Today, I welcomed Narcotics Anonymous to Parliament to hear their incredibly powerful testimonies. As an A&E doctor, I have seen first-hand the devastating toll that addiction takes not just on individuals, but on their families and wider communities. This is a health crisis, and organisations like NA provide a crucial lifeline where services are often stretched. They offer a non-judgemental, supportive community for people seeking recovery, demonstrating that a different path is possible.

Their dedication to helping others is genuinely inspiring. For anyone struggling, please know that help is available around the clock. The team at Narcotics Anonymous provide vital support 24/7.

More information can be found at ukna.org or by calling their helpline (0300 999 1212). You do not have to face this alone.

A busy shift today at St George’s A&E is a powerful reminder of the dedication of NHS staff. While many of us enjoy a well-earned break with loved ones, thousands of doctors, nurses, healthcare assistants, porters, and cleaners are working tirelessly across the country. They sacrifice precious time with their families to be there for us in our moments of need.

​Through my own shifts, I see this incredible commitment firsthand. To every single person keeping our health service running this Christmas and New Year, thank you. Your unwavering compassion and professionalism saves lives.

​Through my shifts in A&E, the sight of vulnerable patients on trolleys lining a busy corridor has become all too familiar. This is not the standard of care anyone should expect. Stripped of privacy and dignity, often in pain or distressed, patients are being failed at their most vulnerable. This practice, known as ‘corridor care’, is not just unsafe and undignified; it is a stark visual representation of an NHS pushed beyond its limits after years of neglect from previous Governments.

That is why, as Chair of a cross-party Parliamentary Group on Emergency Care, I was proud to launch our new report on this issue today. It sets out the scale of the problem and provides solutions. Patients in Tooting and across the country deserve better. It is time for real action to restore dignity to our emergency departments. Read the report below:

Today, the Assisted Dying Bill will be returning to Parliament for its final vote in the Commons. Since this Bill was proposed, I have heard from hundreds of local people, carefully examined the provisions of the legislation, listened to the views of experts, and reflected on my own professional experience as a doctor.

Let me start by saying that as someone who has lost someone in a very painful way, due to a terminal illness, I do truly understand why it is so important we debate this issue, with compassion and understanding. Each and every one of us will lose someone special to us at some point and every experience is unique. That is why there are, of course, deeply felt spiritual, philosophical and moral views and opinions held by individuals on both sides of this debate. I would like to thank all those who have expressed their opinions to me in a thoughtful and respectful manner, regardless of the positions they have taken. 

At the last vote in November last year, after much thought, reflection and engagement with the community I represent, I decided to vote against the Bill. Despite my reservations, I had hoped that efforts would be made to improve safeguards against coercion and abuse in the Bill during Committee stage. Regrettably, since then, important safeguards have been watered down or entirely dropped from the Bill. Efforts to add further safeguards through amendments to the Bill have also been voted down. I also share the concerns that have been raised by the Royal Colleges of Psychiatrists and the Royal College of Physicians.

High-quality and properly funded palliative care must always be protected and enhanced. With years of underfunding and an incredible workforce overstretched, I fear assisted dying may be considered by some to be an alternative to a well-supported palliative care option. Regardless of the outcome of today’s vote, I will continue to advocate for improvements to palliative care, which can empower many individuals at the end of their lives, to enjoy their last moments with loved ones with comfort and peace of mind.

As I said before the previous vote, it is clear that colleagues across Parliament have decided their vote with compassion, sensitivity and empathy, no matter which side they are on. It is right that this Bill is being considered under a free vote, where every MP can vote with their conscience. I am glad that Parliament has had the opportunity to have an important and constructive debate. In my role as an MP, I do feel that while many would benefit from a change in legislation, I also need to represent those who are vulnerable to coercion and abuse in what I see to be legislation that is lacking in the appropriate safeguards. 

For these reasons, I will be voting against the Bill today. Regardless of your view, I know this is a sensitive and often painful subject for us all. Again, I want to thank everyone who has taken the time to share their thoughts and views on this.

This week, I was in Geneva speaking to the H20 summit alongside Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization.

I presented a report that I co-authored on noncommunicable diseases and mental health conditions, fielding the questions of health experts and legislators from across the globe.

Recently, St George's Hospital announced that as many as 83 beds at the hospital are set to close. At a time when this new Labour Government is making progress on reducing the NHS waiting list, this feels as though it is a step in the wrong direction. Like many across our community, I share the deep concerns regarding this development.

In response to this news, I have written directly to Jacqueline Totterdell, Chief Executive of the St George's and Epsom and St Helier hospitals group, to raise my reservations, and I have raised a question directly to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care in Parliament. This question can be found online here. 

Rest assured, I will continue to monitor developments on this closely and I will always stand up for our NHS.

It was a delight to join the Loose Women panel alongside the formidable Janet Street-Porter, Charlene White, Olivia Attwood and my friend Denise Welch for their Women’s Health Special today.

We addressed some really key topics, including the importance of the HPV vaccine and smear testing, dementia and cancer.

It is always a pleasure to join the show - many thanks for having me!

​As 2024 draws to a close, I wanted to take this opportunity to look back on the events of the past year. It has been a year of change and renewal - full of ups and downs - but as I enter into my ninth year as your Member of Parliament for Balham, Earlsfield, Furzedown and Tooting, it remains the greatest honour of my life to represent the community in which I was born and raised.

Entering the new year, I would like to pay tribute to the incredible frontline workers working around the clock to keep the country going through the festive period. From our NHS services to local hospitality staff to food bank volunteers - you all have my heartfelt gratitude for your tireless work this Christmas and throughout the year.

​What a year it has been for elections, both locally and across the country. We began the year with a fantastic win in the Tooting Broadway by-election, increasing the Labour vote share by nearly 7% to a whopping 58% majority. Then came the Mayoral elections in May, when we kept London red by electing my Tooting predecessor Sadiq Khan to a historic third term as Mayor of London.

Finally - and most importantly - we finally elected a new Labour Government after 14 long years, with areas up and down the country voting Labour for the very first time. It was humbling to receive the most votes of any Labour MP and thanks must go to everyone who voted for me - your support means the world.

​After years of campaigning - and countless stories of mismanagement and scandal - the Ministry of Justice announced a £100 million funding package for HMP Wandsworth. This will go a long way to reduce the impact of overcrowding, repair crumbling cell blocks and facilities, and ensure that prison guards can work in a safe environment.

​Thousands of local people have contacted me this year regarding a variety of issues, I have dealt with 15,000 cases. I reclaimed tens of thousands in unpaid pensions or benefits for local people, got decisions on hundreds of delayed passport or visa applications, and helped countless local residents get repairs to their homes. My door is always open and please get in touch if there is anything I can help with.

​It has now been over a year since the horrific 7th October attacks and Israel's subsequent invasion of Gaza. The humanitarian disaster we have seen unfold there in the time since, has been truly heartwrenching. This year, I've raised the issue numerous times in Parliament, visited the region in the spring, and held evidence sessions with humanitarian experts.

​Using my background as an NHS doctor, I have enjoyed trying my hand at being a TV medic this year! The lovely people at This Morning and Loose Women have had me on many times to talk about a range of topics from mental health to medical emergencies and even gave me space to open up about my own childhood challenges with speech, in a bid to end stigma and help others.

​in 2024, I successfully campaigned for a tripling of the Tooting neighbourhood policing team, putting more bobbies on our streets. In the summer, Operation Kenny run by the Metropolitan Police resulted in a 70% reduction in crime in Tooting town centre. This work will continue with the new Government's plans to recruit 13,000 new officers and return policing to communities.

​I have never stopped campaigning for cleaner streets. This year saw a 15% reduction in fly-tipping in Wandsworth, with thousands of fines issued to people dumping their bulky rubbish on our streets. Meanwhile, Wandsworth Labour introduced food recycling for the first time ever in the borough.

​Mental health is incredibly important to me and, for far too long, much-needed reforms were swept under the rug by a Conservative Government that simply wasn't interested. After much hard work, it was fantastic to see reform of the Mental Health Act announced in the King's Speech in July - this was long overdue.

In my work as a humanitarian doctor, I have worked across the globe with the victims of war and human suffering. Ensuring that every person, wherever they are, has the safety and security of a roof over their heads and food in their stomach is of paramount importance to me.

Before the dissolution of Parliament, I sat on the International Development Committee, where we led an inquiry into the progress on the UN's second Sustainable Development Goal, namely to end world hunger. 

More broadly, I am pleased to see the Labour manifesto committing to restoring international aid to 0.7% of GNI as soon as the fiscal situation allows.