The expansion of the Labour Government’s free breakfast club programme is great for kids and parents, but also for employers and the economy; providing children with a healthy start to the day, and easing parents' commute in the morning.

My weekly update including:
💷 Supporting the Budget
📚 Visit to Reading School
🚨 Helping tackle anti-social behaviour

Great to be joined today by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Hilary Benn MP, and to talk with residents about the positive news from this week’s budget.

For too long, Reading missed out on the funding our services needed.

Labour is now fixing the broken system and putting local need at the heart of council funding.

A real chance to turn things around for our area — and I’ll be fighting to make sure we get our fair share.

The Labour Government has delivered the first rail fare freeze in 30 years, easing the cost of living for commuters across Reading. This historic intervention will keep household costs down and drive economic growth.

During a debate in Parliament I raised the importance of working with our international partners to protect our environment, and tackle the climate crisis.

During a ministerial statement on the BBC I praised the role of the BBC Monitoring Station in Caversham. I also called on the Secretary of State to thank BBC staff for their work, and stressed the importance of the BBC and its role as an independent public service broadcaster.

The Labour Government has now approved enough clean energy to power 7.5m homes.

Solar is the cheapest form of power available for the country and this government is committed to clean power to deliver energy security and bring down bills for good

Find out more here www.gov.uk/government/n...

It was a privilege to attend the Great Western Railway Service of Remembrance, and to remember members of railway staff who gave their lives to defend our freedom.

It was an honour that The Queen attended the service.

I asked the Secretary of State for Education about the benefits of teaching triple science in schools and the impact this has on social mobility.

My weekly update:
- Acts of Remembrance
- The Hillsborough Law
- National Curriculum review

I take great pride in the amazing variety of small and medium businesses in Reading, and was pleased to be able to highlight this in Parliament. Please take the time to nominate your favourite local business in my Small Business Competition at: mattroddamp.com/sbs2025

I raised the importance of reclaiming and restoring historic buildings in our town centres to maintain the character of local areas, while supporting business and also interest in culture.

I raised residents' concerns around the over-concentration of HMOs in particular streets, and how this can impact on existing communities. I have also asked the Minister to look into how the regulation of HMOs can be tightened.