I wanted to share some information on travel changes over the festive period from TfL, in case these are useful: tfl.gov.uk/status-updat...

Wonderful news, not just for university students, but school pupils, those in FE & young people generally. Taken far too long, but I’m absolutely delighted the government has finally begun to reverse one of the Tories’ most counter-productive mistakes. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/d...

I was delighted to visit Peldon Rose, a business in the heart of Wimbledon, and hear about the incredible work they do in offices across all of London

It was brilliant to see behind the scenes at the Royal Mail Wimbledon depot & see their operations during the busy festive period. Thank you to the team for the warm welcome!

Lovely to meet Jack from Wimbledon Tattoo Studio. We talked about the ongoing parking challenges in Raynes Park & the real impact they’re having on local businesses, concerns I’ve been hearing from many others too. I reassured him I’m pushing Merton Council for action.

I enjoyed catching up with Alex Woolf from Romulus, who manages Wimbledon Quarter. We discussed the exciting plans they have coming up for the Quarter, including future plans for the anchor store & introducing some new family focused activities.

My deepest sympathy to the victims, friends & families of all those murdered & injured in this cowardly attack. This is where antisemitism leads and why we must combat it at every turn. www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

Great to be at the Queen’s University Belfast Research Showcase. Timely insights on NI’s economic growth as the Committee continues its work, & excellent conversations with those driving innovation in digital technologies & life sciences.

I’ve written to Wes Streeting, expressing my concern about Merton’s shockingly low breast cancer screening rates. I've asked for support for our long-running campaign to boost access to these life-saving services for women in our community.

Having repeatedly raised the unacceptable delays & cancellations on the District Line, TfL have now confirmed to me they’ve secured the money to replace the signalling system & Network Rail interface in 2026. Wonderful news, but I’ll reserve final judgment until it happens.

Pleased to join colleagues supporting Al Pinkerton's Bill, calling for a UK-EU Customs Union. It’s critical we fix our broken trade relationship with Europe & cut the mountains of red tape ushered in by the Conservatives’ botched deal.

I asked the Minister what steps the Government is taking to fix the mess the Tories left our criminal justice system in & make more efficient use of our courts

It was great to visit the Health Zone Shop & Clinic in Wimbledon town centre. We talked about business rates, parking pressures & competing with online giants as an independent shop. #smallbusinesssaturday2025

I loved calling in at the Lantern Arts Centre in Raynes Park and hearing about their upcoming production of Rapunzel. Their commitment to the arts and the community is brilliant to see, not to mention their fabulous wardrobe! #smallbusinesssaturday2025

At the Peace Symposium in Manor Hall Park, I spoke alongside faith and community leaders about the importance of standing together at a time of rising tension. Nobody in our community should ever feel threatened because of their ethnicity or their faith.

It was joy to meet students from Hall School & answer their questions. It was also great hearing about their engagement throughout UK Parliament Week!

The response to my letter to the Climate Minister, on behalf of students from the Ursuline School, on the need for action on climate change 👇

Lovely to visit Gardenia florist in Wimbledon Village, which brings so much colour & character to the high street 💐 Wonderful to meet with the founder, Jamie, & see their commitment to sustainable processes & plastic-free packaging. #smallbusinesssaturday2025

It was fantastic to chat to pupils at Donhead Prep School about how they’ve been getting involved with UK Parliament Week. Thoroughly enjoyed answering their questions & the impromptu debate about the price of plastic bags!

My latest column on Wimbledon Park expansion, and the All England Club's legal stalemate 👇 www.wimbledonguardian.co.uk/news/2565002...

A wonderful evening at the National Liberal Club for the @mertonlibdems.bsky.social annual dinner. Fabulous to hear from two out of the 72 @libdems.org.uk MPs @paulkohlersw19.bsky.social and @munirawilson.bsky.social

Disappointing U-turn from Labour on introducing a Tourist Tax today. In Sept, the former Tourism Minister dismissed the idea, rightly saying many already feel taxed enough 👇 Now, Brits could face £518M in additional tax. Hospitality & tourism are strongly opposed.

The Chancellor’s £370M for NI barely scratches the surface. Stormont is already £400M over budget, with public services under immense pressure. 🧵

Without any serious attempt to re-engage with Europe, the Chancellor has passed up the single biggest tool at her disposal to improve the economy & confront the £90bn Brexit deficit. Ed Davey is spot on, higher taxes won’t deliver the growth we need.

The Met is hosting a Community Crime-Fighting event for Merton residents on 2nd Dec, where you can meet our local policing team & the Met Police senior leadership and raise any questions or concerns. Please find tickets & details here: url.uk.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/RMnOCXL8Ei...

I asked the Minister why, given the Home Office was briefed in advance it was likely visiting fans would be banned from the Villa-Macabi match, that the government failed to offer additional support until after the ban was announced.

Thank you to staff & pupils at Rutlish School for welcoming me last week. It was concerning hearing from the Headteacher about funding pressures schools face, but a real highlight to speak with the Year 12 & 13 Politics classes & answer their fantastic questions.

It was wonderful visiting Malden Manor Primary and meeting the student ambassadors & councillors. I loved hearing their thoughtful questions & sharing what life is really like as an MP. It was brilliant to see so much engagement from such a young age.

This is a disturbing report, the veracity of which I will, as a member of the Home Affairs Select Committee, do all I can to assess, during our dialogue with the West Midlands’ Chief Constable, Craig Guildford on the Maccabi fans’ ban. www.thetimes.com/article/80e1...

Delighted the Transport Sec listened to my arguments, when I called on her this summer (in my previous shadow transport role) to freeze rail fares next year. Rail needs to become more affordable as passenger numbers have flatlined for over a decade. bbc.com/news/articles/cwygx71g3n7o

Whilst Russia had to bribe one of Farage’s senior lieutenants, to push Putin’s propaganda, the Reform leader still seems happy to do so for free ☠️ www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

The response from the Health Minister to my letter, raising constituents' concerns about prostate cancer screening

The minister's response to my letter on District Line disruption, asking for an urgent meeting👇 Looking forward to sitting down with SWR & TfL soon to push for action on this long-standing issue.

It was wonderful to have the opportunity to congratulate Stephen Hammond on becoming an Honorary Freeman of the Borough this week, recognising his many years of service to Merton as a Councillor from 2002–2006 & as Wimbledon’s MP for nearly two decades after.

Merton doesn’t have a Women’s Health Strategy. Merton’s Local Health & Care Plan 2022–24 doesn’t mention women at all. Tonight, we’re asking Merton Labour & Merton Tories to back our plan to make women’s health a priority.

Reporting back from last week 📝

Insightful meeting with Dr Marek Jarzembowski, Chair of Merton Local Medical Committee. We discussed key health challenges, including GP capacity, continuity of care & tackling low take-up of NHS health checks in the borough.

Thank you to emergency services for the rapid response to the van explosion on Queens Road this morning, believed to be accidental. Wishing the driver a swift recovery. I’m in touch with Wimbledon Quarter owners who will share more details when able 🧵 www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news...

I spoke to BBC Radio London about Restorative Justice & my journey into politics. We also discussed the challenges Labour are facing, the upcoming budget & more... Hear the full interview here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEWa...

It is with imaginative solutions such as this that we should move towards Net Zero with ordinary people benefitting from, rather than paying the costs of, the transition. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Here’s the AELTC’s letter justifying, and my response refuting, their attempt to retrospectively change the law in their favour, by removing protection from public trusts of land like Wimbledon Park. I’m disappointed by their tactics but remain committed to finding a solution.

As Chair of the Night Time Economy APPG & owner of Covent Garden speakeasy CellarDoor, I’m delighted my party is listening to the hospitality sector, with a fully costed plan to help us through a crisis worse than the 2008 Financial Crash, Brexit or Covid. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

This morning I laid a wreath at Merton Civic Centre to mark Armistice Day, in remembrance of those from Wimbledon & beyond who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.

Here's some of what I got up to last week

It was lovely to meet the Merton Street Pastors outside Wimbledon Station, offering a helping hand & friendly face to revellers & those who just want a chat 💖 streetpastors.org/locations/me...

“It feels like Brexit déjà vu, the same hollow promises of taking back control, the same disregard for facts, the same blindness to consequence.” Paul Kohler speaks out as Reform and the Conservatives push to scrap the ECHR. @paulkohlersw19.bsky.social

I visited Auschwitz in a cross-party parliamentary delegation commemorating the 80th anniversary of its liberation. It stands as a powerful reminder of where hatred & dehumanisation leads & why we must never forget. “Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”

My letter to the TfL Commissioner about recent Northern Line service disruption & the need to improve reliability 👇

My latest column on my quest to improve District Line and SWR services👇 wimbledonguardian.co.uk/news/2557996...

Deeply disappointed by AELTC. They should be working with Save Wimbledon Park & the community to find a compromise, not conspiring with Tory Lords to re-write the law to push their industrial scale tennis expansion plans through. www.paulkohler.uk/news/article...