The Use of Shops for Illegal Activities petition has now been presented to Parliament!
Many constituents have contacted me concerned that our local authorities have limited powers to tackle illegal activity and that efforts to do so are not always coordinated with local police.
Keep following this page for the next update.
Today, I hosted a roundtable in Parliament to hear from the real experts on SEND: parents and teachers.
Wonderful to be joined by the Minister for School Standards, Georgia Gould MP, who listened directly to headteachers and parents from Southgate and Wood Green on proposed reforms.
Thank you to everyone who attended and I look forward to following up on your concerns with the Department for Education. Your voices must be heard.
If you have SEND experience, please contribute to the consultation before it closes on the 18th of May: https://consult.education.gov.uk/…/send-reform-putting…/
I alongside other cross-party MPs and peers have urged the UK government to act on deforestation in an open letter to the Secretary of State for Business & Trade, and to the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
Our open letter calls for long-overdue regulations to end UK imports linked to illegal deforestation. Nearly five years after the Environment Act, the secondary legislation needed to make these protections real is still missing.
This is about more than forests, it’s about business certainty, human rights, and aligning with global standards. Major UK retailers and chocolate producers are already calling for clear, robust rules, and regulation that delivers both fairness and clarity across supply chains.
Read the letter below.
I know that our community in Southgate and Wood Green are concerned about the suspected use of shops for illegal activity on our highstreets.
I have heard from many of my constituents about what this means to them and how it is making them feel. Here are just some of the things I have heard from local residents:
“Longstanding local business owners I’ve spoken with — who have been here 15+ years — express the same concerns: that certain establishments appear to be operating as fronts rather than legitimate enterprises. These include barbers, cafés, nail bars, candy shops, and similar businesses, which are opening in numbers far beyond what seems commercially viable.”
“We are also seeing a constant cycle of shops advertising “Closing Down” banners, only to reappear under new management a few months later, repeating the same tactic.”
“Many residents, especially women, feel unsafe walking… The atmosphere surrounding these cafes is a threatening, unfriendly, unwelcoming one.”
Do you agree? It is time to show that our community is taking a stand.
That is why I have organised a petition calling for:
Keep following here for updates!
There must be an increased and coordinated effort to crack down on shops being used for illegal activities. Therefore, I am organising a petition for our community to show we are taking a stand.
I am taking signatures now!
Watch more below.
It was a pleasure to meet Alice, a student of Laurel Park School proudly living with PANS.
As part of the PANS PANDAS UK Youth Advisory Board, Alice came to Parliament to talk to MPs about Paediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome and her experience with it. It was great to hear from the experts about the impact of PANS on both physical and mental health, and what more support young people like Alice need from the Government.
We even got a photo with Glitch the Panda! Well done, Alice!
Please read the below letter I have signed with my colleagues calling for the new Modern Service Framework on Palliative and End of Life Care to deliver for the patients who need it.
It was wonderful to attend Chickenshed’s fantastic event this week, The Power of Co, hosted at Mercer’s Hall.
It was great to discuss the importance of collaboration between charities and local stakeholders, and the positive impact this can have on communities.
We are very lucky to have Chickenshed here in Southgate and Wood Green, a true asset to our community!
