This summer, I am offering young people in the local area a chance to shadow my team and I for a week in Parliament and my local office!

If you, or anyone you know, live in the local area and are aged between 18 and 25 with an interest in politics, please fill out an application form here.

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.

Although there has been improvements to mail deliveries in Tooting, far too many people are still experiencing delays to their post. I met with posties and senior Royal Mail figures today to raise my concerns and find a solution that works for everyone.

Royal Mail have agreed to make a concerted effort to reduce delays and ensure six-day service. I will be meeting with them again in a month's time to discuss what progress has been made.

​Today marks 9 years since I was first elected as MP for Tooting. It has always been an immense honour to represent the community in which I was born and raised. Thank you to everyone who puts their faith in me to represent our area.

In a break from Westminster, I performed at the Furzedown Fun Day with my new band Parliament of Soul! The sun was shining, the people were smiling and, if I do say so myself, the entertainment was top class.

Watch me performing on my Instagram page here!

​May the spirit of Eid al-Adha bring love, compassion, and endless blessings to your life. Wishing a joyful and peaceful Eid to all observing in Tooting and around the world.

​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.

Data from National Rail and the Rail Delivery Group has revealed a shocking rise in the number of late trains at Balham, Earlsfield, Tooting and Wandsworth Common stations.

Trains in the morning evening peaks, to and from Central London, have all seen a worsening of their "on-time percentage" in the last six months compared to the same period of 2023. The full breakdown of delays at each station is below.

It is shocking to see that, not only are trains late at some stations late half the time, but that there has been a steady decline from an already-unacceptable level of lateness last year. Particularly concerning are the figures at Tooting station, where over half of services were late despite there being only two services per hour on that line.

Some of the worst performing services include:
8:05 from Balham (8:07 from Wandsworth Common) to Victoria - 88% late (Southern)
18:12 from Waterloo to Earlsfield - 81% late (South Western)
8:21 from Balham to Victoria - 79% late (Southern)
8:40 from Balham (8:42 from Wandsworth Common) to Victoria - 76% late (Southern)
8:13 from Tooting to London Blackfriars - 70% late (Thameslink)

Local commuters deserve better than the shoddy service they are currently receiving from Southern, South Western and Thameslink. I look forward to the Government's plans to bring our local rail services back into public control, so that our trains are always run with the interests of the people who use them at heart.

Protecting our natural world is hugely important. I was proud to have worked with the Mayor of London on his pledge to plant more trees across our city. This culminated in the Mayor and I planting his 500,000th tree right here at a local Tooting school.

More broadly, Labour is vowing to establish three new National Forests in England, whilst planting millions of trees and creating new woodlands. These trees will provide vital habitats for our fantastic wildlife and help fight the climate emergency.

Following the decision to relocate children's cancer services in South East England away from St George's Hospital, I met with the Health Secretary with a cross-party group of MPs to raise our concerns.

When I visited the Pinckney Ward where this care is conducted, I met with Jackson, a former patient there, and his parents, who told me that such a move would be detrimental for parents, children and the hospital alike. I have urged the Secretary to review and reconsider NHS England's decision as soon as possible.