June 2023: No.10, By-Elections & A Fresh Start for London

A jam-packed June started with an evening celebrating Azerbaijan's Independence Day with the Azerbaijani embassy. Held at the stunning Lancaster House, the evening was a superb opportunity to catch up with CFCC friends, the Ambassador and his wonderful wife.

Over the weekend, I went to help out in the historic village of Frimley Green in Surrey Heath to campaign alongside Michael Gove and Surrey Heath councillors for the upcoming local by-election.

The following week was an opportunity to dive into policy, first with nuclear minister Andrew Bowie MP at Policy Exchange and then for a series of key note speeches and panel discussions at the Margaret Thatcher Conference at the Guildhall. It was my first time attending the Centre for Policy Studies' annual MTC Conference and a superb afternoon. It was enlivening as always to hear from Education Secretary Gillian Keegan, alongside Leader of the House Penny Mordaunt and experts in their field like Cambridge University's Professor Mohammed El-Erian.

It was a delight to launch the Uxbridge By-Election campaign alongside Party Chairman and my local MP Greg Hands and great to meet Havant MP Alan Mak.

It was an honour to attend the Israeli Embassy's celebration of the 75 year anniversary of the state of Israel.

I was also thrilled to attend the London hustings for the Mayoral campaign a couple of days later. The candidates put on a superb performance and it was reassuring to hear fresh ideas and a new vision for London. The consensus was that London can not afford four more years of Labour Mayor, Sadiq Khan.

For the weekend I was back in Uxbridge, this time in South Ruislip campaigning alongside Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden, the ladies of CWO London and new friends from Oxford and Tooting.

It was an honour to be invited to 10 Downing Street for a reception in celebration of 75 years since the arrival of HMS Windrush. It was a pleasure as always to catch up with Party Chairman Greg Hands, Home Secretary Suella Braverman and Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove, amongst an array of incredibly accomplished descendants of the Windrush generation.

Later that week I was back on the by-election campaign trail, (not before hosting another fab session of the CWO KCF Speaking Club.) It was a pleasure to visit the HQ of the Mid Bedfordshire campaign and speak to residents on behalf of superb candidate and Mid Bedfordshire's PCC, Festus Akinbusoye.

Over the weekend, Martin and I visited beautiful Frome in Somerset to help candidate Faye Purbrick and were so inspired by the entrepreneurial spirit of the town. It was wonderful to speak to a fashion SME in which the designer was rather inventively using the space as part retail store, part studio. (Do check her out at Studio Ashay.)

Thinking I'd seen the creme de la creme of SMEs on Frome's Catherine Hill, the weekly market was a surprise twist and a chance to speak to small business owners ranging from antiques merchants and basket sellers, to a dog accessories entrepreneur, (the stall Martin was most keen to peruse). For more doggy designs visit: Ausimigs.

For the final weekend of June, I travelled back to Mid Beds to help candidate Festus Akinbusoye with a spot of campaigning before a delicious hog roast at the Campaign HQ.

The following week, it was great to be at CCHQ speaking with locals residents in Selby to hear about the local issues, and heartening to meet Conservative Assembly Member and new London Mayoral Candidate Susan Hall at the Kensington, Chelsea and Fulham hustings.

Rounding off the month it was encouraging to attend a roundtable with female entrepreneurs in Parliament, and to hear from Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at the Parliamentary Candidates' reception later that evening.

For the final engagement of June, I was delighted to be #CelebratingWomen with 50:50, Centenary Action and Helen Pankhurst - and inspired to hear from women in political life across party, as well as a fantastic group of young women who will no doubt be on the front benches very soon.