Meeting with Director of Education Cannot Wait

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It was great to meet with Maysa Jalbout, the new Director of Education Cannot Wait, the UN’s global fund for education in emergencies, to discuss the UK’s ongoing commitment to children whose education has been disrupted by conflict, displacement, and climate disasters.

The UK is a founding donor of ECW and has committed £80 million over the period 2023 to 2026, making it the fund’s second-largest donor after Germany. Since its inception, ECW has reached 14 million children across 33 crisis-affected countries, with over half of them being girls.

At a time when more than 230 million school-age children worldwide are affected by crises, the work of ECW has never been more important. As Chair of the APPG for Global Education, I will continue to press for the UK to maintain its leadership on this issue, and I look forward to working with parliamentarians and civil society leaders to ensure education in emergencies remains a priority as the UK prepares to host the G20 Summit next year.

UN Tax Convention

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Recently, I wrote to the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury calling for a review of the UK’s position on the UN Tax Convention.

The UN tax convention is an opportunity for a fair and democratic global tax system, which could raise billions in revenue and reinstate its role and responsibility as a global leader in tackling international tax abuse. With current negotiations going ahead in New York, which are due to end in September 2027, it is vital that the UK show its support. 

I received significant cross-party support for this private letter and am pleased to share both my letter and the Treasury’s response below.

UN Tax Convention letter to the Treasury-Download
HM Treasury response to UN Tax Convention letter. pdfDownload

Enfield Dispatch Article

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Enfield Dispatch have reported on our petition and its presentation to Parliament.

Read the article here: Local MP calls for action over high street shops operating as ‘fronts’ for illegal activity – Enfield Dispatch

1st May 2026

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Read my weekly update here

Petition: Presented!

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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.

SEND Roundtable

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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…/

Regulations on Forest Risk Commodities

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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.

open-letter-about-forest-risk-commodity-regulationsDownload

24th April 2026

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Read my weekly update here

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Use of Shops for Illegal Activity

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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:

  • a framework for greater communication between trading standards officers and the police
  • greater enforcement powers for local authorities to crack down on shops being used for illegal activities
  • increased support for the work of trading standards officers and specialist financial investigators

Keep following here for updates!