Fantastic to meet back up with Major General Rowell, Commandant of the Defence Academy of the UK, to discuss their world leading work and range of talent the Academy attract from militaries across the globe.

Exercise is so important for both your physical and mental health. For me, there's no better way to de-stress after a long day at work, plus it's getting me ready for the reserves! Where's your favourite place to go running in Swindon? Put it in the comments.

Amazing to be part of the first Board meeting for Pride in Penhill, and also follow that up with Charlotte the Chair of the Board. Whilst the board will act as the main decision making board, it will have working groups for a wider group of residents and local people to help shape the programme.

Great to meet back up with Dan from Baring Defence to discuss his plans to set up in Swindon. His work will focus on filling in the production gaps that may be missing to support the growth of nearby companies and allow them to expand, safe in the knowledge that crucial parts can be built at scale.

Good to visit Farnborough to meet with ADS and a number of regional aerospace businesses on how Swindon can support the wider supply chain of aerospace and modern skills.

Fantastic to see TEKEVER receiving a £400m contract to deliver the AR5 Drone (as you can see in the background) for British soldiers on the battlefield. The AR5 will provide real time intelligence to British forces.

Great to visit the Gorse Hill Salvation Army and see their work on the Eden patch and their mission to be an eco church. We spoke about the importance of community partnerships across faiths and their work to reduce carbon emissions through positive recycling efforts.

Great to be out for one of my roaming surgeries. I'll be working on these over the next few months getting out and about in the community to hear issues where you are. As always if there's anything my team and I can do to assist please do get in touch on Will.stone.mp@parliament.uk

🚨 The Thames Water Hosepipe Ban is in effect🚨 I know this will come as frustrating to many residents given the difficulties we've all faced with Thames Water, from leaks to historic infrastructure failings.

Great news that pubs, clubs and live music venues will have their business rates cut by 20% 🍻 I’ve met with many of them in Swindon North over the past two years, and I know this will be a welcome relief for our high streets, and great for easing the cost of living.

TEKEVER have announced the next generation in their Lift Drones, the AR6 is designed to carry items of 200kg+ over ranges of 500km to support industry, renewables and transport for items across dangerous areas. The AR6 will be built in Swindon by the people of Swindon.

On 22nd July, we mark Salamanca Day the Regimental Day for The Rifles. The date is in commemoration of the 1812 Battle of Salamanca pictured below. Historians regard it as Wellington's greatest victory and a decisive turning point in the Peninsular War. I am always proud to be a rifleman.

Great to attend the Explosive Ordnance and Engineering (EOE) military students' presentations at Cranfield Defence Academy in Shrivenham recently. The students I met were from all corners of the globe, learning from British excellence and experimentation.

Andy Burnham's first announcement as Prime Minister is to cut VAT on electricity bills, effective from 1st October. This gives households breathing room amid the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, with the savings passed directly on to customers. Small businesses will also benefit.

Great to visit Billet Precision, a local company doing impressive work supporting the aerospace and drone sector. I met three passionate people who went from apprenticeships to starting their own business and are now thriving in the sovereign capability supply chain

Amazing to join GWA for their communities day today to meet with members of communities in the area and join students for an afternoon, of food, dance, music and fun!

It was a pleasure to sit down for an interview with Deiniol Brown from the UK Forum on a Multipolar World to discuss UK defence policy and my work on this issue. You can find a link to the interview below: duforumonamultipolarworld.substack.com/p/will-stone...

It was a great opportunity to meet the Rector of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, one of the best universities in Ukraine, along with Dan Danchenko, CEO & Founder of Tech Connecta Vertex Ltd, to discuss opportunities to collaborate with Swindon College and Cranfield University.

Having met with a number of constituents who have struggled with gambling and charities dealing with the consequences, I'm keen that we reduce exposure to gambling and as such will continue to ask the government to reduce exposure to harms in the day. Streaming companies shouldn't be an exception.

Lovely to catch up with Dan Russell today, a former British Army Infantry Officer, now a Military Leadership Coach & Mentor, and founder of the Future Leader Academy. Dan works with people preparing for officer selection and developing as future leaders, running 12-week courses and workshops.

Great to meet up with former Lieutenant General Sir Tom Copinger-Symes to discuss the importance of E-sports among young people and hear his plans for the International Defence E-sports games. I re-iterated to him the incredible work of New college Swindon and their E-sports department

Amazing to visit Haydonleigh Primary School, to see the incredible work they're doing for disadvantaged students and their missions of equity and resilience. I spoke to the student council about my work as a Member of Parliament and was really impressed by their questions

I am proud to have signed an amendment to the Representation of the People Bill, which calls for the creation of a National Commission on Electoral Reform. You can find the proposed amendment in full here: bills.parliament.uk/bills/4080/s...

Amendment NC31 to Representation of the People Bill to Representation of the People Bill - Parliamentary Bills - UK Parliament

Alex Sobel's amendment (NC31) to Representation of the People Bill, proposed during Report stage

bills.parliament.uk

Great to catch up with Simon from Shield AI. They're exploring locations along the M4 corridor for a new software and platform integration facility, with plans to create around 30 jobs. Naturally, I made the case for Swindon!

Leading by example! It was fantastic to be formally attested into the Honourable Artillery Company. I passed my Army Officer Selection Board a couple of months back and am now looking forward to attending the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.

It was an honour to hear the Secretary of State for Defence, Dan Jarvis, mention the fantastic work we have been doing in Swindon North.

It was really nice to meet Keith J Abraham, Founder of UK charity Heroic Hearts, delivering pioneering therapeutic psychedelic programmes for military and emergency services veterans.

Great to spend time with fellow veteran Mick Cataldo discussing sovereign capability, Defence innovation and the role SMEs can play in strengthening UK resilience. Plenty of food for thought on how we create the right conditions for innovation to reach the front line faster and support UK growth.

Retail workers are at the 💜 of our communities. Join me in saying a huge thank you to hardworking retail staff this National Retail Workers’ Day for the vital role they play in our high streets and communities.

It has been a busy month with the launch of the MOD testing facility in Swindon and the resignation of the Prime Minister among other things. If you'd like to read my thoughts on the past month sign up to my substack here: willstonemp.substack.com/publish/post...