting to work. Slowly but surely, we are turning things around.

30 Hours of Free Childcare

👶 From this month, working parents in Harrow with children aged 9 months by September can 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝟑𝟎 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐠𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭-𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞.

✅We're 𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞, unlike the Tories, who made the pledge without a plan. Through Labour's Plan for Change, we'll get a 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥-𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲  by providing the best start in life.🎒

📈After rolling out 15 hours last September, we're ramping up childcare support to 𝐬𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐮𝐩 𝐭𝐨 £𝟕𝟓𝟎𝟎 𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫, up to £8000 if taken alongside Labour's free breakfast clubs and cheaper uniform costs.

𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞: childcarechoices.gov.uk