Weekly Update
👑 King’s Speech: Building A Stronger And Fairer Britain
There has been encouraging economic news in the past couple of weeks, with inflation falling and the IMF upgrading its growth forecasts for the UK while backing the Government’s economic strategy.
This good news follows the King’s Speech which set out the Labour Government’s legislative programme for the year ahead and the next steps in delivering the change people voted for in 2024.
After fourteen years of decline, instability and pressure on working people, this programme is focused on rebuilding Britain, strengthening public services, growing the economy and restoring security and opportunity for families across the country.
Delivering Change for Working People
Since entering government, Labour has already passed major reforms including:
stronger workers’ rights;
the creation of Great British Rail;
the establishment of Great British Energy;
protections for renters;
the removal of the two-child benefit cap;
action on water companies;
tougher measures on crime and antisocial behaviour; and
greater devolution for local communities.
The King’s Speech builds on that agenda with new legislation focused around five key priorities.
Strengthening Economic Security
Economic growth remains the Government’s central mission, with plans to:
support industry and manufacturing;
create more skilled jobs and apprenticeships;
tackle barriers to investment and growth;
reform competition rules; and
support small businesses.
New legislation is also proposed on steel, infrastructure, financial services and improving trade and cooperation with European partners.
Tackling the Cost of Living and Energy Security
A major focus of the programme is reducing dependence on volatile global energy markets and protecting households from future price shocks.
The Government plans to:
accelerate clean homegrown energy;
strengthen energy independence;
modernise nuclear regulation; and
help reduce long-term energy costs for families and businesses.
Rebuilding Public Services
The King’s Speech also includes measures aimed at modernising and rebuilding public services after years of strain and underinvestment.
Planned legislation includes:
an NHS Modernisation Bill;
reforms to policing;
improvements to digital access to public services;
court modernisation; and
stronger accountability in public office.
The Government’s goal is to rebuild an “active state” that works in the interests of working people and communities again.
National Security and Immigration
The King’s Speech also places significant emphasis on national security, resilience and immigration reform.
New proposals include:
a Cyber Security and Resilience Bill;
reforms to immigration and asylum systems;
measures targeting hostile state activity and extremism; and
legislation relating to the Armed Forces and national security.
Opportunity, Housing and Education
The Government wants to “end the opportunity crisis” by expanding access to education, housing and opportunity.
Proposals include:
an Education for All Bill;
reforms for leaseholders;
social housing renewal;
remediation of unsafe buildings; and
measures aimed at widening opportunity for young people and families.
Looking Ahead
Britain faces major challenges - from the cost of living and economic instability to global insecurity and pressure on public services - but this programme will deliver long-term national renewal rather than short-term fixes.
The coming Parliamentary session will now see these Bills debated in detail as they move through Parliament over the months ahead.
🎢 New Support to Help Families With The Cost of Living This Summer
The Government has announced a package of new measures aimed at helping families with the cost of living this summer.
As part of the plans, VAT on children’s and family tickets for attractions such as cinemas, theatres, zoos, museums, theme parks and soft play centres will be temporarily reduced from 20% to 5% during the summer holidays. The reduction will also apply to children’s meals in restaurants and cafés.
There will also be free bus travel for under-16s in England throughout August, helping families save money during the school holidays.
Alongside this, the Government says it will cut import taxes on a range of food products in an effort to help reduce pressure on household food bills.
These measures come alongside the extension of the 5p fuel duty cut until the end of the year, as the Government seeks to support households facing continued pressure from rising global energy and fuel prices.
This package is designed to help families through the summer holidays, ease pressure on household budgets and support local hospitality and leisure businesses.
Applications Now Open For The £20 Million Pride In Place Board Chair
The £20 million Pride in Place fund I secured for Enfield Wash is a once-in-a-generation opportunity and a real gamechanger for our community.
I want to encourage everyone with a genuine passion for Enfield Wash and the future of Brimsdown and Carterhatch to consider applying to become Chair of the Neighbourhood Board.
This is a hugely important role. The Chair will help bring local people together, shape the long-term vision for the area and play a central role in appointing the Board members who will help decide how this significant investment is spent over the next decade.
This fund has the potential to make a real difference to our high streets, public spaces, community facilities, opportunities for young people and local pride. That is why it is so important that the Board reflects the community it serves and is firmly rooted in local knowledge, experience and ambition.
I want local people to shape the future of Enfield Wash, and I would strongly encourage anyone who feels passionate about the area and its future to consider applying.
Applications close on 1 June and you can apply here.
Labour Cracks Down On Rogue Waste Operators
We all know how hard Enfield Council has been working in the battle against fly-tippers across Enfield North, and now the Labour Government has announced major new reforms to tackle fly-tipping and crack down on rogue waste operators who dump rubbish illegally and blight our local community.
Under the new system, waste carriers, brokers and dealers will move from a simple paper-based registration process to a much stricter permit-based system. Operators will now have to:
prove their identity;
pass criminal record checks;
demonstrate technical competence; and
clearly display permit numbers on vans, adverts and online listings.
The reforms are designed to make it harder for criminal gangs and rogue operators to exploit the system and easier for residents to check whether a business collecting waste is legitimate.
The Government says waste crime currently costs England around £1 billion every year, with more than 1.26 million fly-tipping incidents recorded in 2024/25 alone.
As part of Labour’s wider Waste Crime Action Plan, tougher penalties are also being introduced, including stronger Environment Agency enforcement powers and prison sentences of up to five years for serious waste offences.
This will protect communities, support responsible businesses and help ensure rubbish collected from homes and businesses across Enfield North ends up where it should - not dumped in streets, parks or green spaces.
Crackdown On Organised Crime On Our High Streets
The Government has announced a major nationwide crackdown on organised crime gangs using rogue businesses to operate on Britain’s high streets.
This follows concerns repeatedly raised with me by residents across Enfield North about the growing number of suspicious businesses appearing on local high streets, alongside wider concerns around antisocial behaviour, illegal activity and the impact on legitimate local traders.
Dodgy barber shops, vape stores, mini-marts and sweet shops linked to organised crime will face raids, closure orders and cash seizures as part of a new £30 million enforcement package.
A new High Street Organised Crime Unit will coordinate action between the National Crime Agency, police, HMRC, Trading Standards and Immigration Enforcement to tackle money laundering, illegal working, counterfeit goods and illicit tobacco and vape sales.
The crackdown builds on Operation Machinize, the largest operation ever carried out against economic crime on Britain’s high streets. The latest phase saw:
more than 2,700 premises visited or raided;
over 900 arrests; and
more than £13 million in suspected criminal proceeds seized or restrained.
The aim is to restore confidence in local high streets, support honest businesses and drive organised crime out of communities.
As part of the package:
75 new officers will be recruited across enforcement agencies;
Trading Standards teams will receive additional support and funding; and
enforcement action against rogue traders will be strengthened.
Organised crime on high streets undermines legitimate businesses, fuels wider criminal activity and makes communities feel less safe in Enfield North, and these measures will tackle the problem through stronger coordinated enforcement nationwide.
My Q&A With The Enfield Town Residents’ Association - An Update On The Proposed New Town
Thank you so much to everyone who attended my recent Q&A session with the Enfield Town Residents’ Association.
Residents raised a wide range of important and thoughtful questions about the proposed New Town development, wider planning proposals across Enfield North, and ongoing concerns around traffic, congestion and road safety.
It was a very constructive and valuable discussion, and I am grateful to everyone who took the time to come along, share their views and engage directly on issues that matter deeply to our community.
The consultation on the proposed Crews Hill and Chase Park New Town closed on 19 May, and I very much hope residents had the opportunity to make their voices heard as part of the process.
Following representations from residents across Enfield North, I wrote to the Minister requesting that the consultation period be extended beyond the original closing date.
Many residents raised understandable concerns that the consultation took place during the Easter holiday period, overlapped with the local election campaign, and closed shortly after polling day. Given the scale, complexity and potential long-term impact of these proposals, I believed residents, community groups and local organisations should have been given more time to properly consider the plans and submit informed responses.
I urged the Government to extend the consultation period so local people could participate fairly and meaningfully. Unfortunately, that request was not accepted.
Throughout this process, I have continued engaging directly with residents including events like the Q&A session with the Enfield Town Residents’ Association, and now that the consultation has closed, I look forward to reviewing the results when they are published later this summer.
It is essential that the feedback submitted by residents, community groups and local organisations is considered carefully and taken seriously before any further decisions are made.
Given the scale and potential long-term impact of these proposals, there must be thorough consideration of the potential implications for local communities, infrastructure, transport, public services, the environment and the character of the area.
Whatever your view on these proposals, I want you to know that I will continue standing up for residents, listening carefully to local concerns, and ensuring the voices of our community in Enfield North are heard loudly and clearly at every stage of this process.
Parliament is now in recess so the weekly update will be back in June.
Have a great few weeks.
Best wishes
Feryal