A really positive start to Friday with business leaders, developers & local government talking about the growth potential for Peterborough. This is all about partnership - local leaders, Mayor, MPs & Government working together.

Hope and prayers for all those standing up for freedom in Iran. The courage of freedom.

I hosted the first of my New Year community Pride in Place meetings on the Welland this weekend. It is brilliant to be working with residents across Paston, Gunthorpe and Dogsthorpe to share ideas about how we should use the £20 million Pride in Place investment in the area over the next ten years.

I ended my first week back for the New Year with some of the team at Peterborough Foodbank. I am really pleased that the government has agreed to lift the two child benefit cap. This will help nearly 10,000 children across city. No child should have to go to bed cold or hungry.

First Town Hall surgery of the year. A busy mix of personal cases and city-wide issues today. Thanks to Katy & Noreen for joining me.

Getting young people off benefits and into work is the “cause of our times” Spot on @patmcfaddenmp.bsky.social And Labour Government making a start with the Youth Guarantee, skills & apprenticeships.

🇦🇺 Australian War Memorial 🇦🇺 It was a privilege to pay my respects at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra today. As we approach Remembrance Sunday I asked for time in my itinerary to pay my respects at the war memorial. It was a powerful tribute.

It was a privilege to join representatives of our Jewish community & other faiths this evening at Peterborough Cathedral following the antisemitic terror attack on the synagogue in Manchester. A powerful show of interfaith solidarity against hate & division 🙏 #BritainStandsTogether

⭐️ Helping Sue Ryder ⭐️ We all love Sue Ryder in Peterborough and know how important they are to so many families. So it was a pleasure to join the team at City of Peterborough Tennis Club again for their Sue Ryder fundraiser.

⭐️ Peterborough Lido ⭐️ It’s not all work no play. With friends in the city today, a visit to our Lido. A jewel we need to celebrate - especially as it turns 90 next year. 🏊🏊🏊🏊🏊

A well deserved win for Oakham Ales Green Devil at Peterborough Beer Festival today. A pleasure to be part of the CAMRA judging panel. Thanks to all the volunteers and brewers for another cracking day. ❤️💪🍺🙏🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 @camraofficial.bsky.social

Now here’s a Peterborough hero ❤️💪🙏 Always good to catch up with Cocoa Fowler from Food for Nought. Cocoa is a tireless worker - alongside his other volunteers- helping to match up surplus food to foodbanks and those in need. ❤️💪🙏

⭐️ VJ Day ⭐️ It was a privilege to join veterans, the Legion and civic leaders to commemorate VJ Day in Peterborough. Thank you to everyone coming together to pay tribute to this remarkable generation and our veterans. #VJDay

Good news ❤️🙏 I’m delighted that Laurel Court has received a funding boost from Historic England to help with the much-needed first steps in its restoration. Well done to the Peterborough a Cathedral team ❤️🙏

⭐️ Great to see Peterborough will be 1 of 12 areas to share in £8 million initial funding to improve youth services ⭐️ This is about investing in youth services and making them better for young people.

⭐️ July casework ⭐️ We had a little less casework in July after an exceptionally busy June. This gives a snapshot of one aspect of the work my team and I do. It is not all I do. These are the cases we pick up by email, on the phone and at my regular surgeries.

A wet start to the day but a warm welcome to everyone who came to my latest coffee morning at the Chestnuts Centre today.

Great to join the team at Flag Fen. We are lucky to have such an archeological gem on our doorstep in Peterborough. I also wanted to show my support after the event roundhouse fire. See below for details of their crowdfunder 👇 Lots to see and do. #Peterborough ☀️💪🙏❤️

⭐️ New gambling shop blocked ⭐️ Peterborough City Council has turned down the application to turn the former Wilko store into a gambling & fruit machine place. This is good news for the city. A huge thank you to everyone who has been in touch with me about it.

⭐️ Bluebell coffee afternoon ⭐️ Thanks to everyone who came along to the first of our summer coffee & chat events at the Bluebell Community Centre. Thanks also to this great team for helping the event to go smoothly. The NHS to antisocial behaviour to the Lido hot topics today.

Central Park paddling pool is finally open 💦🎉 Great to join the Mayor and councillors from across Peterborough for the official opening of Central Park paddling pool. I love this being my local park ❤️🙏

🚨 Police walkabout 🚨 Thanks to the local neighbourhood police team and Cllr Asif Shaheed for joining me in Itter Park this morning. These kind of briefings are useful to me in representing local concerns and understanding issues from a police point of view.

⭐️ Youth Guarantee ⭐️ Great to see extra helpers in place to support young people into work at City College Jobs Fair. Peterborough is getting extra support from government to help get young people into education, training & work.

This is such a great picture. It really shows the breadth of our community that came together today to celebrate Top Yard Boxing and Amir Khan. ❤️🙏💪🥊 Thanks to 203 Shots for the pic.

It was a pleasure to join Ukrainian friends for an evening at HELP recently. The support we have shown for Ukraine both as a country and to families staying locally speaks to the best of Peterborough. 🇺🇦🇬🇧🇺🇦🇬🇧🇺🇦🇬🇧

I am passionate about apprenticeships. So it was good to meet Waitrose staff in Peterborough to learn more about their training and apprenticeship opportunities. As well as learning more about their brilliant work supporting local charities.

A good day for Peterborough 🙏 Today I joined the police to help launch two new neighbourhood teams💪 This is part of Labour’s Neighbourhood Police Guarantee which is bringing more officers to streets like ours. Working together for change.

The rapid uncontrolled growth of adult gaming centres says a lot about the decline of our high streets. We need power to take back control and to update gambling rules. @byrobdavies.bsky.social @theguardian.com 👉 www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

We need more blue-collar Labour, less Blue Labour. My take on why economic pride matters for @labourlist.bsky.social labourlist.org/2025/07/comm...

Much to like in my friend @andrewpakes.bsky.social’s piece on why Blue Labour misses the mark labourlist.org/2025/07/comm...

It's #NationalRetailWorkersDay There are 2.8 million jobs in retail, accounting for close to 10% of all jobs in the British economy. Thanks to everyone stocking, serving & helping people in Peterborough. Thanks & respect. @usdawunion.bsky.social

June was our busiest month for casework. This is the bread & butter as an MP. Helping residents & taking up cases whether that is local housing concerns, problems with antisocial behaviour or challenging utility bills. Thanks to my team and everyone who has been in touch 🙏

A privilege to join the Mayor, civic leaders, service personnel and veterans at raising of the flag for #ArmedForcesWeek today #Peterborough

This is it. Rebuilding Britain starts with rebuilding opportunities. In places like Peterborough too many young people have been written off. Decent jobs & apprenticeships are the foundation for growth & prosperity. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

A glorious Armed Forces Day families event on Saturday in the square. We have deep bonds with our armed forces and their families in Peterborough. Thanks to everyone to who helped make the day so special 🙏

I love welcoming Peterborough guests to ‘the office’ so it was a privilege to welcome Mayor Cllr Judy Fox and Cllr John Fox to Parliament today.

Yet more worrying evidence about impact of adult gaming centres. We need better rules to help councils and communities stop the rot. Another reason I will keep on campaigning on this. www.theguardian.com/society/2025/jun/17/adult-gaming-centres-failing-to-help-problem-gamblers-self-exclude

This week I joined police as they seized e-scooters being illegally used in the city centre. I get messages about this from across the city, including where people have been hurt. I’ve raised the issue with the Minister and police so it was good to see action being taken.

We need a muscular skills policy at the heart of the government’s plans. Muscular because for too long apprenticeships and skills have been a nice to have, not a necessary condition of prosperity. @politicshome.bsky.social www.politicshome.com/opinion/arti...

I was kept busy with this lot at my Dogsthorpe Surgery this morning. Nearly 40 people today with a mix of issues from the NHS to spending. As ever thanks to the hard work of Dogsthorpe councillors for helping to share the load.

Doing one of my favourite things today: meeting apprentices. Thanks to the BBC for bringing together production apprentices from across Cambridgeshire to chat about jobs in creative industries. We need more opportunities like this in Peterborough.

⭐️ Ba-ba-brilliant ⭐️ Top of the morning welcoming Shaun the sheep to Peterborough. We have a great summer of Shaun coming at Peterborough Cathedral ☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️

I had the privilege of a personal tour of Railworld wildlife haven this week with Brian to learn more about the volunteers and team behind the site. A model of Peterborough determination

⭐️ Faith in the city ⭐️ I had the pleasure to spend the morning with some of the congregation at the Dominion church on Park Road. Thanks to the Pastor and team for sharing their work with me. The breakfast club was busy first thing.

Making a splash at the season’s opening for Peterborough Lido today. Good to give a helping hand to councillors alongside Mayor Judy Fox. Let’s make this a sunny summer for the Lido ☀️🏊☀️🏊☀️ Thanks to Terry Harris capturing some pics

Starting Friday at Peterborough Food Summit with such a good group of councillors, businesses & community groups

Great to welcome so many people to Parliament yesterday to talk about life as an EU nationals living in the UK. Great to welcome a good bunch from Peterborough as well, including the amazing Snow.

There is growing support for the recognition of a Palestinian state amongst parliamentarians. Alongside Labour colleagues I have written to the government urging them to support recognition at the UN conference in June as a first step towards a durable peace and negotiations.

I loved starting my day meeting apprentices at London South Bank University. Growth, prosperity & social mobility will be fuelled by good quality apprenticeships.

Intensifying the misery and taking over Gaza is inexcusable. We need a return to a ceasefire to get the hostages home, get aid in and to bring an end to the horror. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/m...