Kit Bradshaw

NEW: Labour's Darren Paffey says the "deeply disturbing" disorder in Southampton was "whipped up" by people who had come from outside the city. The Southampton Itchen MP tells ITV News Meridian many of his constituents were "really frightened" by what they saw last night.

NEW: Caroline Nokes says the scenes of violence last night were "horrific and wholly unacceptable". The Romsey & Southampton North MP tells ITV News Meridian she "sincerely hopes there won't be more disorder on the streets" of Hampshire.

MPs will have an opportunity to debate the impact of silica dust exposure in the workplace this week. Eastleigh MP Liz Jarvis called the Westminster Hall debate and has previously proposed legislation on greater prevention and monitoring of silicosis.

Engineered stone or quartz can contain up to 95% silica, according to Dr Jo Feary. The consultant at the Royal Brompton Hospital says the risk of silicosis is to "people who are cutting, grinding and polishing these products over several months and years".

EXC: Stonemason's family fear silicosis could be the "next asbestos health crisis". Doctors blame an epidemic of the lung disease amongst tradespeople on engineered stone worktops – also known as quartz. George Elliott’s widow, Sandra, spoke to ITV News Meridian www.itv.com/news/meridia...

NEW: The Labour Party must allow Andy Burnham to stand if a Commons seat becomes available, Folkestone & Hythe MP Tony Vaughan argues. The Labour backbencher tells ITV Meridian's The Last Word it is "really important that there is a contest involving all of the talents".

NEW: David Burton-Sampson MP tells me the "last thing the country needs" is to leave the "controls of government vacant". Labour MP for Southend West & Leigh was made a ministerial aide (PPS), after six colleagues quit and called for Keir Starmer to go.

EXC: South East Water CEO David Hinton tells ITV News Meridian he's declining a bonus this year because he's "let customers down". He insists he "really understands water" and is staying on in post because "changing the team would delay improvements".

NEW: Tunbridge Wells MP Mike Martin describes South East Water CEO's evidence to Parliament as "utterly pathetic". The Lib Dem told ITV News Meridian the company is a "disgrace" and that David Hinton "must resign" as chief executive.

EXC: Sir Ed Davey has defended Lib Dem councils after new analysis found they were increasing council tax bills on average by more than those run by other parties. Sir Ed told ITV News Meridian that in many cases it was because the Tories had run the councils "very, very badly".

NEW: Conservative Paul Holmes accuses Labour ministers of 'gerrymandering' over decision to redraw the local council map of Hampshire. Hamble Valley MP tells ITV News Meridian new big unitary councils will mean local identity is eroded in Southampton, Portsmouth and rural areas.

NEW: Labour’s Darren Paffey defends the government's decision to replace 15 local councils in Hampshire with just five. The Southampton Itchen MP tells ITV News Meridian that the major shake-up will mean councils 'have enough scale' to deliver public services effectively.

NEW: Tunbridge Wells MP Mike Martin is calling for Ofwat to waive its £22m fine for South East Water and replace it with an enforced investment plan. The water regulator proposed the penalty for multiple supply failures in Kent and Sussex from 2020 to 2023. Full story👇 www.itv.com/news/meridia...

EXC: Kemi Badenoch has denied that a local election slogan to 'lower taxes' meant council tax would actually go down. The Conservative Leader told ITV News Meridian: "Council tax goes up with inflation… We’re not saying people are going to have less [tax] than they paid before."

Dame Sarah Mullally told me it was a "beautiful day" as she set off on her 87 mile pilgrimage from St Paul's to Canterbury. It's the first time a new Archbishop of Canterbury has made the six day journey along the Becket Way ahead of their enthronement.

NEW: Aldershot MP Alex Baker has written a letter – signed by 18 other Labour MPs – urging the British government to “seize this moment” to engage with the new government of Nepal “to address the longstanding issues that Gurkha veterans have faced”.

Bracknell MP Peter Swallow is told to leave the Commons by the Speaker because of his conduct during #PMQs. Sir Lindsay Hoyle said to the Labour backbencher: "You're going out. I've had enough... week in, week out. Either leave now or I'll name you."

EXC: Nigel Farage defends Reform-run Kent County Council increasing council tax by 3.99% despite election leaflets last year pledging to “reduce waste and cut your taxes”. Mr Farage told ITV News Meridian: “Cutting taxes can be not putting them up as much, I suppose.”

NEW: Reform UK leader Nigel Farage says the government's U-turn over delaying elections in Sussex is "a victory for democracy in this country".

NEW: Local elections "should never have been cancelled in the first place", says Lib Dem MP Jess Brown-Fuller. Chichester MP tells ITV News Meridian that the U-turn "shows the Government does not have a strategic vision for this country".

NEW: Labour MP Peter Lamb calls on Sir Keir Starmer to do the “responsible thing” and set out a “timetable for departure in May”. The Crawley MP tells ITV News Meridian this would allow the party to “get on with electing a new leader”.

NEW: Chair of the National Maternity Investigation tells ITV News Meridian she "remains committed" to publishing her final report in the Spring. Baroness Amos admits meeting the deadline will "take a lot of hard work" as she calls for more women to share their experiences.

NEW: Lib Dem MP Layla Moran says South East Water "seems to have done the extraordinary thing of making Thames Water look good". The Oxford West & Abingdon MP says water firms should be run as "public benefit companies". 📺 'The Last Word' tonight on ITV1, ITVX & YouTube

NEW: Poole Labour MP Neil Duncan-Jordan tells me the party’s leadership sees backbenchers like him as a "nuisance not an asset". His advice for the PM: "Listen to backbench MPs more". 📺 'The Last Word' tonight on ITV1, ITVX & YouTube

NEW: Conservative MP Kit Malthouse tells me Robert Jenrick's sacking "doesn't come as any surprise" and that Kemi Badenoch has been "decisive". "You need an ideological coherence within a political party." 📺 'The Last Word' tonight on ITV1, ITVX & YouTube

NEW: South East Water CEO David Hinton tells Parliament his phone call to Tunbridge Wells MP during December’s outage “wasn’t his finest moment”. Mike Martin alleges to EFRA Committee Mr Hinton asked him “how he could sleep at night after politicising the issue”.

EXCL: Sir Keir Starmer tells me the SEND system “isn’t working” and commits to “bringing forward reforms in the new year”. The PM also reveals to ITV News Meridian that the issue of supporting children with special educational needs and disabilities is raised with him more than any other.

Newly-elected Lib Dem president @joshbabarinde.bsky.social tells me he'll be "the last line of defence against Reform". The Eastbourne MP plans to "campaign hard" to offer "solutions of hope and optimism that bring our communities together rather than tear them apart".

Eastleigh MP @lizjarvis.bsky.social has raised her constituent's case in Parliament and is calling on the Government to "rethink" how Personal Independence Payment rules apply to veterans. The Lib Dem tells me she thinks Mark Houghton MBE has been "treated so badly". (2/3)

Exclusive: The family of British Army veteran Mark Houghton MBE say he feels "deserted by the state" after being denied disability benefits following a "catastrophic" E-scooter crash in Dubai. Mark's son, Lawrence, says they're fighting "tooth and nail" for support. 🧵 (1/3)

NEW: The Prime Minister refuses to commit to holding delayed local elections in 2026. Sir Keir Starmer would only tell me he “wants them to go ahead” next year in Essex, Sussex and Hampshire.

Are cuts to disability and sickness benefits justified? And is the government ploughing enough money into the military? Lots to debate on The Last Word: 🔴 Anneliese Dodds, Oxford East MP 🔵 Dame Penny Mordaunt 🟠 James MacCleary, Lewes MP 📺 10.45pm tonight: ITV1 Meridian

NEW: Labour MP Peter Lamb describes the Air India plane crash as “absolutely tragic news” and says he is “there to try to help” any constituents affected. The MP's Crawley constituency includes Gatwick Airport, where the flight was headed.

The new Reform UK leader of Kent County Council defends the removal of Ukraine’s flag from the council chamber. Cllr Linden Kemkaran tells me: “I don’t think most Ukrainians will have noticed the flag was there in the first place”.

Could the Conservatives lose control of Kent County Council next week? “Anything is possible”, Kemi Badenoch tells me on a visit to Sevenoaks. The party leader says “the public are still angry” with the Tories ahead of polling day on 1st May. #localelections

"Did you go back to bed?" Heathrow CEO, Thomas Woldbye, refuses to tell me whether he went to sleep after first being told of the substation fire, which led to the total shutdown of Europe's busiest airport.

“If I lose my PIP, I won’t be able to afford to live” Poppy May, from Crawley, tells me why she travelled to Downing Street to protest against planned cuts to benefits, including Personal Independence Payments. #SpringStatement

NEW: Crawley’s Labour MP Peter Lamb tells me that if the “rapid expansion” of Gatwick Airport is ultimately approved later this year then the local area “desperately needs more investment” in transport infrastructure.

NEW: Green Party MP Sian Berry calls Transport Secretary’s statement on Gatwick Airport “outrageous” and accuses Heidi Alexander of “bending over backwards to push this decision through” – after the minister said she was minded to approve expansion.

Labour's Laura Kyrke-Smith pays tribute to her "incredibly smart" friend Sophie, who took her own life 10 weeks after giving birth. The Aylesbury MP called for better maternal mental health support in Parliament this week. Full ITV Meridian story: www.itv.com/news/meridia...

NEW: Leader of Kent County Council Roger Gough tells ITV News Meridian he’s “stunned” that the county has missed out on getting fast-track devolution while Essex and Sussex have been accepted by the government.

"We all belong to the same family" – Janine Webber's message of respect and tolerance on #HolocaustMemorialDay. The 92-year-old shares her incredible story of survival with ITV News Meridian.

Protests were held outside County Hall in Lewes today, by those opposed to a potential delay to East Sussex County Council elections under devolution plans. Lib Dem MP, James MacCleary, says it's an attempt to delay judgement on the Conservative’s council record.

NEW: Local elections in Kent and Sussex - due in May - could be postponed after County Councils applied for the government’s fast-track devolution scheme. Kent County Council leader Roger Gough told ITV Meridian why he thinks the controversial delay would be worth it.

Clocking off for Christmas 🎄 After a whirlwind 6 months in Westminster, I’m ready for “a bottle of something creamy and a box of chocolates”. See you in 2025!

Hundreds of workers on the Isle of Wight are at risk of redundancy tonight. Danish manufacturer Vestas is ending production of offshore wind turbine blades, with the loss of 300 jobs. The Newport factory is in the constituency of Labour MP Richard Quigley.

NEW: Angela Rayner insists big increases in house building targets for councils in the South of England are achievable. The Deputy PM also told me she’ll use her powers to ‘call in’ planning decisions on major developments, when necessary.

Sussex PCC Katy Bourne welcomes government pledge to change police guidance to give stalking victims the right to know the identity of their stalker at the earliest opportunity.

Kit Malthouse, Conservative MP for North West Hampshire, tells me he's wept after hearing the stories of dying and bereaved people. He'll be backing the assisted dying bill tomorrow.

NEW: Labour MP for Ashford, Sojan Joseph, tells me why his experience as a mental health nurse means he’ll vote against the assisted dying bill tomorrow.

Vet turned Lib Dem MP, Danny Chambers, tells me how his proposed private member’s bill would outlaw the importing of dogs with docked tails or clipped ears – and puppies younger than six months. @dannychambers.bsky.social’s #PuppySmugglingBill is backed by the Dogs Trust and RSPCA.