January 2025 Update
I am pleased to bring you my January 2025 Update. As ever, if you would like to sign up to my mailing list, you can do so on this page or by emailing [email protected].
Dear constituent,
I begin this newsletter by wishing readers a Happy New Year. I hope it has been a positive start to 2025.
There has been no easing into the new year in Westminster this month with two major announcements about large-scale projects affecting the constituency. I welcome the confirmation - at long last - that construction work for the new Hillingdon Hospital is due to get fully underway in 2027-28. Less welcome, however, is the Chancellor's pledge to expand Heathrow by backing plans for a third runway.
Work in the Shadow Levelling Up, Housing and Communities team has continued, with key legislation such as the Renters' Rights Bill and Non-Domestic Rating Bill returning to Parliament for scrutiny.
This month, we also commemorated Holocaust Memorial Day through a series of events both in Parliament and locally. Furthermore, in the constituency, I have engaged with farmers about the Government's damaging Family Farm Tax and local charity St Luke's Hospice.
If you would like to keep up to date in between newsletters, I would encourage you to visit my website or Facebook page.
In the Constituency
Surgeries
I have continued to meet with residents at my surgeries, and I am grateful to the teams at Café 40-42 in Pinner, Bucket List Coffee in Eastcote and Cofix in Northwood for hosting me this month.
If you would like to make an appointment to meet with me at a surgery, or are a business who would be interested in hosting, please get in touch via 0203 545 2462 or [email protected]
Farmers Meeting
Many residents have already contacted me with their concerns about Labour's damaging Family Farm Tax. This month, I met with farmers in Harefield and representatives from the National Farmers' Union (NFU) to discuss this and a number of other issues impacting their businesses.
Top of the agenda was, unsurprisingly, changes to the Agricultural Property Relief (APR). My concern with this policy is the impact on smaller family farms, many of which are proudly family-run and rely on the APR to safeguard them for generations. While the Government's assessment that only 27% of commercial farms will be impacted, the NFU's own research worryingly suggests the number will in fact be closer to 75%. It is irresponsible of the Government not to provide an accurate and thorough assessment of a policy that could devastate so many businesses, while at the same time jeopardising our food security and the sustainability of the rural economy.
We also discussed the proposed changes to the Environmental Land Management Schemes (ELMs), which was first introduced by the previous Government as we moved away from the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), and Rights of Way, both of which prompted some questions and concerns that I will be raising with Ministers.
I am grateful to Colin Mitchell from Whiteheath Farm and Toby Dalton from Dalton's Farm, which sits just outside of the constituency in South Harefield, for attending, as well as Sussie Wiles from Bourne Farm for hosting and the NFU for organising. Rest assured, I will continue to stand up against Labour’s disastrous family farm tax and advocate on behalf of my constituents.
St Luke's Hospice
I was delighted to meet with the St Luke’s Hospice team at their charity shop in Pinner this month. It was a useful opportunity to learn more from the Chief Executive, Lindsey Bennister, and Head of Retail, Claire Stockman, about the vital role the hospice plays within the community and the significant impact of their charity shops across Harrow and Brent.
I also spoke with the shop staff and volunteers who shared their experiences, discussed the meaningful work they do, the skills they develop and the connections they form while supporting the hospice’s mission. It was also great to see the support from residents and to hear from many of them how the shop has been a longstanding part of their lives.
I will continue to engage with the team and support their vital work.
Northwood Headquarters
This month, I was invited to attend a briefing hosted by Maria Eagle MP at the Ministry of Defence to outline plans for significant development work due to take place at Northwood Headquarters. This was alongside constituency neighbour Gagan Mohindra, MP for South West Hertfordshire.
This is an important national security facility based just outside of the constituency, which supports the UK and international peacekeeping efforts. Many military personnel from across the world are stationed here, and I welcome upgrades to living accommodation and facilities to ensure continued national defence capabilities.
The Government has laid a Special Development Order before Parliament, meaning that planning has been granted by or on behalf of the Secretary of State for Defence for the purposes of national security.
The Minister did offer her assurance that, while the proposals will not go through the regular planning procedure, the work will not have a significant impact on residents. I will continue to follow developments closely to ensure this remains the case.
In Parliament
Much of the last six months has been vital in holding the Government to account on key pieces of legislation; this year looks like it will be no different. In January, I have kept Ministers busy as I scrutinised key parts of legislation that the Government was seeking to rush through.
The New Hillingdon Hospital
Shortly after taking office, the new Government launched an internal review into the New Hospital Programme, directing the blame at the so-called £22bn blackhole.
This month in Parliament, the Health Secretary set out his new timetable, confirming the new Hillingdon Hospital project would be included in wave 1, with construction work due to get fully underway in 2027-28.
While this is to be welcomed, I am deeply disappointed by the unnecessary delay to the rebuild, which has been entirely of the Government's own making. Residents will be aware that funding had been secured under the previous Government and Hillingdon Council had granted planning permission for the site last year, with pre-construction works already in progress ahead of the election in July.
In his statement, I asked the Health Secretary to offer his apologies to constituents who have been unfairly impacted by this delay. I was disappointed by his response, which only offered more deflection. You can view my question and the Health Secretary's response here.
Of course, I will continue to make representations on behalf of residents who will benefit from the new Hillingdon Hospital to ensure that the project is delivered in the time promised.
Heathrow Expansion
This month, the Chancellor announced her full-throated endorsement of Heathrow’s plans to add a third runway.
We have been here before; I was involved in the long-running campaign to halt the airport’s expansion which was vindicated by the Court of Appeal’s ruling in 2020 that expansion was unviable. This decision was welcome across the board and was supported by Sir Keir Starmer when he was leader of the opposition. With expansion seemingly put on hold indefinitely, it was disappointing to learn that the Chancellor was seeking to reopen the divisions caused during the campaign against expansion.
In an Urgent Question – tabled by the Conservative Opposition – I pressed the Minister for Aviation about the Government’s proposals. I highlighted the Chancellor’s hypocrisy by opposing the expansion of Leeds Bradford airport in her constituency, as well as the damages that Heathrow expansion will have on my constituents.
My contribution can be watched here.
Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill
There is much to welcome in the Government’s new Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, building on important work that was underway under previous governments. However, beneath some welcome additions in safeguarding, there are some concerning measures that will undermine schools across the constituency.
In particular, I am glad that this administration has sought to build on the family group conferencing model by introducing family group decision making. These changes will ensure that families will have a greater say in the development of their relatives. Working with a wider support group, parents and close relatives will be able to address the particular concerns they have with their child’s welfare. We have seen in local trials that this helps children overcome difficulties and encourage positive outcomes.
In my short remarks, which can be viewed here, I made sure to mention the issue of reasonable chastisement. This is a matter I raised with the Deputy Prime Minister following the deaths of Dwelaniyah Robinson and Sara Sharif. There is yet to be movement on this issue, and I am disappointed that further steps haven’t been taken through this legislation.
Concluding my remarks, I turned to the calls for a national inquiry into the grooming gangs found in towns across the UK. I was glad to learn that both the Minister responsible and the Prime Minister are open-minded about a national inquiry to investigate these complex cases, but we have now seen this is largely limited in scope. I know from my inbox that a number of constituents want to see a thorough inquiry into this matter and should one happen, I would hope that all perpetrators are exposed and all victims are protected.
Water (Special Measures) Bill
The Government has introduced some welcome measures that build on existing legislation to tidy up our waterways. Residents are very aware of the dangers of poor water quality in our local water bodies. This is of particular concern in the River Colne as it crosses the western border of the constituency.
The previous Conservative Government took measures to ensure that water quality was effectively monitored. Prior to 2010, little was publicly known about the state of our waterways as there was little interest expressed by Labour Ministers in assessing the quality of our water.
I was proud to support my constituency neighbour, Joy Morrisey, as she tabled her two amendments to further improve local waterways. Amendment 3 would have prohibited any overflows in river areas, such as the Colne or Thames, that are used for aquatic sports. This would give water used for aquatic sports the same protection as that used for bathing. It would establish clear consequences for water companies and their chief executives where they fail to comply with a clear duty to protect the water.
My intervention can be watched here.
Holocaust Memorial Day 2025
This month's Holocaust Memorial Day marked the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, which has rightly been commemorated in Parliament.
As co-Chair of the APPG on British Jews, it was a privilege to contribute to a service hosted by the Speaker in Parliament. I read Never Shall I Forget from Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel’s memoir Night. The poem is a deeply moving account of his first night at the the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. This was an important opportunity for reflection and remembrance, and I was honoured to be asked to take part.
I also paid tribute to victims and survivors, including constituent Paul Sved, in my contribution to the Holocaust Memorial Day debate and signed the Holocaust Education Trust's Book of Commitment.
You can read more about Holocaust Memorial Day 2025 here.
Shadow Ministerial Work
Business relating to my Shadow Ministerial portfolio has continued in Westminster this month, and I am pleased to share some of that with you below.
Renters' Rights Bill
The Government is determined to use its large majority to force the damaging Renters' Rights Bill while ignoring the warnings of the sector. As I have outlined before, the UK enjoys extremely high levels of satisfaction within the rented market. The vast majority of renters and landlords enjoy mutually beneficial relations whereby tenants can rent safely and securely, while landlords absorb the risks associated with owning property.
The Bill, as it stands, will overturn the industry as landlords leave in their droves. I am glad that the Government has listened to some of the concerns MPs raised during the committee stage but unfortunately, the Bill is not fit for purpose.
In an attempt to avoid the most damaging aspects of the Bill, I tabled a series of amendments during the report stage of the Bill. If these amendments had been accepted, renters would have been given greater flexibility and landlords would have been felt more secure renting their properties out.
Non-Domestic Rating Bill
It became abundantly clear that the Labour Government had manufactured a £2.4 billion black hole in the local government budget. To fill this, the Government is planning on rising the taxes on companies and organisations whether they are on the high street or out of town. They intend to do this through the Non-Domestic Rating Bill (NDR).
Sadly, this Bill will burden small and medium-sized businesses across the UK with higher taxes and undermine the excellent work being done by local authorities to foster local entrepreneurship and resilient high streets. The NDR will have real world impacts on all manner of businesses, from production firms with warehouses, to sports stadiums and pub, a great number of premises will be forking out greater sums to satisfy Labour’s political choices.
Having completed its committee stage, the NDR came back before the House. I tabled a series of sensible amendments designed to mitigate its impact and to ensure that Ministers revisit this legislation should it prove flawed. Sadly, the Government saw fit to slap down these amendments and the real concerns of the MPs from across the house who are only seeking to make it workable.
Urgent Questions
The Government published their agenda for reorganising council structures in England before Christmas and despite their promises, they have not been transparent about the process, or the costs associated with their decisions. With local elections scheduled to take place in May this year, councils are already incurring significant costs arranging for these to proceed. There is a very real threat that these councils are spending this money for events that will be cancelled in the coming weeks, which risks having a knock-on effect as this money could be better spent supporting local services.
To establish the facts, I pressed the Ministers through an Urgent Question earlier this month to publish which councils were to be reorganised and when he will make a decision on the elections scheduled for this year. You can watch this here.
Also this month, I asked Ministers whether they were planning on updating the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government's definition of extremism. This was necessary as Ministers have silently rolled back on the commitments of the previous administration. The definition of extremism was being used by the Government to assure that Departments weren’t platforming extremists and giving credence to their opinions.
Ministers assured me that they were working across Government to ensure that the entire apparatus of the state is best prepared to deal with extremism. I await further steps to be taken on this matter. My question to the Minister can be viewed here.
Oral Questions
As a Shadow Minister, I have a routine opportunity to press Ministers on their plans in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. During this month’s question time, I pushed Ministers on their decision to cripple local growth, as well as the rise in homelessness they have overseen since entering office.
Alarmingly, Companies House has revealed that the number of companies struck off from the register was 198,046 in the final three months of the year. This is the highest number of closures for 20 years, dwarfing those shut following the pandemic and even the financial crisis of 2008. I asked whether the Government would publish an impact report on businesses of the policies outlined in the Budget. Sadly, the Minister would not commit to such a measure.
Later in the same session, I asked Ministers about the concerning rise in homelessness. Despite the Government providing funding, St Mungo’s has reported a 27% rise in rough sleeping in London under this Government compared with the same period under the last Government. I asked the Minister to give councils greater flexibility to support homeless residents with appropriate steps to get them off the streets.
You can watch my contributions here.
As ever, my office is open and the team are on hand to help. If you require any assistance, please do not hesitate to get in contact.
Kind regards,
David
