Absolutely amazing to see the Poppies on the Pier at Southend Pier - it's a poignant and fitting tribute to honour the sacrifices of all of those who gave their tomorrows so we could live freely today. Please do visit the Pier and take a moment to reflect - with 110,471 poppies to admire.

📨 You Have 1 New Message! 📨 Great to get such great feedback from @bphillipsonmp.bsky.social on the new breakfast club at Our Lady of Lourdes Primary School, as well as hear more about the brilliant work we are doing for local children and families in Southend West and Leigh! More to do!

🏠 The Renters' Rights Act is securing stronger rights and protections for more than 10,000 households here in Southend West and Leigh. 🔑 Abolish 'no fault' evictions 🗓️ Give renters the right to end tenancies with 2 months’ notice 🔒 Protect legitimate landlord interests

This year, I dedicated my tribute in the Speaker's Constituency Garden of Remembrance to the crew of the Renown - one of the six ships that left Leigh to Dunkirk to rescue soldiers during World War II. Tragically, the Renown did not return home and its four crew were lost.

Please see below my statement on the recent Well-Led Report on Southend Hospital.

🎆🐶 Tomorrow is Bonfire Night and it's a night I have mixed feelings about. I think fireworks can be great for families and provide fab community entertainment! But I also have to worry about my dog, Lotti. I wanted to share some really useful advice from @dogstrust.bsky.social 🎆🐶

Homelessness in Southend is something I'm contacted about daily - and my team and I do our very best to support those in need alongside the Council. I'm proud that the Labour Government and this Labour-led Council are taking action to help prevent homelessness across Southend.

🎄🎅✉️ One Week To Go! ✉️🎅🎄 I'm looking for a brand new fabulous design to be my Christmas Card this year! Please do send in any entries to me at [email protected] with name, age, parents' contact email, and their school (if applicable) by 10 November!

🚪✊ REACHING OUT IN ST. LAURENCE, BLENHEIM, & WESTBOROUGH ✊🚪 This weekend, the team and I were hitting the ground running, chatting with folks on the doorstep in St. Laurence, Blenheim, and Westborough chatting to residents.

MOVEMBER STARTS TODAY! Men's mental health is massively important to me. It's personal, because like many I have lost someone close to me to suicide. I will keep working with key stakeholders to champion good Men's mental health and start to drive a positive change.

❗️ What have I been up to this week? ❗️🗓️ As well as what I've already posted this week, I've had a number of meetings and visits - check out my newest Weekend Roundup to find out more! (And yes, I really am going to growing a moustache this November #Movember!)

🎃🐈‍⬛🍬 Happy Halloween Southend West & Leigh! 🍬🐈‍⬛🎃 Whether you're spending the night with a tub of sweets watching Hocus Pocus, catching up with friends at a party, or taking the kids out trick-or-treating, I hope you have a great evening. Remember - stay safe and have fun!

🧩🤝 This week I met with Georgia Gould, the Minister for School Standards, to discuss my #SeeEveryNeed report, brimming with submissions from parents, professionals, and charities in Southend West & Leigh about the need for vital SEND reform. More info to come soon! 🤝🧩

This is great news! Proud to be part of the party that delivered biggest the change to sexual health services since the 1960s and a major advance for women’s reproductive health! www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

‼️ I recently took a walk down Hazelwood Grove to see for myself the environmental hazard caused by the Metrow Foods warehouse, which was damaged by a fire in August. I'm chairing an urgent meeting on this on Friday with residents and the Council. Updates to come.‼️

🚪✊ CHECKING IN WITH ST. LUKE'S ✊🚪 This weekend, the team and I were back out on the doors in St. Luke's chatting to residents. 🚗 People spoke to me about their concerns around road safety and parking, which we will be taking up with the Council and seeing how we can help.

Delighted to join the Leigh-on-Sea Royal British Legion at The IronWorks this weekend for the launch of this year's Poppy Appeal! It's crucial that we pick up a poppy and donate to the fantastic work of the RBL as we commemorate sacrifice and service.

🚮♻️ It's Bin Day for residents in Southend West and Leigh! From today, the new waste service with wheely bins is in use. You can find out more at: www.southend.gov.uk/BinsFAQs

☕️ I was delighted to attend the opening of South Street Bar and Coffee Lounge this week!🍹 Located in the city centre, it is great to see new independent businesses opening which all residents will benefit from! Good luck to the whole team! 🍻

🥐 I was delighted to see the announcement of partnerships supporting the rollout of our free breakfast clubs including Sainsbury's Morrisons Weetabix Magic Breakfast 🍳Our breakfast clubs are saving parents around £450 a year and ensuring kids start the day with food in their belly, ready to learn

💧Great to see Labour empowering the Environment Agency with stronger powers to hold water companies to account. Labour’s plan: 💧tougher penalties 💧no unfair bonuses 💧£104 billion to fix our water infrastructure 💧bringing forward systemic reform

🫂Sudden deaths from fatal food allergies are a tragedy, so I was pleased to support the UK’s food allergy charity’s event, to learn more about how to keep people with severe allergies safe. #makeallergyhistory

Really enjoying my first-hand insight into the military. ⚓️🛟I am so impressed by their professionalism and bravery and I pay tribute to the huge contribution they make to keep us all safe.⚓️🛟 #royalnavy

🌟🔥🎉Happy Diwali! Wishing you joy, prosperity and light in your life. 🌟🔥🎉 🌟🔥🎉Best wishes for a bright and beautiful Diwali. 🌟🔥🎉

🪏On Saturday I visited the Springfield Drive Allotments Fundraising Day for Trust Links Charity. 🌾 A wonderful site with over 200 plots and lots of home grown goodness! I was shown round by Chair Trevor Varney before being asked to judge the Pumpkin competition!

Last night it was a pleasure to attend Southend’s Black History Month celebration organised by Kultureverse. I had the chance to speak about the great contribution black people have made to the UK including my own Grandad and Great Grandad. #BlackHistoryMonth

Great to be out and about in St Luke’s, St Laurence and Westborough wards today chatting to residents. Thanks to everyone who took the time to speak to us!

🇺🇦 It was an honour yesterday to meet with Ruslan Stefanchuk, the Speaker of the Ukrainian Parliament, in Westminster. As well as meeting with him alongside the Ukraine APPG, I made it clear in the Commons Chamber that Putin must foot the bill for the damage he has done. 🇺🇦

Great to join fellow MPs from across the House to mark #BlackHistoryMonth with the Speaker. Thanks for the invite, @commonsspeaker.parliament.uk!

Four years ago today, Southend lost its most dedicated public servant with the murder of Sir David Amess. My thoughts today are with Sir David's family, his friends, and all those who knew and miss him across communities.

In Parliament today, I met with Anna and Roger from Speak Their Name to discuss the incredible work they do on both raising awareness of those who are bereaved by suicide but also fostering a strong community and signposting to support. Find out more: speaktheirname.org/home/

🍼👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 So pleased that after months of discussions and campaigning, I've secured £132,000 investment to open a Best Start Family Hub in Southend by April 2026. This is just the start, with more investment and more exciting developments on the way - watch this space! 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦🍼

🎄🎅✉️ Competition Time! ✉️🎅🎄 I know it's mid-October but here's some (very!) early festive fun! If your child is of primary school age and would like to add some artistic Christmassy flair to my Christmas Card this year, please do take part! I already know it's going to be tricky choosing the winner!

My journey through the Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme continued recently with a visit to the Royal Marines Commando Centre in Devon. It was a privilege to witness trainees going through the immensely challenging course and to be part of the Passing Out Parade of some of the successful recruits

Last night we went to see Leigh Operatic and Dramatic Society’s production of The Band! Well what can I say! For an amateur production the show was simply outstanding! Well done to Director Nicki, the cast and all the crew for a fun filled and emotional night! Next show - Guys and Dolls in May!

Today @greateranglia.bsky.social joins c2c in public ownership before soon becoming part of Great British Railways. There will be many benefits of train and track being run together which will ultimately lead to a better, more consistent service for the public! #greatbritishrailways

At the end of #LAB25 I was delighted to be a part of the Labour YIMBY reception hosted with LGBT Labour and AKT. We need to drive down homelessness and also address the very unique issues of LGBT homelessness.

Yesterday I joined The Mayor of Southend as he raised the #BlackHistoryMonth flag over Porters. I am delighted to see our city recognising this important month of celebrations.

🏘 I'm so delighted to hear that Southend City Council is getting £739,352 additional funding from the Labour Government to help support those who are currently facing or at risk of homelessness. Everyone is entitled to a roof over their head and the Government is taking proper action. 🏘

The ceasefire and hostage deal is incredibly welcome. What happens next must be sustainable, secure, and fair.

🧠❤️ Today is #WorldMentalHealthDay We must prioritise and invest in good mental health across communities - and this is an area I'm particularly passionate about. Anyone who needs support can contact Samaritans completely confidentially and free of charge by calling 116 123. 🧠❤️

🏳️‍🌈As many will know I am a big supporter & champion of the LGBTQ+ community 🏳️‍⚧️ At Party conference I attended the LGBTQ+ brunch & reaffirmed my commitment. I enjoyed meeting with @stonewalluk CEO Simon Blake & @TransLucent_Org discussing the challenges facing the community!

🏦🖼️ Extra investment in our local museums? Yes please! I'm really pleased that the Museum Renewal Fund is investing in Southend Museum Service as one of 75 museum organisations benefitting from new grants from the Labour Government - something I've been pushing for. 🖼️🏦

I have voted for Bridget Phillipson for Deputy Leader. We need a deputy who will unite the party, who is sat round the cabinet table and who has a proven track record of driving forward real change. I believe Bridget ticks all of these boxes and would encourage other members to support her too!

Final download of charities and amazing organisations I met with at your request at #LAB25 🙏🏽Guide Dogs UK 🙏🏽Animals Matter 🙏🏽The Scouts with HSBC delivering financial education 🙏🏽Magic Breakfast

My second round of great charities and organisations who I spent time with at your request at #LAB25 Shout outs to 👏🏽Gambling With Lives 👏🏽Samaritans 👏🏽StepChange Debt Charity 👏🏽Pancreatic Cancer UK Thanks for the great work you do!

May the remaining hostages be returned and this appalling conflict come to an end. I continue to pray for peace.

🔑We're making buying a home easier for hardworking people. Proposed new changes will: ✅ Provide upfront property information ✅ Save first-time buyers £710 on average ✅ Cut process by 4 weeks ✅ Halve failed transactions Find out more here: www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

🏥 Over the weekend I was out around the constituency with councillors & volunteers sharing Labour’s actions on the NHS including 5,000,000 extra appointments since coming into Government - well above the 2m planned We were also delivering my Annual Report which will be landing on your doorstep soon

Community cohesion is so important & needed now more than ever. After spending time privately yesterday standing in solidarity with the Jewish community, today I attended the Southend Mosque open day. It’s heartwarming to see both these communities supporting each other.