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Since being elected as the Member of Parliament for Portsmouth South in 2017, cleaning up Portsmouth’s waterways has continuously been one of my priorities for our city in my work in Parliament.
Not only does sewage pollution in our community have an impact on our beloved coastal waters but also it poses a risk to the health and wellbeing of local people.
As part of my efforts as your local MP, I recently met with the Environment Agency, which is responsible for protecting and improving England’s natural environment, regarding Southern Water and the recent classification of Southsea East’s designated bathing water as “poor” in 2025.
This classification, which aligns with those given for 2023 and 2024, means that the available bathing water within the area does not meet the minimum standard. This can be read about in further detail here.
During this meeting, I passed on the concerns shared with me by Portsmouth people in response to this classification, as well as more generally feedback on Portsmouth’s water quality and the impact of sewage pollution I am keen to ensure that local voices and circumstances inform any future action taken by the agency within the region and nationally.
Crucially, this meeting provided an opportunity to discuss long-term pollution reduction measures and decisive action taken by this Government since coming into office in 2024 to address both water quality and sewage pollution across the UK.
Labour understands the circumstances that our water sector was left in following 14 years of neglect under the previous Government, and the consequences this has had for the environment and consumers. That is why this Government intends to deliver a generational reform of the entire water system.
This will be achieved through the “A New Vision for Water” White Paper, which will clean up the water industry, strengthen regulation and put an end to failing water companies marking their own homework. This White Paper will be taken forward through primary legislation in the coming months.
Measures outlined by the White Paper can be read about in further detail here.
This White Paper follows the decisive action already taken by this Government to clean up our waterways since July 2024, including:
However, as demonstrated by the recent classification of bathing waters within our city, there is still work to do. Please be assured that I will continue to take action in Parliament to cut pollution and restore our rivers, lakes and seas to good health for future generations.
Stephen Morgan MP
The post Sewage Pollution – An Update appeared first on Stephen Morgan MP.
Dereham can’t take any more housing without additional investment in infrastructure and especially health services for a growing population of young families & elderly.
The closure by NHS England of the Toftwood Surgery left South Dereham residents without a local surgery which is not acceptable - especially given the 50% increase in the Labour Government’s housebuilding targets for Breckland.
That’s why I worked with the local Cllr’s Phillip Duigan and Alison Webb at the time to try and stop the closure and why I’ve made clear that the temporary NHS relocation of Toftwood patients to Orchard and Theatre Royal Surgeries MUST be temporary. And that given the housing growth South Dereham must have one of new Government’s new Community Health Centres with Dentistry, Early years and Elderly care, diagnostics & primary treatment clinics to reduce avoidable travel to the N+N.
That’s why I’ve proposed a Dereham HealthCare Summit this summer and an All Party Dereham Community Healthcare Plan & Campaign so that we can speak with one voice as #TeamDereham to lobby for Government funding.
That’s why I’ve contacted the DHSC Minister to start the campaign.
Delighted that my letter to all Dereham Cllr’s and Health Care bodies has received such a positive response, and look forward to working with all the Cllrs elected across the Town to get the healthcare facilities we need
Correspondence with Ed Garratt OBE, Chief Executive NHS Norfolk and Suffolk ICB
The Member of Parliament for Barking, Nesil Caliskan, has written to Thames Water, alongside local MPs Jas Atwal and Calvin Bailey, demanding urgent action to address growing concerns over continued pollution in the River Roding.
A major concern raised in the letter included reports of sewage discharge and elevated ammonia levels, which threaten local wildlife and community wellbeing.
“Recent evidence indicates that sections of the river recorded ammonia levels of up to 5.19 parts per million” nearly 26 times over “the levels considered necessary to sustain aquatic life.”
There are “reports of stormwater drains registering ammonia concentrations as high as 30.0ppm suggesting substantial and ongoing sewage contamination.”, Nesil Caliskan MP said.
In a meeting of the Environment Committee at the London Assembly last year, Paul Powlesland from the River Roding Trust, described his dismay at the sewage and the lack of coordination to tackle pollutants in London’s rivers. The issues raised, however, continue to persist.
Nesil Caliskan MP said:
“The levels of pollution in the water in Barking & Dagenham are disgusting. Local people in our borough deserve clean waterways not sewage. The River Roding Trust has been doing great work to clean up the Roding River, but ultimately Thames Water should be held to account and end this pollution.”
The MP emphasised the importance of protecting the borough’s waterways and called for greater transparency from Thames Water on pollution incidents, alongside a clear, time-bound plan to reduce them.
The MP has requested a prompt response and has indicated that they will continue to press the issue with regulators and government bodies if sufficient action is not taken.



Amanda Martin, MP for Portsmouth North, has joined the campaign for fathers to be given “Extra Time” with their families, backing a campaign from Movember and The Dad Shift to improve paternity leave in the UK.
Ahead of England’s opening World Cup match and in the week of Father’s Day, MPs are donning World Cup shirts provided by The Dad Shift emblazoned with the campaign call.
The shirts have been customised so on the back, instead of a player’s name, the MP’s role as a caregiver is highlighted, whether that be as a Mum, Dad, Uncle, Aunt, Nana, Mate or Friends. Beneath the shirt number 2 campaigners add “WEEKS ISN’T ENOUGH” referring to the two weeks on less than half the minimum wage currently offered to British dads – the least generous offer in Europe.
Photos attached show Amanda Martin MP wearing the shirt out and about and are released as new research from Movember and The Dad Shift found that:
As MPs take the campaign to their constituencies, campaigners have been keen to remind people that over half the paternity leave currently claimed in the UK goes to higher earners, because the low pay makes even 2 weeks unaffordable to most working blokes. The government meanwhile is currently running a review of Parental Leave due to conclude this December with an announcement expected in January.
Amanda Martin MP for Portsmouth North and Co-chair of the Labour Men and Boys Group said: “Fatherhood matters – to children, to mothers and to dads themselves. As England prepares to step onto the pitch, this campaign is a reminder that dads shouldn’t only be brought on for injury time at home. I support giving fathers more meaningful time with their families in those crucial early weeks and months.
Local Cosham dad Sean added: “We’re excited about the government’s review of parental leave and expect real action to support working dads across the country coming out the other side of it. The Westminster bubble might have other obsessions, but around here it’s clear – folk are focused on the cost of living, family, and football.”
The Dad Shift co-founder George Gabriel said: “Just 3% of parental leave currently goes to dads. It’s like forcing mums to play the full 90 minutes and then sending on fathers for injury time. That’s not good for anyone and it’s exciting that there’s finally some real moment to change it. Two weeks isn’t enough time to bond with a new baby, support a partner, or find your feet as a parent. The shirts make the point simply: dads need extra time.”
MPs have donned their shirts, provided by The Dad Shift, in support of Movember’s Extra Time With Dad landing in Men’s Health Week and follows a celebrity-led launch event in Westminster featuring fathers, campaigners, sports personalities and MPs calling for change.
The post Amanda Martin MP joins call for dads to be given extra time through increased paternity leave in the week of Father’s Day as England approach 1st game appeared first on Amanda Martin MP.
Firm answers on funding for the new Ysgol Heol Goffa are now needed from Carmarthenshire County Council and Welsh Government to reassure pupils, parents, staff and the local community.
Any more uncertainty, dither or delay would be unacceptable.
I’ve written to the new Plaid Welsh Government Education Minister urging her to reaffirm the commitment made previously to provide support to make the long awaited new school a reality.

For too long, people have told me they want to see more police on our streets. You have told me you want officers who are visible and part of daily life in Worksop. Not hidden away, but an active presence in the town centre, where people can see them and speak to them.
That is why I welcome the plans for a new police station on Bridge Street. It will put policing back in the heart of the town. It gives shoppers, visitors, businesses and residents more confidence that the police are on hand to keep the town centre safe.
The plan is for Nottinghamshire Police to move from their current base inside Queen’s Buildings to Bridge Street. Bassetlaw District Council has agreed to transfer the building to the police. There is still a process to follow, but this is a major step in the right direction.
I also want to be absolutely clear that this new police station will not come at the expense of policing in Retford, Harworth, or anywhere else in Bassetlaw. This is not about creating one single police station for the whole district.
Before the general election, I met with Police and Crime Commissioner Gary Godden. We agreed then that a stronger police presence would be a joint priority. I am pleased that this commitment is now moving forward.
We should also be honest about how we got here.
Over many years, local policing and justice in Bassetlaw has been hollowed out. The closure of custody cells in Worksop was a travesty. It meant people arrested locally have to be transported to Mansfield instead. I have heard first-hand from local police officers about the time this takes out of their day. An arrest can mean officers spending valuable time travelling to and from Mansfield, when that time could be better spent responding to crime and supporting residents here in Bassetlaw.
The loss of Worksop Magistrates’ Court created the circumstances for the prison cell closure because the costs of running them were shared with the police.
These decisions did not happen by accident. They followed years of cuts and a policy that expected towns like ours to make do with less. The result has been that important public services were taken further away from the people who rely on them.
The new police station is a chance to turn the page. It will not fix everything on its own. But it is a clear sign that Worksop is being listened to again.
Re-instating custody cell provision in Worksop remains a key campaign priority for me. I will continue to demand that we get this investment.
When someone is arrested in Bassetlaw, there must be the appropriate provision here in our area.
This new station is very welcome. It is progress. But it must be the start, not the end.
The post New Police Station Is a Win for Worksop, But We Must Go Further appeared first on Jo White MP.
Jeff Smith MP is joining Postcode Lottery, to host a virtual funding workshop for local charities, volunteer organisations, and community groups in the area. This session will give local organisations in the constituency advice on how they can apply for funds to make a difference in their community.
The live Zoom event takes place on the 10th of June at 11am. To attend contact funding@postcodelottery.co.uk.
To date, players of Postcode Lottery have raised over £1.5 billion for good causes and are now raising over £20 million a month for thousands of charities, covering every constituency in the country.
Over £114,000 has been raised for local causes in Manchester Withington, making a real difference to many good local organisations.
Manchester Withington MP, Jeff Smith said:
“I am pleased to co-host this funding workshop with Postcode Lottery to provide local charities with the tools they need to access funding. I know there are many charities in my constituency that would greatly benefit from additional funding, and I encourage them to attend the workshop to learn more about the opportunities available to them.”
Head of Public Affairs at Postcode Lottery, Nick Cook said:
“The money raised by players of Postcode Lottery is already having a huge impact in communities across the country.
We want to do as much as we can to help local charities and good causes successfully apply, particularly at a time when many are losing out on essential funds.
Our free virtual workshop is a useful opportunity for smaller, local charities to find out about the funding available, get advice on applying and ask us any questions they may have.”

The Supreme Court ruling of April 2025 caused considerable fear and distress amongst transgender people living in the UK and their loved ones. I am acutely aware of the very real harm this climate is causing to individuals and their families. It is particularly alarming that there have been reports of trans people seeking to leave the UK as they no longer feel safe here.
I share concerns that the latest guidance from the Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) will only further harm and marginalise trans people and risks excluding them from facilities they have used without incident for a long time. The government’s own equality impact assessment acknowledges the widely negative impact it is likely to have on trans rights: from excluding trans people from facilities to outing them without consent and safeguarding risks for trans women forced to use men’s services.
It specifies that trans women should not be permitted to use women’s facilities in places such as hospitals, shops, and restaurants. It also stipulates that people may be asked to confirm their birth sex where a service provider considers it “necessary and proportionate” to do so. Requiring trans people to confirm their birth sex in this way is an unacceptable infringement of their human rights: in particular, their right to privacy and dignity.
I also worry about the broader consequences of this decision for AFAB women who may not conform to traditional notions of femininity. This guidance could have worrying implications for their dignity, public perception and safety.
Trans people deserve to live with the dignity, freedom and safety to participate fully in public life. This guidance represents a significant step away from this aspiration. I recently raised my concerns in Parliament around the EHRC proposals, the implications for trans people and the wider LGBTQ+ community and the need for trans-inclusive guidance on sex-based spaces.
I have signed Early Day Motion 240, aiming to disapprove the draft Code of Practice for Services, public functions and associations laid before the House of Commons on the 21st May. I have also added my name to Early Day Motion 1251, which recognises that transgender transition liberates trans people to be their true selves, condemns baseless fearmongering in the media, and calls on the Government to fulfil its statutory public sector equality duty to trans people.
I will continue to advocate firmly to ensure that trans people, and all members of the LGBTQ+ community, are able to participate fully in public life as their authentic selves, free from discrimination, and welcomed and respected accordingly.
The post Statement on EHRC Guidance on Sex-Based Spaces appeared first on Bell Ribeiro-Addy.
Healthy Start value was increased by 10% in April. It’s been a long campaign. I am continuing to work with Sustain: The Alliance For Better Food And Farming, The Food Foundation, Feeding Britain and the Department of Health and Social Care as we push for maximum take up.
The post Healthy Start Scheme Bill appeared first on Emma Lewell MP.
What I’ve been up to throughout March March has been a busy month, both in Westminster and in the constituency. In Westminster, a lot of my time has been spent on the Housing, Communities and Local Government Select Committee, where we have been doing pre-legislative scrutiny of commonhold and leasehold legislation. I asked constituents to
The post March Update appeared first on Sean Woodcock, MP for Banbury.
An abridged version of this article ran in The Times on 3rd February 2025
In 2007, in the pages of this newspaper, I argued that Britain should seize the moment and move Heathrow to the Thames Estuary, freeing up the congested west London site for much-needed housing while creating a world-leading transport hub fit for the 21st century. It was an ambitious plan—perhaps too ambitious for a nation that has lost its appetite for grand infrastructure. Seventeen years later, what do we have? The same tired debates, the same dithering, and now, a third runway proposal that represents the absolute minimum of what could be done. It is not a vision; it is a concession to stagnation.
Throughout history, Britain built infrastructure that transformed cities and continents. The Victorians laid thousands of miles of railways across India and Africa. British engineers built the world’s first underground railway in London, the great docks of Hong Kong, and the vast shipping hubs that made global trade possible. Ours was once a nation that saw scale and complexity as challenges to be overcome, not reasons to prevaricate. Today, while China constructs floating airports in Hong Kong and Dalian, we are still arguing over a few extra miles of tarmac at an aging airport hemmed in by suburban sprawl.
The case for expanding Heathrow is undeniable. The airport operates at near capacity, with any disruption causing delays that ripple across the global aviation network. Additional capacity is needed. But the third runway is not a bold leap forward—it is an unimaginative compromise. The design is a relic of a bygone era when Britain was still willing to approve large infrastructure projects but had already begun its slow descent into cautious incrementalism. Surely for a solution we should be looking beyond the immediate horizon, daring to create something transformative.
Compare this to the grand infrastructure ambitions of Asia. Hong Kong’s Chek Lap Kok, which replaced the legendary but perilous Kai Tak airport in the 1990s, was built on reclaimed land. It was a marvel of engineering (mostly British), completed in just six years. Now, China is taking the concept even further: Dalian is constructing a floating airport, pushing the boundaries of what is possible. This is a country that doesn’t simply accept geographic limitations—it overcomes them. Britain, meanwhile, is paralysed by protest groups, endless consultations, and political hand-wringing.
A floating airport in the Thames Estuary—an idea proposed and swiftly dismissed—would have been a statement of ambition. London could have had its own Chek Lap Kok, a world-class hub unencumbered by the constraints of Heathrow’s location. Instead, we are left with a piecemeal expansion of an outdated site, in a project that will take decades and still leave Britain trailing behind.
The environmental argument against expansion is often cited as a reason for delay, but it is a red herring. Modern aviation is rapidly advancing towards lower emissions and greater efficiency. If the concern is air pollution and carbon footprints, the answer is not to stifle airport expansion but to embrace new technology, support cleaner aviation fuels, and invest in modern air traffic management. Britain should be leading these efforts, not using environmental concerns as an excuse for stagnation.
The economic cost of our hesitation is immense. Aviation is a key driver of trade, tourism, and investment. Heathrow’s constraints mean we lose out to European rivals, with airlines shifting long-haul routes to Paris, Amsterdam, and Frankfurt. The third runway, even if built, will do little to reclaim lost ground. By the time it is operational—assuming it even survives the judicial challenges that will inevitably come—other nations will have long since surpassed us.
What Britain needs is a fundamental shift in mindset. We must stop viewing major infrastructure projects as necessary evils to be endured and start treating them as national priorities. This requires reforming our planning laws, streamlining approval processes, and fostering a political culture that celebrates engineering excellence rather than recoiling from it.
The third runway at Heathrow is not the answer—it is a symptom of our decline. Instead of an afterthought tacked onto an aging airport, we should be considering radical alternatives: offshore airports, high-speed rail integration to regional hubs, and a renewed commitment to infrastructure that places Britain at the forefront of global connectivity. We were once a nation that built the world’s most advanced transport networks, that pioneered engineering breakthroughs others only dreamed of. We can be that nation again—but only if we stop settling for mediocrity and start daring to think bigger.
The world is not waiting for Britain to catch up. While we squabble over a single new runway, China is building entire new airports on water. The contrast is stark, and the lesson is clear: boldness breeds success, hesitation ensures decline. If Britain truly wishes to remain a global player, we must abandon the timid incrementalism of the third runway and embrace the kind of audacity that once made us great.
Kit Malthouse 1st February 2025
Christmas is a very special time. It's when we come together with friends and family to take stock, and give thanks for what we have.
Some years – in the best of times, this is cause for celebration.
Other years – it's more complicated if we're missing loved ones,
affected by illness, or facing money worries, homelessness, or loneliness.
Sometimes – let’s be honest, for many reasons, Christmas can just be about getting through it, and that's ok!
Because regardless of the year that’s been, or the circumstances you find yourself in, Christmas offers everyone a precious gift – hope.
The post Toby Perkins MP supports Chesterfield Hedgehog Rescue and Rehabilitation appeared first on Toby Perkins Labour MP.