Political Reporter @BBCNews @BBCEssex former @BBCLookEast Health and Senior Reporter
Joined May 2009
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1,243 Photos and videos
Jun 12
The Bell Hotel in Epping will cease housing asylum seekers by 11 July according to the local MP and a senior council source.
Asylum seekers were moved out earlier this week due to fire safety concerns according to the Home Office.
bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cq51…
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Jun 11
BREAKING: Defence Secretary John Healey has resigned over defence spending.
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May 13
The King has said the government will "enable roads to be built at pace including the Lower Thames Crossing" at the state opening of parliament.
A highways financing bill is expected to be brought forward that will allow the private sector to bid for construction works.
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May 12
Thurrock Labour MP has said Starmer “must step aside”.
The other 4 Essex Labour MPs have come out in support of the Prime Minister
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May 11
Tonight, Southend West Labour MP David Burton-Sampson has replaced a ministerial aide to Heath Sec Wes Streeting.
Harlow’s Labour MP backs Starmer staying on as PM.
May 11
The public will not forgive us if we start turning inwards.
We were elected with a clear mandate.
When we go into the next election with the question of who should run the country: Keir, Kemi, or Nigel - the answer is clear. Keir delivered 2024, he can deliver again.
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May 11
EXCL: Reform UK councillor has quit from the two councils he was elected on and been expelled from the party days after the local elections bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c152…
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May 8
BREAKING: Reform UK have won a majority on Essex County Council.
They now have 42 councillors with 21 seats still to declare
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Mar 25
BREAKING: The government has announced that Essex will have 5 councils as part of local government reorganisation
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Mar 20
Nigel Farage says Reform “will fight” a radical reshape of local government planned for Essex bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c9d4…
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Mar 6
Labour have voted in favour of Harlow Council’s Conservative administration’s budget bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwy9…
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Mar 6
Epping Forest Council is seeking to appeal a High Court decision not grant an injunction on the Bell Hotel housing asylum seekers.
it wants to appeal paying £95,000 towards hotel owner Somani's legal fees
£66k paying the Home Secretary's legal bill
bbc.co.uk/news/articles/crrx…
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Feb 11
Opposition frontbench full of Essex Conservatives at #PMQs
Kemi Badenoch has Mark Francois and Alex Burghart by her side.
Priti Patel and Rebecca Harris also front row.
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Forced choice head to head on preferred prime minister.
🌹Starmer v.narrowly edges Farage and Polanski but loses to Davey and Badenoch
🌳Badenoch wins all four head to heads
🔶Davey beats Starmer & v.narrowly Farage, but loses to Badenoch
➡️ Farage narrowly beats Polanski and loses to Badenoch & v.narrowly Starmer and Davey
💚Polanski loses to Badenoch & more narrowly Farage & v narrowly Starmer
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Feb 4
What is happening with Uber in Southend?
The Council has said the driver hailing app is "not banned" from the seaside city.
Uber handed it back its license and analysing its own consultation on operating in Southend.
bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c801…
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Jan 29
BREAKING: Essex County Council elections will be going ahead on 7 May.
The Communities Secretary Steve Reed wrote to ECC today saying: "on balance, I consider it appropriate that the elections to Essex County Council take place in May 2026”.
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Jan 18
Will Elections in Essex get cancelled this year?
Three councils: Harlow, Basildon and Thurrock have requested they get 'postponed' to focus on a big shake of local government: 15 councils becoming 3-5.
The final decision is the government's...
bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwyr…
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19 Dec 2025
Thurrock Council says the government will not wipe off all its debt and some of it will transfer to whichever new unitary authority the council is part of after Local Government Reorganisation bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c93n…
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3 Dec 2025
BREAKING: two senior council sources tell me the mayoral elections in Essex and three other regions are being cancelled next year until 2028.
Government will announce tomorrow I’m told
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26 Nov 2025
The government has committed £891m for the Lower Thames Crossing.
The #Budget says "It's final tranche of government support to enable the private sector to take forward construction and long-term operation"
and that it is "the largest roadbuilding project for a generation"
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