As well as handling correspondence and emails from constituents, I have carried out a number of meetings, committees and events throughout the week, as seen below:
Monday 9th January:
I began the New Year with a meeting with the Chairman of Conservative Friends of Israel, the Rt Hon Eric Pickles MP, and several other concerned Conservative MPs to discuss the controversial passing of Resolution 2334 by the United Nations Security Council.
The UN Security Council Resolution 2334 was adopted on 23 December 2016. It concerns the Israeli Settlements in "Palestinian territories occupied since 1967 , including East Jerusalem". The resolution passed in a 14-0 vote by members of the UN Security Council. Four members with UN Security Veto power, China, France, Russia, and the United Kingdom, voted for the resolution, whereas, the United States abstained.
Tuesday 10th January:
My Tuesday morning began with a meeting with First Group to discuss the future of Britain’s rail and bus policy.
In the early afternoon I hosted one of my Tea for Two events with a constituent of mine. Here we sit down for a cup of tea in the Pugin Room, then I give a tour of the Palace of Westminster and finally I take them to the public gallery in the House of Commons. The Tea for Two is a long running event of mine and is given to local charities to use at events such as raffles to help raise money for local causes.
In the evening I facilitated a tea room surgery in my role as Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to the Secretary of State for Transport. This is where I meet with a number of MPs who wish to meet with the Secretary of State to raise concerns about transportation in their constituencies.
Wednesday 11th January:
On Wednesday I asked the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for International Development the following oral question in the House of Commons: “What measures her Department plans to put in place to ensure that marginalised groups in middle-income countries are supported in the event of aid from her Department being withdrawn from those countries.” If you wish the view the full exchange you can via the following link: International Development Question.
Friday 13th January:
Friday morning started off with me hosting an assembly for sixth-formers at the Wren Academy. Here we discussed what it means and what it is like to be a Member of Parliament. In addition to this we spoke about why I decided to become a Conservative MP and what my guiding political philosophy is.
Later in the morning I had a meeting with the CEO of Middlesex Group of Local Pharmaceutical Committees. During our meeting we spoke about the value of community pharmacy services throughout the constituency.
In the afternoon I met with the London Fire Brigades Borough Commander for Barnet. The London Fire Brigade (LFB) is the busiest Fire Service in the country and one of the largest firefighting and rescue organisations in the world. As such we discussed how the LFB deals with these unique pressures and how they continue to strive to make London a safer city.
I ended my week by meeting with the Managing Director of Brent Cross to discuss Christmas trading and the imminent regeneration scheme that will see the shopping centre rebuilt and expanded.