It was a pleasure to team up with Little Village last weekend to collect a vanload of pre-loved baby clothing and equipment for families in need in our local area. This year, I’ve been taking part in Little Village’s Winter Warmers campaign to collect warm clothes for children as the weather gets colder.

A huge thank you is due to the local Labour members and councillors who volunteered to help me collect, sort and transport these donations and of course, to all the local families who donated so generously.

Every year, on Remembrance Day, we reflect on the horrors of war as we remember all the civilians and servicepeople who lost their lives in conflicts around the world. I was honoured to attend local Remembrance Sunday services at Lambeth Town Hall, Holy Trinity Clapham and the African & Caribbean War Memorial in Windrush Square. As ever, thank you to everyone involved in organising these events.

I met veterans like 98-year-old Gilbert Clarke, one of the almost 6,000 Caribbean men who enlisted in the RAF during the Second World War. Tens of thousands of Commonwealth soldiers served in World War Two, many making the ultimate sacrifice.

In the memory of all the fallen, we must keep striving for a more peaceful and just world. Ongoing conflict and violence in Gaza, Sudan, Ukraine, Yemen and the Democratic Republic of Congo makes this task all the more urgent this year.

In this week’s Westminster Hall debate on the use of live facial recognition technology in policing, I pointed out that this practice is frequently intrusive and inaccurate. It discriminates against minoritised communities and undermines the presumption of innocence that underpins our legal system.

The most wonderful time of the year is fast approaching. This week, I launched my annual Christmas Card Competition to celebrate it. The contest is open to anyone under the age of 18 who lives or attends school in Clapham & Brixton Hill. This year’s theme is ‘Kindness in the Community’ and everyone has until Sunday 8th December to get their entries in! You will find full details about the contest over on my website.

Thank you to the British Pregnancy Advisory Service for inviting me to discuss abortion provision in Clapham & Brixton Hill. We’ve already seen action from the government to protect reproductive rights with the long awaited rollout of safe access zones outside local clinics. It was good to discuss further reforms we could implement to support reproductive rights such as removing abortion from the criminal law.

I was honoured to join the 2024 EU Citizens Gathering on Tuesday, hosted by the EU Delegation in the UK. Our government must keep working to uphold the rights of EU citizens living in the UK and build a closer, stronger relationship with our European neighbours.

It was great to meet with the leadership team at The Elms Academy to discuss the work they’re doing and hear about some of the issues facing their school community. I was also pleased to be invited to Clapham Manor School for their ‘Celebration of Black Culture Event’, recognising the rich history, achievements, and contributions of Black culture on a local and global scale.