In his maiden speech, he outlined his belief in the rule of law, in human rights and in equality before the law being matched by equality in opportunity, and that rights must be balanced by responsibilities. In December 2015, he voted to support Prime Minister David Cameron's plans to carry out airstrikes against ISIL targets in Syria. In the 2015–17 parliament, he was part of the Home Affairs Committee and the International Trade Committee. After becoming an MP, he continued to be vocal about local issues that he had supported as a councillor such as protecting weekly bin collections. Jayawardena supported Brexit in the June 2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum.