On 21^st October 2013 Barry made a speech in the House of Commons higlighting the need to recognise the economic value of Natural Capital assets in order to protect the natural environment and enhance the benefits offered for our future economic growth.

"Every society is defined by two things: what it creates and what it refuses to destroy. The only thing that sets us apart from our natural environment is our ability to reflect on our own place within it, but for all our cleverness we remain dependent on the extraordinary bounty that nature provides. The food and water that sustain us, the air that we breathe, the raw materials that we use as fuel and clothing or to construct our homes are only the most obvious of nature's benefits. Equally important are the processes and services that purify our water, break down our waste, pollinate our crops and provide us with recreation and aesthetic or spiritual fulfilment. We have the right to use and enjoy the benefits of that natural capital, but that right gives us no licence to prevent our children from exercising a similar and equal use and enjoyment in the future.

On 6^th October 2013 Barry was delighted to join a number of Brent volunteers and celebrity entertainer Navin Kundra to take part in the Sewa Day 2013 community activities in Brent.

Sewa Day is a movement which aims to spreads the concept of "Sewa" - performing acts of generosity and kindness without expecting anything in return.

On 29^th August 2013 Barry took part in the debate in the House of Commons regarding military action in Syria. Below, Barry sets out his views on intervention in Syria and why he voted against military action.

"Ten years ago I voted in favour of war in Iraq. Last week I voted against the government's attempt to take us into war in Syria. The vote on Iraq was taken after 17 UN Resolutions against Iraq, many of them under Chapter 7. The vote on Iraq took place after the horror of 5,000 people gassed by Saddam in Halabjah. The vote in Iraq took place after the UN Security Council had given Iraq "A final opportunity to comply with its obligations" and they had not. Yet the world regards the Iraq war as illegitimate.

On 25^th July 2013 Barry appeared on ITV's Daybreak programme to discuss the Home Office's "Go Home or Face Arrest" campaign targeting illegal immigrants across London.

On 23^rd July 2013 Barry wrote to the Home Secretary to condemn the Home Office's decision to send vans to Brent carrying posters warning illegal immigrants to "Go Home or Face Arrest".

Barry called upon the Home Secretary, Theresa May MP, to explain why it was decided that this campaign should target Brent and a number of other London boroughs and criticised her decision in light of recent findings of a Parliamentary report into failings at the Home Office to process immigration cases. 

On 17^th July 2013 Barry launched a campaign against the government's proposals to end requirements that local authorities monitor and report on the air quality in their area which may lead to a rise in air pollution levels.

As Shadow Minister for the Natural Environment & Fisheries, Barry brought together a number of Labour MPs to raise awareness of the health implications of air pollution and to push the government to continue reporting on air pollution levels.

On 16^th July 2013 Barry, as Chair of a parliamentary group which seeks to engage with the Chinese community and to ensure that they have a voice in politics, launched a report detailing the relationship between the Chinese community in the United Kingdom

The police report, in association with the British Chinese Project, identifies a number of difficulties that exist for Chinese people living in the UK, or visiting, when they are using police and other emergency services. The report suggests how, working together, the police and the British Chinese community can improve their relationship and has been welcomed by Members of Parliament and by representatives of the police force who were in attendance for the launch.

On 4^th July 2013 Ed Miliband appointed Barry to the front bench as Shadow Minister for the Natural Environment and Fisheries.

The appointment puts Barry Gardiner at the centre of developing Labour's plans for the natural environment for the next election, and holding the current government to account. He was previously Minister for Biodiversity in the Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs in 2006 and 07 and served as Ed Miliband's Special Envoy for Environment and Climate Change from 2011 to 2013.

On 1^st July 2013 Barry was invited to join Shadow Health Secretary, Andy Burnham MP, the management team of North West London Hosptials NHS Trust and the hard-working team at Central Middlesex Hospital to celebrate 65 years of our National Health Service.

Barry and Andy were delighted to meet with medical personnel to discuss what Labour would do to improve the NHS with a Questions & Answers session after a tour of the facility and in-depth discussions about the services provided by the NHS and by other organisations within Brent.

NHS staff had baked fabulous cakes for the occasion.