I am pleased Reading Borough Council is building more council houses and I raised this during a debate on council funding.

It is a fundamental point of fairness that funding should be based on need, which is why I fully support the Government’s approach to the Local Government Finance Settlement.

Great to have the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, in Reading yesterday with Liv Bailey, MP for Reading West, Liz Terry, Leader of Reading Borough Council, Lead Councillors and our whole team. We had a very positive response on the doorstep, despite the damp weather. 🧵1/3

It was wonderful to attend the Reading Hong Kongers' Chinese New Year celebration, which was an amazing, colourful, celebration of the Lunar New Year. Good to attend with the Mayor of Reading, Alice Mpofu-Coles, and Yuan Yang, MP for Earley and Woodley.

It was important to meet board members from the Canal and Rivers Trust. I am working with the trust on improving access to local waterways and protecting the environment.

I would like to congratulate the staff and students at King’s Academy Prospect, it's great to see the school's outstanding work being recognised by the British Council.

I welcomed the range of measures the Labour Government is taking to support families with the cost of living, including lifting the 2 child cap on UC, the warm homes plan, the first rail fare freeze in 30 years, and many other measures.

My weekly update: 🏡 Opening new council houses in Coley 🏠 Warm Homes Plan 🪖 Armed Forces Bill ✉️ Protecting our Post Offices

This week I attended the opening of 46 new affordable, zero‑carbon homes at Wensley Road in Coley Park. I spoke to Matt Yeo, Lead Councillor for Housing, about the fantastic work that the council is doing to deliver high quality social housing projects like this one across the town.

I was pleased to welcome the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, Ed Miliband, to Reading today to visit the homes built by the council on the former Arthur Hill Pool site. 🧵1/3

I was delighted to welcome Ed Miliband to Reading, to visit key worker housing at the former Arther Hill Pool site. The high quality eco homes built by the council for public service workers have very low energy bills and affordable rents, helping people get homes of their own. 🧵1/2

The Royal British Legion, Reading Borough Council, and local organisations like The Forgotten British Gurkha Charity are playing a vital role supporting forces veterans. I paid tribute to them and asked for best practice from Reading to be shared across the country.

Labour is capping ground rents at £250 a year. This will mean big savings for over 5 million leaseholders. Labour is taking action where others failed.

I am proud that the Labour Government is supporting our veterans.

I welcomed the Government rejoining the Erasmus Scheme to offer new opportunities to young people and to support economic growth.

I welcomed the publication of the Warm Homes Plan, which will be a huge benefit to residents across Reading, and demonstrates the level of ambition this Labour Government has for improving the housing stock in the UK.

We must never forget the lessons of The Holocaust, which is why it was a solemn privilege to sign The Book of Commitment. I want to thank The Holocaust Educational Trust for their vital work and I would like to offer my wholehearted support. Learn more here: www.het.org.uk/26-book-of-c...

It was important to listen to the Danish Government's concerns about Greenland, when I visited Denmark as part of a delegation of MPs. The future of Greenland is a matter for the people of Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark. 🧵1/3

Last week I visited the Royal Berkshire Hospital with Ashley Dalton, the Minister for Public Health. Across England, the NHS saw the waiting list fall by more than 86,000 in November to 7.31 million, that’s the second biggest drop in 15 years.

My weekly update: 🏥 Welcoming the Minister for Public Health to the RBH 🎭 Campaigning for Reading Gaol to become an arts & heritage hub 📢 Raising local issues in Parliament

I was delighted to welcome Ashley Dalton, the Minister for Public Health at the Royal Berkshire Hospital. Since July 2024, NHS waiting lists have fallen by 312,000, and November saw the second biggest monthly drop in NHS waiting lists in 15 years. That’s the difference a Labour Government makes.

The most ambitious SEND training package in our country’s history. Every child in every nursery, school & college across England will be taught by staff who can support a range of needs. Labour is building schools where every child can achieve & thrive. www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...

The Ukrainian Community Centre in Reading is doing incredibly important work to preserve Ukrainian language, culture and heritage, and I was pleased to recognise this work in Parliament.

It was good to be able to show my support for Jamaica at the Hurricane Melissa Disaster Appeal Upholding Service. The church service at St Michael's Church was part of the campaign to support Jamaica which many local organisations have been running to raise funds. 🧵1/2

It was a privilege to meet Tutu's mum at the open mic night at Tutu's cafe in East Reading. Mama was able to visit her family after I asked the Home Office to look into its initial decision not to grant her a visa.

I paid tribute to the great work by Labour locally to make bus routes available to more rural communities who often lack access to regular public transport.

The PM's visit on Monday reported in the Reading Chronicle. Great to hear more about how the Government is helping residents with the cost of living, with key policies like the freeze in rail fares and help with energy bills.

During a debate on the UK Town of Culture competition I highlighted much of the wonderful heritage we are so fortunate to enjoy including Reading Abbey, Reading Gaol, and our links to the writer Jane Austen. I also highlighted my campaign to turn Reading Gaol into an arts and heritage hub.

It was great having the Prime Minister in Reading and to speak with residents about the Government’s work to stand up for communities like ours. If there any issues that you would like to raise, please contact me using the details provided at the end of this video.

It was an honour to host the Prime Minister in Emmer Green this morning alongside my colleagues Yuan Yang MP and Liv Bailey MP. 🧵1/2

It was a privilege to be able to show my support for Stuart and Amanda Stephens and their family at this very difficult time. Yesterday's event was a wonderful tribute to Olly. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

I would like to let constituents know that my office will be closed from 24 December to 5 January. I hope that everyone has a safe and restful Christmas, but those who need support over the holidays can find some useful contact details below.

I’m concerned by media reports that Reading F.C. has been served with a winding-up petition amid an ongoing dispute. 🧵1/2

Important work from the Government to help IT sub contractors who were affected by the loan charge. I thanked Treasury Minister, Dan Tomlinson, for his work on this, which will help many residents who work in tech.

I was pleased to visit The Abbey School this morning to attend their Jane Austen coffee morning as part of her 250th year anniversary. The school took its name in honour of Jane Austen, to keep the memory alive of the old house in Abbey Gateway where she was a pupil.

The Labour Government is freezing rail fares for the first time in 30 years, while Great British Railways will simplify ticketing and payment options to improve journeys for rail users.

Great to welcome Georgia Gould, the Minister for School Standards, to River Academy last week for an important SEND event with insights from parents, teachers and the voluntary sector. It was incredibly helpful for the Minister and I to hear directly from these stakeholders.

My weekly update including information on: 🚅 The Railways Bill 🎨 Reading Gaol arts centre campaign 📚 SEND Regional Engagement Event

It was interesting to visit the Royal Mail and to meet depot manager, Dan Harvey and our wonderful team of local posties.

I spoke about the importance of community based arts organisations and arts education in schools, as well as my campaign to turn Reading Gaol into an arts and heritage hub.

The Labour Government is freezing rail fares for the first time in 30 years, while Great British Railways will simplify ticketing and payment options to improve journeys for rail users.

We’ve been working with the Co-op to collect food to support the work of ReadiFood and New Beginnings Reading, two fantastic local organisations helping those facing financial hardship. 

Thanks to everyone who organised the event, and the large number of shoppers who donated food. 🧵1/2

I would like to congratulate the winners of my Reading Central Small Business competition - Madoo, Walk Works, Kamal’s Kitchen, Nylon Hair Artists, The Greyfriar and Eclectic Games. 🧵1/3

My weekly update including:
 🏬 Small Business Saturday 🚃 Promoting public transport 🌆 Constituency work

New jobs and housing are being created in Reading due to the Elizabeth Line, and more growth could come from improving services to Oxfordshire. I spoke about this during a recent debate in Parliament.