It’s October which means it’s almost time for the Cabbage Patch 10! I'll be running for local charity The Purple Elephant Project, which provides vital play and art therapy for children struggling with their mental health, especially trauma. Please do support if you can

It was great to meet with so many charities and organisations over the course of the Liberal Democrat conference. Take a look below to see who I met with 👇

For the children who were abused and their parents, no sentence can ever be enough. They need support to recover from these sickening crimes, and I'll keep fighting to make all our nurseries safer. BBC News - Nursery worker jailed over abuse of 21 babies www.bbc.com/news/article...

Thames Water continues to waste bill payers’ money instead of investing in real solutions to fix our failing water industry. Beckton is a case in point & the Teddington TDRA is another. It’s time to clean up our water sector once & for all. Read my comments in The Guardian here:

Ming Campbell was a dedicated public servant and a true Liberal giant. His principled leadership opposing the Iraq War was a mark of his morality, courage and wisdom. But more than that, he was an incredibly warm and caring friend and colleague. We will miss him terribly.

We are overtaking the Conservatives and on the cusp of overtaking Labour too. More and more people are backing the Liberal Democrats to stand up to Reform and stop Trump’s America becoming Farage’s Britain.

Tucked away on Twickenham’s iconic Church Street is the Twickenham Club, which celebrated its 160th anniversary recently. Lovely to join Club President Lesley & others, and to see the painting by local artist Jonathan Madden unveiled by the Mayor of Richmond.

Lovely to have been invited to judge the baking competition at the Crane Road street party. So many beautiful cakes - and we managed to announce the winners just before the heavens opened!

Honoured to join the first ‘Pickleball with Purpose’ charity fundraiser, held at St Mary's University in aid of Richmond Mind. With many thanks to the three local residents who’ve set up this wonderful initiative. It was great fun for a great cause! www.pickleballwithpurpose.com

Last week, Parliament held a debate on the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund. It was encouraging to see MPs from across Parliament there to fight to protect vulnerable children after the Government cut their grants for therapy. (1/11)

Lovely day with residents & councillors for this year’s Moormead Picnic, which was all about making the park & sport as accessible as possible for everyone - from seated boccia to walking football. My kids and I had fun playing tennis with former paralympic coach, Mark!

With Twickenham police station front counter to be closed, residents will rightly be angry that @london.gov.uk knew back in November, despite his manifesto commitment to maintain front counters in all London boroughs. Today, I again urged the Government to fund the Met properly.

Great to meet with campaigners at the #FightForOrdinary rally ahead of the SEND debate later today. Families have waited too long for a system that works, the Government has to get this right.

📢❗Be aware that SWR are making changes to their timetable from Sunday 21 September to Saturday 13 December, with trains departing 1-5 minutes earlier. Find out more about the autumn timetable here:

Absolutely starstruck meeting the amazing Lucy Bronze! So many local grassroots sports clubs lack pitch space to hold training & fixtures. It was great to chat to the Football Foundation about opening more pitch space across our borough to inspire the next generation of sports stars.

The Chancellor can live in denial for as long as she wants, but expanding Heathrow is predicted to cost upwards of £40 billion. With Heathrow Airport Ltd in concerningly unsustainable debt, how can we believe that British taxpayers won't end up footing some of the bill?

The community in St Margaret’s got together for some fun events today to support the Moormead Pavilion. Moormead Park is like our communal garden and we need toilets and space for sports teams and schools that use the space. Thanks to @munirawilson.bsky.social for joining.

The Government is carrying out a national test of the Emergency Alerts system on Sunday at 3pm. Testing ensures the system is working should it need to be used in a life-threatening emergency. (1/2)

Face-to-face policing is vital for building trust & relationships. Yet over the summer, Sadiq Khan broke his pledge to keep a 24/7 police front counter in every borough. Today I called for an urgent debate on funding for the Met to preserve & protect community policing.

Absolutely brilliant night celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Landmark Arts Centre in Teddington. The legendary Ronnie Scott's house band was just phenomenal. Thanks to James, Harper & Amanda for their tireless work to keep this local cultural treasure alive & thriving. Photo @ Rob Addis

Integrity and hard work are important values that thousands of pupils have displayed receiving their A-levels and GCSEs in the past few weeks. Following the allegations of a made-up academic record, I wrote to Kemi Badenoch to ask her to come clean and share the full story.

"We want to make sure that all families have maximum choice and flexibility when it comes to childcare." @MuniraWilson.bsky.social

Congratulations to London Liberal Democrats for an incredible result in West Hampstead last night. Janet Grauberg will make a fantastic local councillor. Bring on the local elections next year!

Lib Dems make by-election gain from Labour in Keir Starmer’s backyard

Ed Davey is right to boycott Trump’s state banquet. The suffering in Gaza cannot be ignored. Trump has the leverage to bring peace - and Keir Starmer must urge him to act.

I'm boycotting the state banquet to send a message to both Donald Trump and Keir Starmer that they cannot close their eyes and wish away the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Donald Trump can stop this catastrophe in Gaza and get the hostages released. youtu.be/4MqPsjiage8

With the women's Rugby World Cup kicking off later today, I and the nation will be cheering on the Roses all the way to the final at Twickenham, as they take on the baton from our brilliant Lionesses' European success this summer. #RWC2025 #RedRoses

Only 5 days left to make your voices heard! If you're concerned about Thames Water's proposals to replace river water in Teddington with treated sewage, then make sure you respond to the consultation by the 26th August!

Congratulations to everyone getting their GCSE results today! Whether or not you got the results you wanted, you should still be proud of all the hard work that got you here. With A-Levels, T-Levels, BTECs and apprenticeships all at your fingertips, the world is your oyster!

I met the new SWR MD, Lawrence Bowman and station manager, Sam Lodge, retiring after 40 years of service, at Hampton station. I pressed the MD on increasing services on the Shepperton line, especially on Sundays, and the constant delays and cancellations. (1/3)

Thank you to the patients & carers at Hampton’s Neuro Rehab Practice for sharing their stories of how physiotherapy has helped with recovery after stroke, and ideas for how to improve care. Richard, Orlaith & team do amazing work to help patients physically & mentally.

The special educational needs and disabilities system needs reform, but any change must have children at its heart, not a Treasury drive for savings by removing rights in a vacuum. The Govt must put an end to rumours and come clean with families about its plans.

“Peaceful protest is a fundamental pillar of any liberal democracy, and this legislation is denying people that right.” @lisasmartmp.bsky.social writes to the Home Secretary to challenge the Terrorism Act 2000 - after terrorism powers were against peaceful protesters supporting Palestine Action. ⬇️

Good luck to students in Twickenham and across England waiting for A-Level and T-Level results today! You've worked hard and you should be very proud! (1/2)

The tragic cases of baby Gigi and the children at Twickenham Green Nursery must never be repeated. The Govt urgently needs to issue better early years guidance on safe sleep and the regular review of CCTV footage so we can prevent further tragedies.

Great to meet Noel, Chris and team of the St Margarets-based local business Sunvil, which specialises in tailor-made travel experiences. We talked about how the sector contributes to the economy & some of the pressures facing the industry post-Brexit and post-Covid.

The Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund helps give many children the best second chance at life, allowing them to re-learn how to trust adults. Cutting individual grants not only delays but harms that process.

If you’re concerned about Thames Water's proposals to replace river water in Teddington with treated sewage, don’t forget to respond to the statutory consultation by 26 August. Read my submission here: buff.ly/c7y7MuA & learn more here: buff.ly/FUtgVv1

Last week, I and my SW London Lib Dem colleagues wrote to the Government about cuts to many police station counters across London. I will continue to press the Government to fully fund the Met Police and not lose this vital service. @standard.co.uk.web.brid.gy www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/m...

The Gvt is trying to rush through Heathrow expansion proposals without answering crucial questions around the cost to the environment, people’s health & taxpayers’ pockets. I spoke to BBC Radio London about why we need a better Heathrow, not a bigger one.

Giving children the best start means giving parents genuine choice over whether to spend time at home or go back to work. @libdems.org.uk would double maternity and shared parental pay to £350 a week and give fathers a month's paternity leave.

If the Government wants to give every child the best start in life, it needs to make sure it properly funds childcare. Too many nurseries are at risk of collapse because of Labour's national insurance hike.

Abuse uncovered at Twickenham Green Nursery and the tragic case of baby Gigi must never be repeated. Ensuring CCTV is regularly monitored to spot and stop harm would be one important step forward. @libdems.org.uk will keep pushing to give parents confidence that nurseries are safe.

What a day! Twickenham was in its element for the always incredible High Tide music festival. Huge kudos to Kevin of Eel Pie Records for another amazing event. So much talent on display, including the young musicians on the Basement Door stage.

Shocking stats from @edupolicyinst.bsky.social reveal children with special educational needs are starting school further behind than ever. We need early intervention so every child has the support they need to learn. Ministers must commit some of their new funding to help children early.

Great to meet Steve & James, owners of the new Rose & Lion pub in the heart of Twickenham. We talked about the difficult challenges facing the hospitality sector, but also had a bit of fun in their amazing games space. Shuffleboard was a revelation!

Looking forward to tonight's game! Come on England! #Lionesses

Following the decision to close many police station counters across London, I and my SW London Lib Dem colleagues have written to the Home Secretary to express our concerns. To deliver on its promise to rebuild community policing, the Government must properly fund the Met.

The front counter at Twickenham Police Station is vital for reporting crime & building trust and relationships with the local community. I joined residents and councillors to speak out against plans that would see Twickenham Police Station’s front desk axed.

Earlier this week, I challenged the Government on their support for airport expansion given our rightly ambitious climate targets. With proposals for Heathrow due at the end of the month, it is vital the Government considers the cost to our environment.