Dear Constituents,
Thank you for taking the time to read my June newsletter.
This has been a sadly tumultuous month in British politics, and I am very sad to see the Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, leave office. Please read below for my response to this news.
Regardless of who our PM may be, my commitment to you is unwavering. This month, I have been representing your views on children’s access to social media, the climate crisis and workers’ rights. I will continue to push for the positive change that I was elected on in 2024. NHS waiting lists are falling, wages are rising, new rights for renters and leaseholders are coming into effect, and we are lifting hundreds of thousands of children out of poverty. That is thanks to 18 months of a Labour Government, and I will do all I can to keep fighting for a fairer, greener, and safer constituency.
If you haven’t already, please contribute to my community survey. As your MP, I want to hear about your concerns, what’s important to you and your family and how I can make our area a better and safer place to live and work. You can complete it here: https://www.tulipsiddiq.com/
Please read below to find out about what I have been doing in Parliament to voice your views, and don’t forget to check out my community bulletin for relevant notices.
Best wishes,
Tulip Siddiq
MP for Hampstead and Highgate
My response to Keir Starmer’s Resignation
As you will know, my friend and fellow Camden MP, the Prime Minister has resigned. I have been clear and vocal in my support for the Keir Starmer long before he became PM.
He is leaving a great legacy behind. As our Prime Minister – he achieved GB Energy, rail public ownership, significant water regulation, renters’ rights, workers’ rights, planning reform, increased devolution, stronger policing and crime, border security and landmark SEND reforms. And of course, leading our Party to secure the first Labour Government in 14 years was no small feat.
The new leader will have a tough job to do, delivering the remaining three years of our mandate and beating the divisive politics taking root in our country. They will need the full support of the party, and I will support them in any way that I can.
Whoever the next Prime Minister may be, I will continue to be your voice in Parliament.
Supporting Social Media Ban for Under 16s
After months of campaigning, I am very pleased to see the Government announce a social media ban for under 16s. I firmly believe that in the future, the harm caused by social media will be seen like the harm of cigarettes.
To ensure my constituents and fellow parents are heard in this process, I set up an online survey. Over 500 local parents and young people shared their views with me. I found that 81% of respondents support a ban on social media accounts for children under 16. Almost 80% of respondents expressed concern about addictive features such as infinite scroll and hyper-personalised algorithms. An overwhelming majority of my constituents expressed support for stronger online protections, and I passed this message on to the Government.
It was right to conduct a consultation on this really important issue. Having spent nine years as an MP in opposition, I know the damage that can be done when Governments rush legislation without careful consideration of its consequences.
On my visits to local schools, many young people raised with me the need for better awareness and training on responsible social media. Children also shared with me the positive benefits social media has brought them, from making friends to learning new skills. However, they also suggested that existing forms of age-restrictions on social media are easily circumventable, so requiring ID to open an account would not be enough to enforce a ban.
For too long, tech firms have had the technology to stop this, but they haven’t. The Government has given them three months to implement these protections. If they don’t, nothing is off the table, including fines for companies that don’t comply and criminal liability for tech bosses who fail to act.
In the weeks ahead, I will continue to push for our shared aim of protecting young people and holding social media companies to account, with the views of my constituents at the forefront of my work.
Standing up for Migrant Domestic Workers
With 50% of migrant domestic workers receiving support from Kalayaan showing signs of modern slavery, the Overseas Domestic Worker visa isn’t fit for purpose. That’s why I hosted an event in Parliament to call for reforms to the ODW visa to reduce exploitation. Over 20 MPs and Lords came to meet Kalayaan and their inspirational members, many have been victims of modern slavery themselves. I’m calling on the Home Office to conduct a formal consultation on a reform to this visa, which is issued to 20,000 people each year.
Attending the Fair in the Square
It was a lovely, sunny day to attend the Fair in the Square in Highgate, with the Mayor of Camden and Assembly Member Anne Clarke. Thank you to all the organisers, volunteers, performers, and stalls for this amazing get together. It was great to meet with the Highgate society, the Highgate Literary and Scientific Institution, Highgate Festival, Friends of Waterlow Park, Lauderdale House, and many local shop owners.
JW3 Big Lunch
This month I had the privilege of attending JW3 for the Big Lunch to celebrate the power of community and the hard work of the volunteers who serve our community week-in week-out through JW3’s foodbank and cooking sessions. The meal was part of Volunteer Week and the National Big Lunch campaign and, in a time of increasing political division, I am struck by the need to take every opportunity to come together as a community to share a meal and celebrate each other.
A special shout out to JW3’s Raymond Simonson who received an MBE in the King’s Birthday honours this month. Throughout his career, he has worked tirelessly to promote community cohesion and education about Jewish life. I am so proud to have JW3 in my constituency and Raymond’s leadership has been a key part of making it such a success.
June Casework Update
Pedestrian and road safety are two priorities at the top of my agenda. I was therefore pleased that the zebra crossing outside the Old Bull and Bush in Hampstead was repainted – following reports from my office and from the pub’s regular goers.
I must also thank Transport for London for investigating the pedestrian crossing by the entrance to Waterlow Park in Highgate. Residents told me that it had not been working for a year. I raised this via the direct line I am privy to and was told:
“We have attended the site and made adjustments to the kerb side detector, which detects when people are waiting to cross the road. The pedestrian crossing should now be working as expected.”
As part of my case work, I have found our local councils to be responsive to repair requests raised by residents. But it is always important to ensure that any visits are properly followed up on and take place. A constituent in Frognal told me they had not heard from the council for over a month after an appointment to fix their boiler. I highlighted this with council officers who subsequently arranged a heating engineer to attend but they did not show up. After some back and forth, the matter has now been resolved, and my constituent has a properly functioning boiler again.
Lastly, a Primrose Hill resident wrote to me with concerns that their gas bill was wrong and they had been unable to resolve it with their provider. I contacted them on their behalf and asked if they could take another look. Upon further investigation, the gas company found that they actually owed my constituent £462.12!
Pushing for Climate Education
The climate crisis is the biggest emergency this country faces. With the extreme heatwaves and surface water flooding in South Hampstead becoming more common, I am sadly witnessing this emergency first hand. Education is at the heart of emergency preparedness. However, the Curriculum and Assessment Review recently found that there is currently minimal inclusion of climate education in the national curriculum. The Hillsiders and Hampstead Climate and Nature group are calling for strengthened climate change education as well as a national emergency briefing about the state of the crisis. Today in Parliament, I called for much greater education on this emergency.
Government support for Abbey Community Centre
This month I was very pleased to visit the Abbey Community Centre to congratulate them on winning funding from the Labour Government. They are using it to provide more hot meals and to bring the community together through food.
Community Bulletin
M&S Swiss Cottage
Like many shoppers in Swiss Cottage, I was sad to hear the news that the M&S Simply Food along the Harben Parade will be closing this summer.
I immediately wrote to Marks and Spencer to highlight both the views of our community and for assurances that staff will be offered alternative employment at a different M&S store such as the one in West Hampstead or Kilburn.
I was told:
“As Swiss Cottage is one of the smallest stores we have in the UK, we’re not able to offer the experience or the range of products we would want to, however, we are keen to find a larger, alternative site locally. If there are any sites [you] are aware of, please do feel free to send these on for consideration and I’d be happy to share with our acquisitions team…
…We have 25 colleagues at the store and given we do have a good spread of nearby stores as you say, we are optimistic of being able to redeploy as many colleagues as possible. Individual conversations are ongoing at the moment so I can absolutely keep you updated on this.”
Please do get in touch if you know of any alternative locations in Swiss Cottage that you think M&S could move into. Additionally, if you are a business owner who would be interested in the space, I understand that there is a lease event soon and I would be very happy to share details and connect you with the right people.
Kilburn Station Lift Update from TfL
“We are aware of issues with reliability of the lift at Kilburn station and that this has been ongoing for a while. The underlying cause was a fault with the cooling unit in the station pump room. During high temperatures, the system would occasionally overheat, causing the lift to fail. We were using a temporary cooling unit, while a permanent replacement was being sourced, but this was not as effective as hoped.
However, in the past week we have been able to install a permanent replacement which is working correctly. As such, the lift is now performing as it should, and we believe the matter to be resolved.”
Endometriosis Inquiry
The All-Party-Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Endometriosis is inviting written evidence for a new inquiry that aims to investigate endometriosis in the workplace. The APPG wants to hear from those with endometriosis, employers, occupational health, HR experts, and healthcare practitioners to understand what challenges and opportunities are faced in the workplace for supporting those with endometriosis at work.
The inquiry follows the latest data from Endometriosis UK showing it takes on average 9 years and 4 months for diagnosis of endometriosis in the UK, a statistic that hasn’t improved in over a decade.
Employees with lived experience: If you are an employee with endometriosis, you can share your experience on the survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/
Employers: If you are responding on behalf of a company or organisation, you can share your experience and insights on the survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/
Any other stakeholder: If you are responding on behalf of any other stakeholder group, you can respond to our open call for evidence. Please email endometriosisappg@
The call for evidence will close on Friday 24th July at midday.
Support a Local Playground
West Hampstead Primary School has launched a new fundraising initiative. This collaborative effort with the Parent-Staff Association aims to raise vital funds for the much-needed redevelopment of the Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 playground, aiming to achieve this by Summer 2026.
Unfortunately, the current playground facilities need an upgrade. By investing in a new playground, we can ensure children have access to safe environments that foster their physical and emotional well-being.
Read more and support West Hampstead Primary’s campaign here: New Playground Fundraiser – Year 3 Thames – a crowdfunding project in London by West Hampstead Primary PSA
Give your views on the Met Police
The Fairfield Independent Review into the Metropolitan Police Service was commissioned jointly by the Mayor of London and Metropolitan Police Commissioner in response to a recommendation by Baroness Louise Casey in her hugely important 2023 report.
I would be grateful if any of my constituents can contribute to the review. You can find the survey here. It’s
PIP Survey
Disability Rights UK’s co-survey on experiences of PIP is now live with an information page. The findings of this survey will serve two key purposes:
- contribute evidence to the Timms Review; and
- help build an independent evidence base rooted in Disabled people’s lived experience for our campaign work in anticipation of Timms Review publication.
Print, Easy Read, BSL, and online versions of the survey can all be found on this page: https://www.
Responses are open until 25 July 2026. Submissions received before 28 May 2026 will inform a joint evidence submission from Disability Rights UK, Toynbee Hall and the Commission on Social Security.