I hope you have all had a fantastic summer. Parliament has returned from summer recess and I’m pleased to finally be back in Westminster after a busy but enjoyable break.

During recess, I enjoyed meeting even more of the residents, businesses and organisations that make Woking such a brilliant place to live. Whether it be through canvassing, casework surgeries or visits to local businesses and events, those conversations have helped shape my priorities for the weeks and months ahead.

I’m already hard at work on some of the issues that were raised with me – including pushing for more Government support to reduce the financial barriers facing young athletes representing their country.

Ethan, Harrison, Jude and Lukas, who all train at Martial X Academy, have been selected to represent England at next month's martial arts world championships in Thonon-les-Bains, France.

However, they face costs of around £830 each to attend. That’s on top of additional expenses for their travel, extra training and one-to-one coaching sessions, and any specialist kit or equipment needed.

Young athletes train incredibly hard to earn the right to represent their country and we need to make sure that when selected they can afford to do so. That’s why I raised this in the House of Commons, asking the Minister for Sport what steps the Government is taking to reduce the costs faced by young athletes competing internationally.

It’s a sorry state of affairs that talent and hard work alone aren't enough for young athletes. No child should miss out on the opportunity to represent their country because of financial circumstances, and while there are schemes available, families have a hard time accessing funding.

I'll keep pushing the Government to make sure the pathway to international competition is open to every talented young person in Woking, regardless of their background.

Speaking of people enjoying the sports they love, I have also pushed the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport for more free-to-air sport.

Football fans are having to pay almost £700 to follow their club in this season’s Premier League. It’s an enormous amount of money. I was pleased that at the Despatch Box the Minister acknowledged the need to strike a balance between securing investment in sport and ensuring sporting opportunities remain accessible to as many people as possible.

I’ll continue to pressure the Government to ensure that we keep the costs associated with sporting events under control and broaden access to sport.

From sports to sports cars, I’m also delighted with the news that McLaren are investing £450 million and creating 1,000 new jobs here in Woking!

This news is not only testament to our local talent pool, but a huge ringing endorsement of the business environment in our town.

Since taking office, I’ve worked closely with McLaren to help bring this investment to fruition. They made it clear right from my first meeting with them in September 2024 that they were extremely keen to continue to invest locally and have had nothing but praise for Woking.

I’m delighted that the vision is finally set to become a reality and our town’s single largest employer is not only staying but expanding the workforce by nearly 40 per cent.