As the first British MP to have a Black Belt in Brazilian jiu jitsu, and former owner of a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu gym, I met with Stephanie Peacock, Minister for sport, media, civil expert and youth. It was a great opportunity to raise the profile of Parajiujitsu and see what support we can offer.

Lovely to meet Nye from Generation Rent. I recently signed a letter on the decent homes standard and support the work they've undergone to push Awaab's law beyond social housing into private rented accommodation.

Fantastic to meet JD Johnson, Vice President of Government Solutions and Strategy at General Motors Defense. GM Defense has teamed up with leading British companies NP Aerospace and BAE Systems as part of Team Lionstrike.

Hoxton Farms are leading the way in alternative proteins which is a major opportunity, not just for the economy but for health, sustainability, and food resilience. I am thrilled that the Government are backing the sector.

It was great to visit Prolinx and see first-hand the vital work being delivered right here in Swindon to support some of our most demanding, mission-critical environments by strengthening the UK’s digital resilience. I look forward to seeing how Prolinx can collaborate with the Swindon Drone Hub.

Today is Single Parents Day, dedicated to recognising and appreciating the hard work of single parents. I wore a gingerbread pin from the fantastic Gingerbread charity, which supports single-parent families.

Great to host another surgery alongside my newest staff member. We're always here to listen to residents and help where we can. If you'd like to book a surgery you can email [email protected].

Eid Mubarak to those celebrating! I'm hoping you all had a fantastic Ramadan and managed to celebrate with your friends and family. Wishing you the best!

Almost a year ago, I hosted an event in Parliament to shine a light on the reality of greyhound racing. This week, I’m thrilled to see Wales has announced a ban on greyhound racing. Now it’s time for Westminster to follow suit.

🌹 £20m investment from the Chancellor for a new Entertainment Venue! 🌹 Today the Chancellor has confirmed that Swindon will be receiving £20m from the Growth Mission Fund to help build a state of the art new venue on the site of the old Bus Station with a mixed capacity of 2,000 spaces.

It was a pleasure to meet with Fiona and Victoria from Wiltshire & Swindon Community Foundation, an amazing organisation which has been helping individuals and businesses to give back to local communities for 51 years.

I had a really insightful conversation with Dandelion Military Families, an organisation specialising in early parenthood and mental health within military families.

Proud to join fellow Labour veteran MPs in writing to Louise Sandher-Jones MP to thank her for her leadership and commitment to the Gurkha community and rged the Government to seize the opportunity of Nepal’s new administration to strengthen the UK–Nepal relationship.

Great to meet Stefan from Babcock, the second-largest contractor to the Ministry of Defence and the South West’s largest employer, with 38,000 people working across the region.

Great to meet with Toby and Claire from MetaverseVR a synthetic training and experimentation ecosystem designed to generate mission-ready Uncrewed Air System (UAS). The Metaverse VR team are working to deliver safe environments through a UAV training sim and deep collaboration with the Navy.

Here’s nine things Labour’s Plan for Change has delivered this week: 🏡 Labour is cutting water bills for hundreds of thousands of households, delivering the biggest WaterSure overhaul in nearly 30 years ⛽ Drivers’ pockets are being protected after Labour froze fuel duty 🧵

Great to Visit Kaliber and see the incredible work they're doing to provide complex wiring and harnessing for the defence industry. Kaliber are a shining example of when Swindon innovation meets ambition to deliver.

The Chair position for the Pride in Penhill programme is now live. If you are a strong community voice, want to engage with people across the area and have a history of managing boards or projects, I want to hear from you! More information here: letstalk.swindon.gov.uk/pride-in-pla...

Reform comes to Swindon to say how broken things are, but at the same time praises my work reindustrialising the town. I am proud to have been the first MP in decades to bring advanced manufacturing back to Swindon, making us the drone manufacturing hub of the U.K. 🧵

A real pleasure to visit Warnerford School in Highworth and discuss the importance of politics and answer some really impressive questions about the state of the country and politics.

In December, Israel revoked the licences of 37 international NGOs operating in Gaza and the occupied West Bank under new registration rules. I submitted a parliamentary question asking what the Government is doing to ensure humanitarian aid can still reach Gaza. 3/3

I recently raised the importance of defence sovereign capability in Dame Chi Onwurah's debate on technology sovereignty. In a turbulent world it's ever more important that we develop robust supply chains that safeguard the UK's ability to protect itself and keep citizens safe.

Fantastic to host a Defence policy roundtable on Autonomy and AI-Enabled Systems with Defence Connect, and to speak alongside ARX Robotics UK CEO David Roberts, Director of GRAIL at Tiberius Aerospace, and Air Commodore Blythe Crawford CBE.

It was great to host the DGA for a defence industry roundtable in Parliament. It is vital that policymakers remain closely engaged with the challenges facing the sector, as well as the opportunities and solutions ahead.

The Government is investing £1bn into the Connect to work scheme, designed to support people who face barriers like due to health conditions, disabilities, or other barriers that might make it difficult for them to either get into work or stay in work. workwiltshire.co.uk/connect-to-w...

Happy International Women’s Day! Molly 'Meatball' McCann is a women who inspires me, one of the most famous UFC fighters from the UK, and she has inspired a generation of girls and women to actively get involved in mixed martial arts, and I think that's pretty cool!

Great to meet Frazer at Jungle Kingdom in Swindon to learn more about his business and the ways he's bringing that extra level of joy to young people across the region. If you're looking for a great time out, I'd really recommend a visit - www.junglekingdom.co.uk?fbclid=IwY2x...

Honour to be invited down to HMS Portsmouth to discuss their international operations and deployments and plans for the future. With thanks to Commanding officer Captain Ben Power of HMS Prince of Wales who took the time to talk to me about the direction of the Navy during these changing times.

NP Aerospace, a UK company pioneering the first female-form ballistic plates. Women currently receive up to 7% less protection at certain angles, a critical issue given the aerial threats seen in Ukraine. NP Aerospace’s work directly addresses this gap. #WomeninDefenceAPPG.

Lovely to meet Linus Pardoe from the Good Food Institute Europe, a not-for-profit organisation working with scientists, businesses, and policymakers to advance alternative proteins, including plant-based and cultivated meat. I look forward to hosting a tasting event in the future.

I'm proud to welcome Neros Technologies as the 6th drone manufacturer to commit to Swindon, bringing up to £10m of investment into our town over the next five years. This is a huge vote of confidence in Swindon’s growing role in advanced manufacturing and defence technology.

Today I spoke to the BBC about the governments decision to allow the US to utilise UK bases in defensive operations relating to the Iran conflict. I want to be clear that this is for defensive purposes only. If you're in the region, register your presence www.gov.uk/government/n...

I had wonderful time joining the Holi celebrations yesterday! Holi is the Hindu festival of colours that signifies the arrival of spring. It is a celebration of unity, it was amazing to see so many different community groups come together 🎉

It was a pleasure to take part in today’s Defence Round Table alongside Tristram Kirkwood OBE ADC and Royal Navy colleagues, together with key voices from across industry. A huge thank you to Cllr Junab Ali, our Armed Forces Champion, for bringing this important discussion together.

It was a pleasure to take part in today’s Defence Round Table alongside Tristram Kirkwood OBE ADC and Royal Navy colleagues, together with key voices from across industry. A huge thank you to Cllr Junab Ali, our Armed Forces Champion, for bringing this important discussion together.

This Labour government has a golden opportunity to transform the life chances of whole generations of young people. I want to make sure the government gets this right, which is why I’m asking you to contribute to my survey. willstone.org.uk/send-reform-...

Great to join Heidi Alexander and Jim Robbins for a visit by Lord Vallance (UK Minister for Science, Innovation, Research and Nuclear ) where we showed him the plans for the town centre, revitalising it and our work delivering on the Drone Hub.

It was incredible to visit QinetiQ's DroneWorks at Boscombe Down to see the work they're delivering in partnership with the Royal Air Force's Air and Space Warfare Centre.

It was great to meet Captain Joe Dransfield RN. Until last month, Joe served as Deputy Head of Operational Assurance at the Military Aviation Authority, and his experience will add significant depth and detail to our work.

I really enjoyed speaking to Business and Digital students at New College Swindon about my experiences as a former business owner and the move into politics. I was impressed by the wide variety of questions, covering topical questions on government policies to how to get involved in politics.

I had a fantastic visit to Crocodile Packaging, an innovative bespoke packaging company based in South Marston. It was inspiring to see the original concept developed by Quentin Philip brought to life on the factory floor, where the company now employs 50 local people.

I'm proud to have put forward an application to get a Government Defence Tec college in Swindon, working alongside Swindon college and industry from across the country. If we are successful Swindon will have a defence tech college opening up this financial year.

Whether you're celebrating Shrove Tuesday before the beginning of Lent, or simply enjoy making pancakes, I hope you all have a great day!

Great to meet Pamela Farries, an expert on North West Aviation. It was valuable to connect on the aerospace, defence, and sustainable manufacturing sectors across the Thames Valley area, discussing key issues around supply chains, skills, and education.

I really enjoyed visiting Rodbourne Bowls Club, they're a great club with members from 21 to 90 taking part in the sport and are celebrating their 100 year anniversary on their current site this year!

I had a fantastic time up in Gorton and Denton campaigning for the wonderful Angeliki Stogia. I am proud to have taken part in such a positive campaign.

Great to speak to the Festival of Tomorrow Breakfast meeting discussing the Future of Swindon alongside Cllr Jim Robbins and Matt Griffiths, chaired by Kate Westbook.

Great to catch up with George from Seeing Systems who currently provide drones for the Royal Marine Commandos and several other units in the UK. I'm committed to expanding the Drone hub in Swindon and brining in more opportunities for local people.

Great to catch up with Chris and Danny from Avnet Silica, a leading manufacturer in key products for UAV resilience. I met them a few months ago in Swindon and I was keen to catch up with them in parliament.

We are seeing a correlation between excessive screen time and poor mental health. I used my intervention in the debate on the Impact of screen time on young children to call on social media companies to take greater accountability for what they are allowing the next generation to see.