Dear John,

I hope you’ve had a good start to the year and, like me, you welcome the long-awaited arrival of February! The past month was very busy across Harrow and Westminster, and I’ve just wrapped up my fourth surgery of 2025, assisting residents with a range of urgent issues. While there’s still much to do, we’re starting to see progress on longstanding housing and healthcare concerns.

One example: Last week, in a meeting with the Residents’ Committee at The Greenwoods Estate, I was pleased to hear that Anchor Housing has agreed to reimburse residents £93,000 from a reserve fund. This means residents will no longer face an unfair charge for a backlog of essential repairs—a huge relief for those affected.

I’ll continue working hard to deliver real results for our community. If you’re facing an issue, please don’t hesitate to reach out. https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18VqFBiYyb/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Below is my newsletter covering some of my work in Parliament and locally in Harrow too – as always, throughout the year, you can find regular updates from me on Facebook, Bluesky, Twitter and Instagram, or if you have an issue you would like to raise with me, contact me on [email protected] or 02072194243.

HARROW

Careers Fair

I want to extend a huge thank you to all the local residents who answered my call to get involved with my annual Careers Fair! As well as a big thank you to the brilliant staff at Rooks Heath for their invaluable support facilitating another successful event.

Pupils from Rooks Heath, Avanti House, and schools across Harrow met with representatives from leading organisations such as the NHS, British Airways, and industries spanning law, creative arts, gaming, the Army, technology, and more, including a CV and cover letter workshop from Google. It was a fantastic opportunity for students to explore a range of career pathways and gain valuable insights into their future ambitions…

I know these conversations about career options couldn’t come at a more pivotal time and will undoubtedly leave a lasting impression. Thank you to everyone made the day possible!

Looking ahead, I’m delighted to announce my annual University Fair will return this month on 28th February at Whitmore School. This event will once again be open to all students across Harrow, offering another great chance to connect with higher education opportunities.

Thai Pongal and Tamil Heritage Month

Locally, I am proud to represent a constituency with one of the largest Tamil populations in the country and it has been a joy to celebrate Tamil Heritage Month over the past month. I was honoured to join Pongal celebrations in Harrow and in the House of Commons too. I remember, just over a decade ago, taking part in one of the first Pongal celebrations in Harrow. Back then we would not have imagined international cities like London or Toronto recognising the achievements and contributions of the Tamil people in such a way. I look forward to many more Pongal celebrations in Harrow and Westminster.

Headteachers Meeting

This week, it was a real privilege to bring together some of Harrow’s Head Teachers with Secretary of State for Education, Bridget Phillipson.

We had an insightful and much-needed discussion on key challenges facing our schools, including:

✔️ Staff pay and recruitment

✔️ The crisis in special educational needs support

✔️ The potential of AI in education

…and much more.

Hearing directly from school leaders about their experiences is essential in shaping policies that truly support our educators and students. Thank you to everyone who took part—I’ll keep pushing to ensure our schools get the support they need.

PARLIAMENT

Water (Special Measures) Bill:

The Conservatives left our rivers, lakes and seas choked by record levels of sewage. This week, I was proud to vote for Labour’s Water (Special Measures) Bill to clean them up by placing water companies under special measures with new powers to ban bonuses & bring criminal charges against polluting bosses.

This bill is the first step to give new powers to:

- Block the payment of bonuses to water bosses who pollute our waterways.

- Bring criminal charges against persistent law breaking water company bosses; and

- Impose automatic and severe fines for wrongdoing and ensure independent monitoring of every outlet.

This is a landmark Bill which is a vital first step ahead of an independent Commission to consider wider changes to the water industry, which reports in June.

Post Office Scandal

This is a story I’ve been leading on at a national level in my role as a Minister in the Department for Business & Trade. In the last month alone, over 2,000 new compensation claims have been submitted after the government instructed the Post Office to contact former postmasters directly.

Justice for those affected is long overdue. The previous government failed to budget for compensation, leaving many without the redress they deserve. Now, this government is working hard to ensure every postmaster receives the full and fair compensation they are owed.

There’s still more to do, but I’ll keep fighting to make sure justice is delivered.

Ceasefire in Gaza

Like so many people in Harrow, I have watched with horror the unfolding crisis in the Middle East over the last 15 months. Thousands of people have been killed and thousands more left in despair.

The recent ceasefire brings a much-needed glimmer of hope. This agreement came into force on 19 January and has several parts, ultimately resulting in the full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, the release of all hostages and the reconstruction of Gaza.

The situation remains fragile, but I believe there must be no backtracking. Both sides must implement each phase of the deal in full and on time. It would be a tragedy to let the chance before us slip, a chance for a lasting peace. Every hostage must be released and every ounce of aid promised to Gaza must reach those in need.

Palestinians must also be free to return to their homes, where they can rebuild homes, lives and communities. It will take time to rebuild Gaza and rebuild trust.

I am pleased that the UK Government will provide £17 million to provide healthcare, food and shelter for civilians and to restore services in Gaza, including £2 million for the World Bank to support the construction and restoration of critical water and energy infrastructure.

The UK has already helped about 284,000 people in Gaza access water, sanitation and hygiene services and, overall, the UK Government will spend £129 million for the Occupied Palestinian Territories and Palestinian refugees in the region this financial year. The coming surge of assistance must also be properly co-ordinated and given access and security.

I know that there is much negotiating left to complete, but I support using the agreement in Gaza to establish a credible pathway to a two-state solution to this decades-long conflict, where Israelis and Palestinians alike receive equal measures of security, dignity and justice.

Government plan to clear local backlog of 130,950 patients waiting more than 18 weeks for NHS treatment

Patients in Harrow will be able to access more appointments closer to home and get the treatment they need faster under Labour’s plan to tackle hospital backlogs.

• Hundreds of thousands more appointments in London will be created through a plan to get people the treatment they need quicker
• Patients in Harrow to feel the impact of greater patient choice over follow-up care as part of a drive to open-up one million appointments, alongside better use of tech and other action to save another million missed appointments
• Reforms mark next step in delivering government’s Plan for Change to deliver for working people

Patients in Harrow will be able to access more appointments closer to home and get the treatment they need faster under a new plan to tackle hospital backlogs set out by the Prime Minister this month.

In Harrow, there are 302,707 cases on waiting lists at huge cost to their health.

Tackling the 7.5million strong waiting list inherited by the government so that the NHS once again meets the 18 week standard for planned treatment is a key milestone in the government’s Plan for Change. Restoring this standard will mean patients in Harrow no longer have to have their lives put on hold.  

Currently, too many patients face long waits for appointments or surgeries and may be referred to hospitals they don’t choose at inconvenient times, while appointments and staff time are being lost to inefficiencies or inconsistencies in care. 

The Labour Government’s Elective Reform Plan, published this week by NHS England, sets out a whole system approach to hitting the 18-week referral to treatment target by the end of this Parliament. This includes opening Community Diagnostic Centres on evenings and weekends so that many more people will be able to access tests and checks while going about their daily lives, and the NHS will also increase the number of surgical hubs, which help protect planned care from the impact of seasonal and other pressures.

The plan will drive forward progress on the government’s first steps commitment to deliver 2 million extra appointments in its first year, equivalent to 40,000 every week. The reforms will put patients first, harness technology to support staff and help the NHS to do things more efficiently.

Under the plan, 65% of patients will be treated within 18 weeks by the end of next year. Based on the size of the current waiting list, that would mean a fall of more than 450k people waiting more than 18 weeks for treatment.

Gareth Thomas, MP for Harrow West said:

“Hundreds of residents in Harrow are stuck on the record long waiting lists inherited by the Labour Government at huge cost to their health.

“That’s why the reforms announced this month to cut NHS waiting times from 18 months to 18 weeks will make such a huge difference. With so many people waiting for treatment, it is more urgent than ever that we reform our NHS so it will always be there for you when you need it.”

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said:  

“This Government promised change and that is what I am fighting every day to deliver.

“NHS backlogs have ballooned in recent years, leaving millions of patients languishing on waiting lists, often in pain or fear. Lives on hold. Potential unfulfilled.

“This elective reform plan will deliver on our promise to end the backlogs. Millions more appointments. Greater choice and convenience for patients. Staff once again able to give the standard of care they desperately want to.

“This is a key plank of our Plan for Change, which will drive growth that puts more money in people’s pockets, secures our borders and makes the NHS fit for the future so what working people live longer, healthier, more prosperous lives.”