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Passing on east now. That was a very localised thunder-splurge. On the one hand let’s hope it hasn’t triggered any flooding or fires. On the other, all wetness from the skies is gratefully received right now.

Final tally of lightning strikes over Sittingbourne this evening

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FWIW Sittingbourne (and even more Sheppey as it doesn’t get the flow off the hill-line) is in the rain-shadow of the North Downs and even now when other areas have had *some* rain, we haven’t had a lot of big downpours this week, so this is especially gratifying

Rain radar map with heavy showers right over Sittingbourne in Kent UK

Lightning strike map with multiple strikes on the north-east of Sittingbourne Kent UK

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Arrrrgh. Spoke to soon. Now got hail. The tomatoes won’t be so fond of that. Hey-ho. It’s all water in the end

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Kevin McKenna MP @kevinmckenna.co.uk · 13/08/2026

Since being elected, I’ve been campaigning to get the Power Station Road fly-tip cleared, working with the Government and Environment Agency to get results. Today, that clearance is happening. I’ll keep pushing for stronger powers so fly-tippers pay for their mess.

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As a side note I see the Mail is having a normal one, somehow missing the obvious that throughout Britain’s recorded and assessable history when we had many more forested areas and wild landscapes, we weren’t blighted by wildfires in the way we are now as the man-made climate crisis ramps up. Sigh

Daily Mail front page for today, 13th August 2026

Headline reads “Rewilding link to record fires” somehow arguing that attempts to counter habitat loss and environmental degradation are the cause of this year’s wildfire blight in the UK, rather than record temperatures caused by man-made global warming

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Kevin McKenna MP @kevinmckenna.co.uk · 12/08/2026

Finally managed to get a shot on the phone. Not only have the birds all gone quiet, but mercifully so have all the camera drones that have been buzzing around to get pics of it too

$August 2026 partial solar eclipse as seen from Sittingbourne Kent, UK. Crescent sun and its refraction visible above a tile rooftop$

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Kevin McKenna MP @kevinmckenna.co.uk · 12/08/2026

Colander shortage here, but this pea strainer has finally found a use beyond fishing out poached eggs for the occasional Sunday brunch

Man with beard holding a steel pea strainer in lieu of a colander, during a partial solar eclipse

Partial solar eclipse projecting through a pea strainer

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Kevin McKenna MP @kevinmckenna.co.uk · 21/07/2026

I had a fantastic time at Swale Pride celebrating our brilliant community. 🌈 I asked people what Pride means to them, and one message came through loud and clear. Togetherness. Thank you to everyone who shared their thoughts and made it such a special day.

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Kevin McKenna MP @kevinmckenna.co.uk · 11/07/2026

Did have this lovely smoked cod and paprika sauce in a great little bistro in Tromsø too. Definitely recommend

Smoked cod in a paprika sauce with steamed vegetables and mini roasted new potatoes, served in a grey ceramic bowl on a pale wooden block table

Exterior photo of a yellowy wooden planked building on an icy/snowy street, the site of Bardus Bistro in Tromsø

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Kevin McKenna MP @kevinmckenna.co.uk · 11/07/2026

My takeaways from visiting Norway’s High Arctic North in February to see Camp Viking & UK Commando Forces are: 1. Norwegians are amazing people (with expensive beer) + we should worry 2. Our best are at least as tough as they are 3. Honestly not sure the Miami weather will suit either of us 🥵🥶

Kevin McKenna MP in a big purple puffa jacket and beanie hat, on the quayside at Tromsø

The Norwegian and UK flags flying at Camp Viking, in the High North of Norway. The Union Flag appears higher up in this image

Kevin McKenna MP in a camouflage jacket and a grey hoodie, standing in freezing conditions, in front of a rough wooden fence and smoking fire, in a Norwegian forest, when he visited the UK Commando Force mountain survival technique training camp in northern Norway

Kevin McKenna MP in military fatigues rigged for cold weather, on a snowy field, with Viking caterpillar tracked military transport vehicles and snowy Arctic mountains in the background

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Kevin McKenna MP @kevinmckenna.co.uk · 06/07/2026

Meanwhile though we managed to have a very late meal this evening, of culturally appropriate barbecued corn, the chances of staying awake for the whole England v Mexico match are pretty low at this point in the day, sadly 😟

Barbecued pork ribs and corn on the cob, served on melamine plates fresh off the grill

Barbecued corn cob, unwrapped from its leaves, creating a dramatic star shaped sculptural shape on a kitchen worktop

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Kevin McKenna MP @kevinmckenna.co.uk · 05/07/2026

🇳🇴 All I’m going to say is that Norway is an incredible country, with amazing people who really impressed me when I finally got to visit the arctic earlier this year, so I am not surprised and very happy 🇳🇴 (Even if their beer is crazily expensive, even compared to London prices)

Kevin McKenna MP in military fatigues in northern Norway, in a snow and ice covered field, 200km north of the Arctic Circle in Feb 2026, with some military vehicles and ice covered mountains in the background

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Kevin McKenna MP @kevinmckenna.co.uk · 29/06/2026

£3.5 million is being invested in Sittingbourne Memorial Hospital, creating space for up to 4,000 extra GP appointments and expanding mental health services. Combined with £500,000 for a new X-ray machine, this is a major boost for healthcare across Sittingbourne and Sheppey.

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Kevin McKenna MP @kevinmckenna.co.uk · 27/06/2026

Help for Heroes have proposals to improve support for veterans and families, laid out here. The government has been working hard to boost support and as a society we are getting better at moving beyond warm words towards real action, but we can go further www.helpforheroes.org.uk/media/filer_...

Kevin McKenna MP in the Churchill Room in the Palace of Westminster, holding a Help for Heroes banner saying “I support stronger protection for every veteran and their family”

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Kevin McKenna MP @kevinmckenna.co.uk · 27/06/2026

Starting this Armed Forces day, and running all through this summer I'm encouraging businesses, charities, schools & community groups across Sittingbourne and Sheppey to sign up to the Armed Forces Covenant and demonstrate their commitment to everyone serving in our forces, veterans & their families

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Kevin McKenna MP @kevinmckenna.co.uk · 27/06/2026

Me and Danny have made our predication now its over to @englandft.bsky.social

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Kevin McKenna MP @kevinmckenna.co.uk · 22/06/2026

My statement on the resignation of the Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer MP.

Image of Kevin's statement which reads as follows:

Keir Starmer has today announced his resignation as Prime Minister, and I would like to thank Keir for his service to the country and to our party. He and his family have sacrificed so much for Keir to achieve all the things he has as our leader.

Keir led the Labour Party to a landslide victory at the last general election, just four years after we had suffered a crushing defeat. His government has, over the last two years, passed landmark bills on workers' rights, on renters' rights and on Great British Railways, as well as delivering Pride in Place, free breakfast clubs and rebalancing the focus of government towards the most overlooked communities. Keir himself has represented the United Kingdom on the world stage with aptitude and dignity during a time of global instability.

The decision to resign will have been difficult for Keir to make but it was the right decision for the country. As I said in my statement after the local elections in early May, we now need a leader and Prime Minister who is capable of accelerating the pace of change so that Labour can deliver on all the commitments we made to the country at the general election.

This is why I believe Andy Burnham is the right person to lead us now and seize this moment for real change. Andy has not just experience of being in government but a deep understanding of the challenges facing the country, and how to fix them, honed during his time as Mayor of Greater Manchester.

I know that transition periods can be unsettling, but my focus, as always, remains on working hard for my constituents in Sittingbourne and Sheppey, standing up for them and making sure they are never overlooked, whoever is Prime Minister.

Signed: Kevin McKenna MP, Sittingbourne and Sheppey

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Bringing up five kids successfully to adulthood is no mean feat. He’s survived by us all, his wife & 12 happy grandkids That we got one last day out for a pub lunch on a typically cold British day last spring, was still luckier than many manage. I am so incredibly grateful for every moment we had

My brother, Dad and Mum, outside The Ferry House on Harty island, a sub-island of the Isle of Sheppey. They are all dressed up in warm coats as it was freezing that day in March 2025, despite the bright blue, slightly cloudy sky behind them

Four people in a selfie shot, me at the front, my Mum, Dad and one of my brothers behind me. They are on Harty Island, with the waters of the Swale behind them. A field of grass and then some salt-marsh, at the site of the old Harty Ferry. It is mid-March 2025, still looking wintery and only a few days before my wonderful Dad died suddenly, but incredibly fast and peacefully of a heart attack at the age of 82

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These days I have had to get used to having to get my photo taken all the time, smiling or frowning on demand. He would have loved this karma for me 😆 He’d did loads of my campaign pics last year too, in a mad rush, for which I am incredibly grateful. Thanks Dad 😍

My Dad Wally, on the Isle of Sheppey on the 26th May 2024, as we raced around the constituency in a hurry, taking campaign photos after the snap general election was called

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Dad, totally tactically, routinely hid behind a lens, so finding pics of him without a camera is a nightmare Yes he loved photography. Yes he hated having his photo taken. This was a dream combo for him He would have performatively hated/not hated at all really, me pointing this out here

A photo of a crowd of people at the Columbia Road Day of the Dead festival in Bethnal Green, London. So appropriate in multiple ways for this post

In the middle is an old man with white hair, holding up an SLR camera. He is Wally McKenna, my Dad

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Kevin McKenna MP @kevinmckenna.co.uk · 20/06/2026

Brilliant to see all these lovely posts of Dads doing dad stuff today For so many of us I know it is harder today for all different reasons Last year my Dad had only just died so I tried to ignore it, as loads of people will do this year too Plus finding a pic of him in front of a camera is hard

Photo of Kevin McKenna MP, with his husband Lee and his Dad Wally, stood in front of the Pyramide du Louvre in Paris. It is clearly a cold day because they are all wearing warm, padded coats, but also sunglasses on the two McKennas for some reason

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The Netherlands captured Sheppey and Queenborough in 1667 That was 40 years before the UK was created It was finally legally handed back to England and the UK in 1967 Today we celebrated the 59th anniversary of joining the UK Next year come and celebrate our 60th Independence Day

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Kevin McKenna MP @kevinmckenna.co.uk · 20/06/2026

Northern cultural classics and rapprochement with our historic European rivals turned allies. Any political message you read into this is on you. Just the start of the 59th QID here on Sheppey

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Kevin McKenna MP @kevinmckenna.co.uk · 20/06/2026

Food, fun, music, all in the lovely Georgian seaside setting of Queenborough, the old capital of the Isle of Sheppey Celebrate the peaceful return of the one part of British soil held by the Dutch three hundred years ago, who forgot to hand it back till 1967, a minor diplomatic faux pas now sorted

Poster celebrating Queenborough Independence Day, today Saturday 20th June 2026

A picture of a curving ribbon in red, white and blue stripes like the Netherlands flag, over an orange background, with text saying “Happy Queenborough Independence Day!”

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Kevin McKenna MP @kevinmckenna.co.uk · 19/06/2026

Seaside? Saturday? Pop along to Queenborough for our annual Independence Day Celebrate the Netherlands finally handing back Sheppey to the UK in 1967, after forgetting to do so for a few hundred years after they raided the Medway in 1667 Beer and music for when you are done with the local beaches

Poster for Queenborough Independence Day, on Saturday 20th June 2026

Listing the following events:
12pm to 2pm Matilduo performing at The Queen Phillipa
2:30pm The Heroes followed by DJ Wils at The Rose Inn
All day DJ Joshua with The Riflemen from 3pm at The Flying Dutchman
4pm to 6pm Mick Kenton at Queenborough Yacht Club
5pm Ska Struck, with BRFM broadcasting all day, at The Admirals Arm

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I joined BBC Breakfast to make the case for catapults to be listed as offensive weapons. The evidence is clear: misuse is causing harm, and modern catapults can cause serious injuries. We need stronger powers to prevent crime while protecting legitimate uses.

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My statement on the reintroduction of the Assisted Dying Bill Thank you, @laurenedwardsmp.bsky.social, for reintroducing this important Bill and helping ensure that Parliament is able to complete the work it has already voted to progress.

I am proud to support Lauren Edwards MP as she brings the Assisted Dying Bill before the House of Commons once again.
I have backed reform on assisted dying since Kim Leadbeater MP first introduced this Bill in 2024. My view has remained consistent: terminally ill adults should have the choice to die with dignity, supported by strong safeguards and proper oversight.

Parliament has already given this issue serious and extensive consideration. The Bill has been debated at length, examined in detail and voted on several times by the House of Commons. It has received nearly 200 hours of parliamentary consideration, placing it among the most heavily scrutinised Bills in recent times.

It is therefore wrong to suggest that this legislation has not been properly considered.

Today is about more than the principle of assisted dying. It is about whether Parliament is able to complete work that it has already agreed to take forward.

The House of Lords has spent weeks examining the Bill, with more than 1,200 amendments put forward. However, despite this extensive consideration, no substantive votes have taken place on those amendments. This raises important questions about whether the parliamentary process is working as it should.

The Lords has a vital constitutional role: to scrutinise legislation, suggest improvements and help ensure that Parliament reaches the best possible outcome. That requires proper debate and, ultimately, decisions being made through votes.

Meanwhile, the House of Commons - the elected chamber - has made its position clear. MPs have repeatedly voted for this Bill to progress. Those decisions followed detailed debate and careful consideration, and they should be respected.

That is why I, alongside other MPs, believe the House of Lords must now fulfil its role by allowing the amendment process to move forward. Members should be able to debate the changes proposed and, crucially, allow votes to take place so that Parliament as a whole can reach a co…

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Communities shouldn't have to fight for their fair share. A Neighbourhood Spending Lock would guarantee investment in the places too often left behind bringing good jobs, stronger public services and renewed pride to towns and communities across Britain. Change must be felt where it's needed most.

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