Pleased to see today’s @thetimes.com cover my call for HSBC, Barclays & Santander to each invest £10m in CDFIs & credit unions. Everyone with a viable business deserves a fair chance to access finance. @thefinancelab.bsky.social, @responsiblefinance.bsky.social www.thetimes.com/article/a9b1...

Banks urged to invest £30m into local firms as US rivals lead the way

A former business minister wants Barclays, Santander and HSBC to each provide £10 million to ‘help unlock economic opportunity in areas that need it most’

thetimes.com

Today in @thetimes.com: Former business minister wants Barclays, Santander and HSBC to each provide £10 million to ‘help unlock economic opportunity in areas that need it most’. @gareththomasmp.bsky.social #FairBankingForAll www.thetimes.com/article/a9b1...

Banks urged to invest £30m into local firms as US rivals lead the way

A former business minister wants Barclays, Santander and HSBC to each provide £10 million to ‘help unlock economic opportunity in areas that need it most’

thetimes.com

"A Fair Banking Act is essential to allowing every postcode to access growth" In @labourlist.bsky.social, @gareththomasmp.bsky.social sets out why Parliament should pass a #FairBankingAct. #FairBankingForAll labourlist.org/2026/07/fair...

'A Fair Banking Act is essential to allowing every postcode to access growth' - LabourList

If we want good growth in every postcode, devolution of powers must go hand-in-hand with a financial system that works in every postcode too.

labourlist.org

‘If we are serious about spreading opportunity across the country, we cannot ignore the financial infrastructure that makes growth possible. That is why Parliament should pass a Fair Banking Act’ 👏 @gareththomasmp.bsky.social #FairBankingForAll #CreditUnions #CDFIs tinyurl.com/bde2mua5

'A Fair Banking Act is essential to allowing every postcode to access growth' - LabourList

If we want good growth in every postcode, devolution of powers must go hand-in-hand with a financial system that works in every postcode too.

tinyurl.com

“Let’s make devolution work for every community.” In @labourlist.bsky.social, @liambyrnemp.bsky.social makes the case for a UK Community Reinvestment Act so banks invest in the communities they serve. That’s what a #FairBankingAct can help deliver. labourlist.org/2026/07/lets...

'‘Let's make devolution work’ - LabourList

Devolution must stop being seen as a constitutional reform and start being treated as an economic strategy.

labourlist.org

Thank you @gareththomasmp.bsky.social for combining Charlotte's lived insight with policy and regulatory expertise to discuss next steps in access to #AffordableCredit. #FairBankingforAll

Financial Inclusion for Scotland's Sharon McPherson attended the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Fair Banking in London yesterday, alongside representatives from @thefinancelab.bsky.social, @fair4allfinance.bsky.social, @fairbydesign.bsky.social and the FCA, hosted by Gareth Thomas MP.

Today we've launched new research Paying More for Less: The Poverty Premium in 2026. To mark the launch our Director, Rebecca Deegan, has written an article in The New Statesman on what a bolder approach to the poverty premium could look like. www.newstatesman.com/spotlight/ec...

Andy Burnham must redress the balance between markets, fairness and poverty

Tackling the "poverty premium" - the extra charges incurred by those on lower incomes - could help millions with the cost-of-living

newstatesman.com

We're in Parliament today with @gareththomasmp.bsky.social - starting with hearing from Charlotte, who shared her experience on having to use high cost credit. #FairBankingForAll

Thanks to Baroness Kramer and other peers who spoke during Financial Services Bill debate this week and explained why we need to grow #CreditUnions and #CDFIs if we want a financial system that works for everyone New blog here: tinyurl.com/mrx7ejeu @fbfacampaign.bsky.social #FairBankingForAll

Thank you to @gareththomasmp.bsky.social and @responsiblefinance.bsky.social for hosting Monday's event in Parliament - celebrating CDFIs as enablers of growth in places which too often are overlooked. #FairBankingForAll #CDFIs #FairBankingAct #FinancialInclusion

We must keep the #CostOfLiving on the agenda. Yesterday, @gareththomasmp.bsky.social told the Commons “Millions of people and thousands of small businesses are locked out of #AffordableCredit” - and said the new Financial Services Bill could be a step toward fixing this. #FairBankingForAll

We’re delighted to welcome Yvonne Fovargue CBE as Chair of our steering group. To mark her arrival in LabourList, Yvonne reflects on her 14 years as an MP fighting the poverty premium, and why tackling it is essential to rebuilding trust and securing public support for the Government.

'If Labour wants to take on populism, it must start with the cost of living' - LabourList

Politicians with divisive rhetoric come and go but to voters, putting money in their pockets determines if they feel Labour is on their side

labourlist.org

1 year ago @mchshe.bsky.social paid off the debts of hundreds of people. So what’s happened since then? fairbankingforall.org #FairBankingForAll

Thank you Martin Rhodes MP for meeting again with Glasgow residents who have lived experienced of exclusion from affordable credit. Great to discuss the #FairBankingAct as well as delivery & timelines for the government's Financial Inclusion Strategy. #FairBankingForAll

Great news for the #CreditUnion sector 🙌🙌🙌 This will mean millions more people can become credit union members and have access to affordable credit - helping families avoid high-cost credit and build financial resilience. A big win for financial inclusion. #FairBankingForAll

Co-operative Party@coopparty.party.coop · 5mo ago

Today, after campaigning by the Co-operative Party and the credit union sector, the Government has announced new measures that will unleash the potential of credit unions in the UK.   Watch @lucyrigby.bsky.social explain why this is an important day for our movement.

Community banks unlock funding for small businesses & provide affordable loans when people need them most. They’re a powerful force in the US but still far too limited here in the UK. That needs to change. @responsiblefinance.bsky.social @thefinancelab.bsky.social @coopparty.party.coop 🧵1/3

More proof that people want government action to tackle the cost of living crisis🫰 With 2/3 supporting action to stop lower-income households paying more for essentials because they have less choice around their spending – the so-called ‘poverty premium’.

The Fair Banking for All Campaign@fbfacampaign.bsky.social · 6mo ago

"When families with low incomes cannot afford to pay upfront, they are often pushed towards high‑cost credit options." New polling from @fairbydesign.bsky.social in the @newstatesman1913.bsky.social shows the public support action to tackle the poverty premium. www.newstatesman.com/spotlight/ec...

"When families with low incomes cannot afford to pay upfront, they are often pushed towards high‑cost credit options." New polling from @fairbydesign.bsky.social in the @newstatesman1913.bsky.social shows the public support action to tackle the poverty premium. www.newstatesman.com/spotlight/ec...

It's official: Labour voters want Starmer to go further on the cost of living

New polling shows that the Labour 2024 voter base want action on the cost of living. Starmer shouldn’t U-turn on this.

newstatesman.com

New @runnymedetrust.bsky.social & @neweconomics.bsky.social report links structural exclusion, debt & colonialism, finding racialised households face “systemic gatekeeping, algorithmic bias & discriminatory treatment” when seeking credit, often pushing people to high-cost lenders. #DriversOfDebt

Runnymede Trust@runnymedetrust.bsky.social · 6mo ago

"Racialised debt and poverty in Britain are not the result of individual failures, but the predictable outcomes of historic and ongoing systems that are built on social & economic inequalities" Read the new #DriversofDebt report from Power To Prosper & @neweconomics.bsky.social 🔗 ow.ly/xP6650Y8gZw

"We're not here as case studies; we're here as people who are contributing to shaping change." New blog from @fairbydesign.bsky.social on their work with @povertyalliance.org creating a Lived Experience Advisory Panel. fairbydesign.com/blog-what-li...

What Does ‘Lived Experience’ Really Mean? Our Panel’s Perspective

Our Lived Experience Panel shares what the term ‘lived experience’ means to them, why language matters, and how genuine inclusion shapes real policy change.

fairbydesign.com

"Why a British Community Reinvestment Act could strengthen financial inclusion and mutual financial services" @coopparty.party.coop @daniellmonaghan.bsky.social #FairBankingForAll #FairBankingAct party.coop/2026/01/08/w...

Why a British Community Reinvestment Act could strengthen financial inclusion and mutual financial services

As a central delivery partner in the Government’s Financial Inclusion Strategy, credit unions will play a key role in delivering more inclusive financial services

party.coop

Some words from our Head of Policy, @mariacbooker.bsky.social, looking back at our Give Me Some Credit exhibition. The article is a deep dive on the process we followed and looks at the value of involving people with lived experience in our work. www.civilsociety.co.uk/governance/g...

Fair By Design: Give me some credit

Fair By Design teamed up with the Poverty Alliance to document through photography the real-life stories of 14 people who had been denied affordable credit. Maria Booker reports...

civilsociety.co.uk

Brilliant support for the Fair Banking Act from @gareththomasmp.bsky.social, proud to be part of the campaign 👊

The Fair Banking for All Campaign@fbfacampaign.bsky.social · 7mo ago

"A Fair Banking Act is a common sense, proportionate measure which could have transformative benefits for businesses and communities across the UK, and I commend this Bill to the House." 👏 @gareththomasmp.bsky.social #FairBankingForAll #FairBankingAct

Yesterday, Labour and Co-operative MP for Harrow West Gareth Thomas introduced the Fair Banking Bill. It's based on legislation that's worked in the USA, and would transform access to finance for low income individuals and small and medium sized businesses.

"A Fair Banking Act is a common sense, proportionate measure which could have transformative benefits for businesses and communities across the UK, and I commend this Bill to the House." 👏 @gareththomasmp.bsky.social #FairBankingForAll #FairBankingAct

🚨 @gareththomasmp.bsky.social's Fair Banking Bill has just been introduced in the House of Commons. Access to finance is about more than just fairness - small businesses are being held back by legislation that doesn't work for them.

Labour and Co-operative MP Gareth Thomas is in LabourList today, making the case for a Fair Banking Act to support our neighbours, friends and family members who are being locked out of access to banking.

We're backing Gareth Thomas' Fair Banking Act to help transform communities using credit unions and community finance. It's time the banks helped out the communities they're supposed to serve.

It's time the banks helped out the communities they're supposed to serve.

We're backing Gareth Thomas' Fair Banking Act to help transform communities using credit unions and community finance. party.coop | @coopparty

youtu.be

And it passed! A huge thank you to @gareththomasmp.bsky.social for taking forward the Financial Exclusion & Access to Finance Bill, based on the #FairBankingAct. @thefinancelab.bsky.social @buildingsocieties.bsky.social @fsb-uk.bsky.social @coopparty.party.coop #FairBankingForAll