Sir Keir Starmer’s decision to ban social media platforms from offering services to under-16s is one of the boldest interventions in childhood and adolescence that we have seen from any UK government in recent years. On balance, I support it. That may surprise some people. I have spent much of my professional life championing young…
The Cambrian Learning Trust’s Platinum Primary Character and Citizenship Awards Presentation Evening11 June 2026The Beacon, Wantage This evening I had the immense pleasure of attending The Cambrian Learning Trust’s Platinum Primary Character and Citizenship Awards Presentation Evening at The Beacon in Wantage. I was there in my role as a Deputy Lieutenant of Oxfordshire, which…
Yesterday afternoon, the sun shone on the Terrace of the House of Commons, and it felt as though the whole place was full to bursting with people speaking up for cats. Cats Protection’s Parliamentary Reception was, quite simply, a joy. There was afternoon tea. There were games. There were cat-shaped biscuits. And there was one…
I was recently invited to give a keynote on the theme “Five lessons for tomorrow’s leaders, today” to a room of charity and civil society leaders drawn from around the world. It is the sort of title that sounds straightforward until you sit down to write it. Leadership is not exactly short of commentary. There…
At the beginning of Pride Month, I find myself thinking about how much has changed in my lifetime, and how much still depends on the quiet courage of ordinary people. When I was a young Scout, the United Kingdom was a very different place for LGBTQI+ people. Male homosexuality had only been partially decriminalised in…
I am not a member of any political party. That feels worth saying at the outset. For many years, I belonged to the party I had followed since I was a student. It helped shape my political instincts and gave expression to many of the values I still hold. But in time I resigned my…
There are some moments in public life that feel quietly significant, even if – to anyone passing by – they look faintly ridiculous. This morning was one of those. Easter Sunday, 9.30am, on the Marcham Road roundabout in Abingdon. The timing was meant to keep traffic to a minimum. In truth, it was still busy…
There are some moments that stay with you not because they are grand or formal, but because they feel real. Opening BrownieMacs today in was exactly that. I have been buying Charlie Humphrey’s brownies since he starred selling them on Bicester’s Friday market (he still does, and will continue to do so). A stall, trays…
Over the past year as High Sheriff of Oxfordshire, one lesson has come through consistently: if we want to change outcomes for young people, we must start with relationships. That demands a different kind of attention, and a different kind of leadership. Over the past year, as High Sheriff of Oxfordshire, I have worked under…
There are moments in this role when you can feel something beginning to shift. Last week at Broughton Castle, I had the privilege of attending the launch of The Sun Fund – a bold, business-led initiative aimed at tackling youth disadvantage in Banbury and opening up real pathways into employment for young people. What struck…