On 17th April 2012 Barry set up a parliamentary group with other legislators from all parties to discuss the Green Deal, a new government policy which aims to encourage households and businesses to become more energy efficient by carrying out improvements to their properties. Barry is deeply concerned that the current government proposals for the Green Deal will not be effective and the UK will not meet its own energy efficiency targets. Instead of simply carping from the sidelines, he will use the group to co-ordinate constructive criticism from businesses and energy consumer groups to improve the legislation.

On 25^th April 2012 Barry launched a pamphlet for The Fabian Society examining the role of public opinion and ways in which people can become more engaged in the sort of changes required to stop dangerous levels of global warming.

For more information on the pamphlet entitled "The Fairness Instinct" or about The Fabian Society please click here.

On 24th April 2012 Barry brought together MPs from across London to highlight concerns that Boris Johnson is putting public health at risk by spending large sums of taxpayers' money deliberately hiding London's air pollution.

In a joint letter to the Secretary of State for Environment, Caroline Spelman, London's Labour MPs condemned Boris Johnson for spending £1.5 million of public money gluing harmful pollutants to the road in an attempt to artificially reduce the readings around air quality monitoring stations.

The letter warns that spraying pollution suppressants in front of official air quality monitors does nothing to affect actual emissions; it simply misleads the people of London about the quality of the air they are breathing, while putting the UK at risk of millions of pounds of fines for failing to comply with European law for reducing air pollution in the UK.

You can read a copy of the letter here and The Guardian's coverage here.

Barry rang in the New Year in style with a reception for the All Party Parliamentary Group on the Chinese in Britain in the House of Commons. During the reception, Barry spoke about the importance for the Chinese community in London and the need for them to continue their strong involvement in British public life and politics.

Barry was joined at the reception by representatives of the Chinese community in Britain, along with a group of MPs and Peers and the chairs of Chinese for Labour, Conservative Friends of China and Liberal Democratic Friends of China.

This year Barry joined hundreds of others in the community at Brent Town Hall to remember the Holocaust and victims of genocide everywhere. A young man from Rwanda gave a most moving tribute to his two friends who were killed during the ethnic violence in 1994 and Anthony Wolfson (the former cantor at Wembley synagogue) led the London Cantorial Singers in sacred Jewish songs of rememberance.

The theme of “Speak Up Speak Out” was joyfully completed by Kensal Rise Primary School’s orchestra playing and singing Viva la Libertad! Later in the week Barry signed the Holocaust Book of Commitment in Parliament. For more information on the Holocaust Educational Trust, please click here.

On January 16th, Barry hosted and led an important meeting with over 70 leading biodeversity experts as well as legislators at Westminster to discuss the economic value of biodeversity and ecosystems.

Barry himself plays a leading role in highlighting the importance of protecting and conserving biodiversity to Government and Parliament.

 For more information and for a report of the meeting, please email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.