The UK has sanctioned Kyrgyz officials who were allegedly helping Russia evade sanctions after I wrote a letter alongside other MPs, urging action. The cryptocurrency A7A5 was used as a loophole to fund Putin’s brutal war in Ukraine. 1/2

I’ll be in Leigh on Monday 29th June for an evening of conversation and questions. 🕥18:30 – 20:00 18:30 – short introduction 18:45 – 20:00 – open Q&A 1/2

Alan Milburn’s recent report says that young people with SEND are 80% more likely to be NEET (not in education, employment, or training). 1/3

I’ll be joined by a senior Lib Dem as well as Steve Wotton and Paul Follows – the new leaders of East and West Surrey Council for our next SEND coffee morning. This will be in Horley on the 5th June (exact location TBA) between 9:30am – 11am. 1/2

Leading academic, John Van Reenen, has highlighted the growth in UK productivity to an annualised rate of 1.6% and the productivity measures the government has taken, including investment in research and development (R&D). 1/3

The current student loan system is not working for graduates. Many are paying more in interest than their actual loan and the government have frozen the repayment income threshold for Plan 2 loan graduates, meaning they'll pay it back sooner. 1/2

The unauthorised mountain of waste by Dorking West station is still there, even though the deadline to clear it has passed. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... 1/2

Dorking needs a fast train once a day for commuters, which doesn’t impact stations up the line. 1,900 people signed my petition asking for this. South Western Railway told me they will look into it.  1/2

The OBR penalises the government for the upfront costs of long term policy making without showing the benefits because their forecast horizon is five years. 1/3

Schools in my constituency are closing because families can’t afford to move to the area. We need to build more affordable housing whilst also protecting the environment. 1/2

Our next SEND coffee morning will be on the 5th of June in Horley (exact location TBA) between 9:30am – 11am. I will also be joined by a senior lib dem.  1/2

I’ll be in Leigh on Monday 29th June for an evening of conversation and questions. 🕥18:30 – 20:00 18:30 – short introduction 18:45 – 20:00 – open Q&A 📍Leigh Village Hall, Bunce Common Road, Leigh, RH2 8NP.  1/2

As we left my grandmother’s funeral, they played Fred Astaire’s “The way you look tonight”, a song she loved and danced to with British soldiers. I was so proud that she was decorated as a nurse after D- Day. 1/2

So excited to work with our new East Surrey Council Leader Steve Wotton and Deputy Kirsty Hewens, once the new unitary authority takes over from next April, to deliver on the hopes of so many in East Surrey... 1/2

Bookham only has one train per hour to London since the pandemic. I asked South Western Railway for more trains to stop there. They told me they will look at this after a public consultation on timetable changes in the Autumn.

There are many reasons why the Liberal Democrat’s won Surrey, but one is the extraordinary courage which so many SEND families have shown sharing their private agonies with ITV, the BBC and The Times. 1/3

East Surrey Lib Dem gain!!!! So proud that Surrey has rejected the politics of division and chose the politics of hope. We know we have a particular responsibility on Special Educational Needs and Disabilities and an opportunity to improve the lives of so many Surrey families. 1/2

Unauthorised land developments are a challenge in Surrey. A chronic shortage of authorised sites means many Gypsy and Traveller communities have no lawful place to live, so some developments are built outside planning regulations. 1/2

The rubbish site in West Dorking has had its permit removed after I complained to the Environment Agency. This has been a blight for Dorking residents for years. Lib Dem councillors have already managed to get the noisiest machines removed. 1/2

Dorking Banking Hub will permanently move into the old NatWest building in the next few months. This brings a key high street site back into use and is great news for local businesses and residents. Thank you to Councillor Cooksey and the Dorking BID for your work on this.

I spoke to School’s Week about how the government’s SEND reforms are likely to fail unless they address the appalling organisational culture of local authorities on SEND. 1/2

Some individual train tickets have almost tripled after contactless was introduced, despite the government committing to freezing prices. I raised this with train operating companies, TfL and the government. 1/2

People aren’t receiving their pensions after Capita took over civil service pensions last December. They are struggling to pay bills and don’t hear from Capita about when they’ll receive anything, often spending hours on the phone waiting. 1/2

My thoughts are with the victims and their families after the horrific attack yesterday in North London. Extreme hate like this has no place in Britain today. 1/2

Investing in defence bonds is a powerful way to raise economic growth if done correctly. The Chancellor already agrees with me on the value of increasing investment in defence research and development (R&D). 1/5

Park home owners in my constituency tell me they have been pressurised into selling by site owners to collect 10% commission. Many feel the law does not go far enough to protect them from this. This commission doesn’t happen with other home sales and should be abolished.

Betchworth Water Tower is now fixed after I asked SES to put it back in service. This is great news for Box Hill residents. Covered here in Surrey Live: https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/power-cuts-left-box-hill-33824474 .

Speaking with SEND parents about what an ethical local authority in East Surrey on SEND in a resource constrained environment might look like. 1/2

I'll be in Abinger on Monday between 19:30 -21:00.  I look forward to seeing you all there!

I spoke to the Guardian about how the government must take action over officials in Kyrgyzstan who are allegedly helping Russia evade sanctions. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/23/take-action-over-officials-in-kyrgyzstan-helping-russia-evade-sanctions-mps-and-peers-say

The Times has shared research by Professor Paolo Surico showing how, if defence spending is focused on defence research and development and implemented correctly, it could raise the most effective driver of long term economic growth (R&D) and help end the economic stagnation ... 1/2

The Sunday Telegraph, The Times and the Daily Mail is reporting that the Chancellor is considering issuing war bonds. I have been urging the Chancellor to do this for almost eighteen months on the Treasury Committee, in meetings with Ministers and speaking in the Chamber. 1/4

It’s outrageous that Berkley Homes have u-turned on their commitment to build a new Howard school, affecting 100s of children in my constituency. I continue to support the work of the Howard School’s MP, Zöe Franklin, to ask the Government to intervene and challenge Berkley Homes. 1/2

Flooding into people’s homes in Fetcham has been fixed after local councillors and I pushed Thames Water to act. Blocked drains caused sewage to back up, and residents were ignored for years by Thames Water and Surrey Highways, with both passing blame to each other. 1/2

Really pleased Betchworth Water Tower is back in service, ahead of schedule and after £600k of work by SES. I asked SES to fix the tower after people told me about frequent water outages at a village hall event. Thank you to SES.

On Friday the United States agreed to extend the partial lift on sanctions on Russian oil exports. I asked the government if they agree that this decision helps Russia fund their illegal and murderous war in Ukraine, working directly against national security interests. 1/2

I'll be in Abinger between on Monday 27th April between 19:30 - 21:00 for an evening of conversation and questions. 1/2

Our next SEND parent/carer support coffee morning will be on Monday 27th of April at Horley Community Centre between 10 - 12:00pm. I look forward to seeing you all there.

Horley Arts Festival are hosting some great events between the 16th and 28th of April www.horleysurrey-tc.gov.uk/events

At my SEND coffee morning, covered on ITV, parents expressed a wave of anger about cuts to their children’s legal protections from Local Authority misconduct and Surrey County Council’s lawbreaking to the School’s Minister Georgia Gould. This included a mum whose daughter lost her life. 1/3

Green innovation offers hope to tackle climate change without lowering living standards. Research from Nobel Laureate Philippe Aghion and John Van Reenen shows that green firms are short of credit. 1/2

The Times is reporting EY findings that increased defence spending could raise GDP by £30bn a year. In the 2025 Spring Statement the Chancellor used academic research I’d suggested from London Business School’s Paolo Surico on defence research and development... 1/2

I’m deeply disturbed that the Law Gazette has reported that Labour MPs have received suggestions to tell the Education Secretary that there is ‘relief’ from parents that the government is strengthening support in response to the current consultation on the SEND White Paper. 1/2

Dorking is only 21 miles from London, yet it takes an hour to travel there by train. 1,900 people signed my petition calling for a fast train and in response, South Western Railway said they will look into it. I will also be meeting with the Rail Minister to discuss this further.

After a successful event in Horley on Monday, I’ll be in Abinger on Monday 27th April for an evening of conversation and questions. 🕥19:30 – 21:00 19:30 – short introduction 19:45 – 21:00 – open Q&A  1/2

The UK is the third highest defence spender in NATO, but our actual defence capability and output suggests otherwise. I asked the Chancellor to join Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s calls for the UK to participate in charter negotiations... 1/2

Looking forward to seeing everyone tonight in Horley. If you are planning on driving to the event, please make sure you park at the Innes Pavilion Car Park nearby, as Horley Baptist Church car park has limited spaces. The nearest bus stop is opposite the church car park on Court Lodge Road.

The pothole by Debbie’s house was filled last month but is already disintegrating. A new one has appeared next to it. Like many, she is sick of spending a fortune in council tax for pothole-ridden roads. 1/2

Delighted and relieved that the government has finally committed to change the law on this. A major step forward for protecting young people, and a testament to the efforts and determination of Fiona Laskaris and Chris Coghlan 👇

I said that Fiona Laskaris would succeed in changing the law that prevented her from saving her autistic son Christopher from murder in my maiden speech. Tonight, on national ITV news, Wes Streeting the Health Secretary confirmed that the Mental Capacity Act will indeed be reformed. 1/3