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‘One of the most surprising things about my first year as MP has been the sheer amount of online abuse’
In July last year Will Stone was elected as the Labour MP for Swindon North with a 4,103 majority, unseating incumbent Justin Tomlinson. The former soldier and jiu-jitsu black belt now spends half his week in Westminster where he shares his office with fellow Labour MP Bayo Alaba (Southend East and Rochford). Jamie Hill caught up with Will in Westminster for a chat about his first year.
By Jamie Hill
Being given a tour of the Houses of Parliament by North Swindon MP Will Stone, it is easy to see how excited the relatively new Member of Parliament is about where he works.
Visibly in awe of the building he said: “The Houses of Parliament is, in my opinion, one of the greatest buildings on the planet. So if you're not a little bit struck by how grand it is, I think there's something wrong. Yeah, so that kind of gives you the input of how important your job is.”
His office is in Portcullis House and to even find it you would need a map and a lot of luck to find the rather large room he shares in the labyrinthine building with a fellow MP.
So how has his first year gone?
“It has been a very interesting year. I think there's been some steep learning curves, but I’m enjoying it so far. I think we're getting some positive work going.
“It’s a very busy job and I don’t get to relax as much as I would like but I think we've got a good balance going on with myself and my partner. We try to make sure we prioritise Sundays for us and things like that. My jiu-jitsu training has definitely diminished, you know, that's something but I do try and keep on top of the strength and conditioning side of things doing a bit of fitness every day, but it has definitely been a changing lifestyle.”
Will tends to do Monday to Wednesday in Parliament, working longer days. On a Monday, his work starts at around 10am and finishes at 10pm. Tuesdays and Wednesdays aren’t much better, with his work starting at 10am and not finishing until 7pm or 8pm at night.
This is all so that he can get back to the main reason he took up the role which is constituency work, which he concentrates on from Thursday to Saturday.
He said: “Depending on the vote, sometimes I end up in Westminster on a Friday. It mixes things up a little bit. But I try to cram my week in at the start in London so I can get back to Swindon because that's where I want to be, to be honest with you.
“It is a busy job and sometimes it is hard to balance. Take this Sunday, for example. It was my one day off and I probably slept all of it. I think sometimes you just hit that wall and you're just absolutely exhausted. But planning your week, trying to get to bed on time, making sure it helps with your energy levels is crucial. I think having a military background is good, but it's a very interesting job thrown into the mix.”
Will’s colleague covering the South Swindon constituency is MP Heidi Alexander, who was made Secretary of State for Transport early in the new Parliament.
Will said: “When it comes to working with my counterpart Heidi Alexander, I think there's a need for politicians of all persuasions doing all different jobs. For me, my focus is purely Swindon. And I think the balance works quite well.
“I think having someone else representing Swindon like Heidi who has such a lot of experience and is at such a high level in Government brings a lot to Swindon. It's really good. And then having me to do some of the smaller detail stuff tends to work quite nicely. I mean, we've got a good balance. We’re a good team and work well together.”
For Will, one of the biggest things he has achieved in his first year is getting the role of Business Champion for Net Zero and Defence.
He said: “It's really exciting and the main reason I'm doing that role is to bring business and innovation and jobs to Swindon.
“It’s been an interesting first year but a year is not enough time to really achieve stuff, but we're making some real headway with employment in Swindon.
“In my role as a business champion, I have been engaging with hundreds of people in the industry, and we will see high skill manufacturing come to Swindon. We're still waiting on a few things to line up on that, but we were getting there.
“Obviously, I've also been championing the employment opportunities at Panattoni Park to make sure we get job sectors.
“As far as I'm concerned, if you can bring high skill employment, that will help fix the town. It gives aspiration for the next generation. It links in with education because we have to get the skills from somewhere and it also brings in much needed business rates for the council. So it is a massive catalyst for change.
“I'm putting a lot of my eggs in one basket. I really am. I think if I can be the first MP, as far as I'm aware, in the last 20 years to bring advanced manufacturing into the town, like we haven't seen that since Honda, I think that would be phenomenal.
“My vision for Swindon is creating a defence cluster, which is providing security for the nation. I think that's fantastic. And we've got some of our roots with Supermarine and stuff like that, where we used to produce planes back in the day.
“We've been in a railway town, we've been a manufacturing town, but we've kind of lost our identity after Brexit, so if I can bring that back, I think that would be phenomenal.
“It's a nice thing to have a town that represents something. And I think that's something that not all of us MPs are doing, but all of us should be doing, is how do you put your town on the stage? What does Swindon stand for?
“The reason I wanted to be the business champion for Net Zero and Defence is because I think they're the emerging industry for Net Zero. I initially got offered to be the business champion for High Streets. High Streets are great, really cool, I love High Streets. But it's not going to change my town.
“Whereas getting in these billion-dollar companies, who I can’t reveal right now, but hopefully you'll see some by the end of the year, but getting in these large-scale companies, will change Swindon.”
When it comes to Panattoni Park, the new development being built on the old Honda site, which could create more than 7,000 jobs, Will believes it has to be a good mix of roles.
He said: “It can't just be all advanced manufacturing. I want to have three tiers of employment. So you'll have some basic logistic employment, because that is needed, people don't like it, but we need it.
“You have mid-tier employment and then a highly-skilled tier.
“Everybody can aspire for greatness, but greatness is different for everybody as well. What people want to do in life is different to what other people want. So we need to be able to cater for everybody.”
One case that Will Stone has particularly been championing is getting justice for Harry Parker. Harry was the Swindon 14-year-old who died after being struck by a car on Akers Way, outside Nova Hreod Academy, in November of 2022.
Widespread outrage greeted the subsequent announcement by the Crown Prosecution Service that it would not pursue a case for causing death by dangerous driving against the driver of the car, Ivy Mwangi, because of what it described as a lack of evidence.
In addition, charges of causing death by driving without a licence and causing death while driving uninsured were dropped.
In February Will presented his Road Traffic (Unlicensed Drivers) Bill in Parliament in the Commons in honour of Harry.
The bill would have meant that an unlicensed driver who has never held a valid driving licence and who caused the death of another person by driving committed the offence of careless driving under Section 3 of the Road Traffic Act 1988; and for connected purposes.
Unfortunately Will’s bid wasn’t successful but he is now trying to get the measures, as well as extending the time limits within which charges can be pressed, into the Government’s Road Safety Strategy.
He said: “On the legislative side of things, I've been pushing for road safety for the Harry Parker bill. We've engaged with the Attorney General and trying to make the amendments part of the Road Traffic Safety Act. So that has been a legislative thing, which I'm really proud of. But we haven't managed to cross the line yet, so there's still a significant amount of pushing that needs to be done.
“It is always very complicated trying to get things done at this national change level. There needs to be a change in the system, to be quite frank, but I think it is getting better. Sometimes when you go and talk to the Civil Service, it's more about why you can't do things, and I'm coming up with an attitude of how will we get to that?
“I'm always interested in working on how we can achieve things. And the departments have been very supportive, but it's just about getting it right and putting consistent pressure on the Government, because we do need change. What happened was wrong. There's a loophole we've got to change. The police and the judiciary have to work within their guidelines and yeah it is difficult to get that change made.”
As far as Swindon is concerned, there are myriad issues facing the town at the moment according to Will and it differs for each area.
He said: “If we're talking about Priory Vale or St Andrews, leasehold reform is the issue. That is something which is broken.
“I have had a lot of meetings with Matt Pennycook (The Minister of State of Housing, Communities and Local Government). I think he gets a little bit frustrated with me at times. But if we can fix leasehold, that will save people lots of money because it is broken.”
One thing that Will is very excited about is the £20 million Trailblazers funding for Penhill improvements, which was announced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves in the Spring Statement.
He said: “If we look at Penhill, it’s about getting the basics right. Penhill has been neglected by Labour and Conservative Governments over the past 20 years. It's kind of been in that perfect storm where Labour thought it was too safe to lose and Conservatives didn't want to worry about it, so it got left behind.
“That £20 million can really make a difference tackling anti-social behaviour problems and supporting community projects.
“A panel or committee is going to be set up, which will decide how the money comes in. But we've got to get that right. What I don't want to see is this to become another vanity project that nobody in Penhill wants. I want this to be something which is long-lasting and a legacy of what a Labour government can do and can deliver for the people.
“So we've got to set up the committee and we've got to get the right people on the committee so we can push it forward.
“But in an ideal world, I would like to see community projects formed when we've got some youth activities, potentially some stuff similar to Sure Start. I think that'd be good. We're getting some money for that as well. Some people in the community would like to see the splash park back. We'll have to have a conversation about that.
“But just getting some of the basics right. There's issues around parking, there's issues around pavements. If we can just make Penhill a nicer place to live where people come out of their doors and think it's better, I think that would be a win. creating that pride.
“Weirdly enough, in my experience of Swindon - obviously I've been born and raised there - areas like Penhill and Pinehurst and Moredon, which are sometimes the more deprived areas, have the most sense of community and pride. They really do.
“People are proud to live in Penhill, and I think that's why we've got to support it as well.”
One of the main issues Will comes across on the doorsteps is the reopening of The Oasis Leisure Centre, which is still up in the air after a contentious planning meeting this week. And he is determined to get it reopened.
Another major issue is the town centre and Will is fully behind the borough council’s Heart of Swindon vision which is looking to revitalise the area.
He said: “Swindon Borough Council leader Jim Robbins' vision is fantastic. I really praise the council on the Heart of Swindon's vision.
“We need to change things and start building flats in the centre. People don't like flats, but in London, where we are now, having good flats is a win. And if we want to attract people who work in London or work in Reading, good flats is the answer. I think building in the centre would be a massive positive for me.”
In the past year, The Labour Government has been increasingly criticised for its lack of identity in some areas of the press and that people don’t really know what it stands for.
Will said: “It's been challenging but I think it's a net positive. There's been some things where we have dropped the ball, and I'm quite open about that. But I think for the most part, we've done some really good stuff, increasing the minimum wage, renters' reform, workers' rights. There's been some pretty good stuff.
“We've had to change our line of sight on certain things; we probably did get the winter fuel slightly wrong. It was a little bit too low. I think we've got it right now.”
In recent weeks the Welfare Reform Bill came under increasingly national scrutiny with The Government having to make major concessions to get it through Parliament. When it did get put to a vote Will voted in favour of the bill but he says it was a difficult decision.
Will said: “Last week was incredibly challenging. It was a very interesting vote. I was pacing around the office a lot.
“The devil's in the detail with the PIP report, but it wasn't where I wanted it to be. If there weren't the concessions there were, and if they didn't remove the Clause 5, I don't know if I could have supported it, to be honest.
“I was looking at voting against it. I didn't come into Government to vote against the Government. I'm a soldier. I believe in collective responsibility. The people vote for a Labour politician. They didn't really vote for Will Stone, just being honest. But sometimes you have to kind of draw a line in the sand. But I think we've got it right now.
“So there were enough concessions. It's actually now going to pull people out of poverty. It's the highest increase in universal credit. It's going above inflation now, which is phenomenal.
“We now keep the legacy PIP payments, which means people are going to remain on PIP, and they've taken away the Clause Five, which was a four-point scoring system. That was something I was worried about, because prior to that, you scored over a range of things, whereas some of the proposals which they brought in, which we were planning to bring in, were suggesting that if you don't score four points you get nothing and that is a cliff edge and that would have put people into poverty who need that money.
“So when Stephen Timms (Minister of State for Social Security and Disability) announced those changes at the Dispatch Box it gave me the confidence to support it.
“I had a meeting with him yesterday and what they are suggesting with the tailored support for disabled people I think will work because we have to change this system.
“There's 1,000 people signing up to PIP a day. The projected spend in the next 10 years is astronomical. So we do have to do something.
“But I was always concerned that we were kind of putting the cart before the horse and we weren't going to have the safeguards and measures in place to support people.
“But with the legacy payments and the scrapping of Clause Five, I'm a lot more comfortable.”
In Will’s opinion the main thing that will change how people feel about the Labour Government is the economy and growth.
He said: “When people feel the change in their pockets that will be major.
“Comms haven't been great. They haven't. And this is where we see how the media treats some people and how the media treats other people, because I see on a daily basis what is going on here, and there's a lot of hard work.
“I had a meeting with Stephen Kinnock, and he was saying, I'm really sorry I haven't been out doing the media rounds, but I've just been working non-stop for eight weeks.
“So I think part of being a serious Government is getting on and dealing with the little things to make it right, like fixing the foundations, not just regurgitating the same soundbites.
“We probably do need to address our comms issue, we probably do need to have someone who's dedicated to coming out to comms which isn't an MP, but what I see on a daily basis is MPs working really hard for their constituents, so hopefully people will see the difference,
“We had 14 years of Conservatives announcing things, doing the media rounds, but the delivery just wasn't there. If we grow the economy, we deliver for the people.”
As an MP, Will receives between 200 and 300 emails a day from the public which is a lot of work. He has five people working for him as a team with a Parliamentary researcher with him in Parliament, to help with research for debates, discussions and lobbying, but he also has four case workers in Swindon
The one thing that has been the most surprising aspect of Will’s first year in office has been the constant barrage of online abuse.
He said: “For me the thing that surprised me most about the job, was naively, the amount of online abuse. I got it quite a lot as a candidate, but the levels of just how much more abuse I’m getting since being elected have been quite surprising.
“It shows how fractured our political scene is at the moment.
“The only real solution is educating people, but we also have a responsibility as MPs as well to calm the rhetoric.
“I have friends who are Conservatives and I have friends who are Liberal Democrats and it's not as divisive at the top as people imagine.
“One of the things I like about the job is going out and knocking on doors every single week. I speak to my people. I love it. But I talk to people that start conversations hating me or hating Labour.
“We can still be friends here, just because we disagree. I think the political environment has become so toxic, but it's important to be able to have these intelligent conversations whether you agree with someone or not.
“Telling someone they're wrong and why you think they're wrong is okay. Screaming and shouting at people, probably not so okay.
“We need to be engaging more. Because we don't hate the Conservatives. I'm probably not going to go and hang out with all of them, but they're just people at the end of the day. That's what we need to get past.
“But at the lower end of politics it is very tribal and that is very divisive. We need more engagement and leadership from the top to tackle this.
“When it comes to social media I think there's a fine line between Government control, and I think people get incredibly worried about that, but there probably should be more regulation around misinformation, because it becomes dangerous.
“We've seen MPs murdered. I don't feel it's in everyone's periphery of what is happening, but the environment has become so incredibly hostile and for the most part that is through the online narrative which has been driven by social media.”
For Will, the next 12 months will all be about building on the foundations of his first year and he believes we will start to see a real difference in Swindon.
The Ink News Briefing
Police seize dog from hot car in Swindon - Swindon Police have warned dog owners not to leave their pets in cars during hot weather. The move came after officers in Swindon seized a large dog from a car in the town. They had received a report just before 8.30am on Wednesday from a member of the public concerned that a dog was in distress in a vehicle in Stirling Road, South Marston. Full Story here
Council leader pledges to work closely with Oasis developer on reopening - Swindon Borough Council Leader Cllr Jim Robbins has spoken in the wake of a planning committee decision to refuse permission for flats near The Oasis Leisure Centre. Full Story here
Swindon driver reached 90mph in 30mph zone - A man who drove at 90mph in a 30mph zone with three passengers in his vehicle has been banned from the roads. Full story here
Red Arrows to use sustainable aviation fuel at RIAT - This year’s Royal International Air Tattoo is set to feature a world-first as organisers reveal the Royal Air Force’s iconic Red Arrows will be displaying on Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). Full story here
A corner of poetry
Ink resident poet Deborah Raikesmay waxes lyrical about the latest unusual goings-on at The White House.
Are you taking the peace?
Old Bibi sat pondering, sipping his tea,
Thinking, “Who’s trying hard to create harmony?”
He scratched at his chin, then expostulated
“That Donald Trump fellow should be celebrated'
Ignoring some wars and a Twitterland feud,
He clicked 'send' on the form with a grin cold and shrewd.
“Peace Prize for Donald!” he proudly uttered
As headlines around him collectively shuddered
“Forget the indictment, the wall, and the bans—
He's schmoozed with the highest and shook the right hands'
“Why not?” he said, with a wink and sly smirk,
“As peacemaker, Don’s done miraculous work!
He yells at reporters, but hugs Kim Jong Un
That’s diplomacy, right?
Like a well-aimed harpoon.”
Though fact-checkers groaned and historians sighed,
Bibi just laughed and crowed 'let the past slide'
He pictured the gala, with Trump on the stage,
Reading his speech of at least half a page.
He'd boast of his deals, his golf club retreats,
Then thank “Rocket Man” for avoiding defeats.
All meantime the Nobel folks quietly sighed
Sorting the truths from the myriad lies.
The orange toupee on his head
Stood up proud
He had 'acted for peace' so now all was allowed!
With chaos and tweets and a whole lot of noise,
And sexism, racism, jobs for the boys! As Bibi applauded with hearty delight,
He whispered, “This’ll keep my critics working all night!”
And should Donald win it, this man, mad and crude - well...
That's the U.S where their leaders get screwed.
cdeb25
The Musings, Ramblings and Tangents of a Middle Aged Man
The latest column from outspoken local Swindon musician, raconteur and writer Jim Blair
Hello, my name is Jim. I’m a middle aged fella who over thinks all the wrong things and cannot help but go off on tangents in nearly every conversation. Not sure why The Ink would ask me to write a column but they have. If nothing else, it might just be a 2 minute escape from the ‘normality’ of everyday life and make you feel better about your own brain.
So, Buckle Up. Here we go...
I really am TRYING to be more upbeat and understanding so, I really do try to internalise my thoughts when people talk to me... sometimes, but...we seem to live in a world that makes that very difficult. But, at least the people that put instructions on Shampoo Bottles have job security. So, glass half full and all that.
If you've read my last couple of columns then-
A. Thank you. I put a lot of effort into these magnificent little nuggets of prose.
And...
B. You'll know that I am steadily, but surely becoming a grumpy old man...That occasionally dabbles in sarcasm.
This month's offering leans heavily towards the latter/'B' and has a 'call and response' vibe, if you will...
The following 'Bullet Pointed' sentences/crap are just some of the things people have said to me and my (...internal) replies:
• (When you're at a wedding and the vicar says) "We're gathered here today"
Well, yeah. It'd look a bit fecking weird if we were spread out all over the place mate?
• "Last orders at the bar!"
Where do you think I was going to order from? The Urinal?
(To be honest- I did actually Text my order to the Barman while having a piss once to be safe, but that's beside the point).
• "Well, you've got to hand it to them!"
Why? Let the lazy twat get it themselves.
• (When someone starts a sentence with) "I'm not being funny"
Yup. I bet you're fucking not.
• "You'll never guess what I heard the other day?!"
Yeah, you're right I probably won't. I wasn't there. Plus, I (almost) guarantee I don't care.
• "Have you heard that (insert name here) is a Vegan now?"
Course I have. They told EVERY fucker.
• "Have you seen my glasses?"
Yes. They've got blue rims and tinted lenses.
• "Would you like a De-Caf Coffee?"
We're not friends anymore.
• "Do you want coke in your Scotch?"
You're dead to me.
• "How was work today?"
Oh, just the BEST. I felt so completely valued all day, to the point that I actually Shit out a Rainbow.
• "Do you know what time it is?"
Yes. I don't want to sound overly intelligent but, I was taught how to tell the time in primary school.
• "What's your Ringtone?"
Not sure, never really thought about it. Light Brown probably.
• "Can you believe the price of Quinoa these days?"
I'm not a violent man usually so, I'm going to go ahead and just stop you there. I Don't want to spoil my peaceful streak.
• "Do you fancy doing a Fun Run next weekend?"
I suggest you move away from me right now.
• "Have you heard about that new Dog Grooming place? Apparently it's absolutely amazing! You can get their fur trimmed and shaped AND their paws painted for under £75!"
Congratulations. You have achieved the twatting impossible. You have managed to make someone talking about the price of Quinoa take Silver in the 'Just breathe Jim and don't get angry Olympics'.
Anyway, point being – have any of you ever heard something that makes you realise you've got no patience anymore? Answers on postcards or via email please. I mean, I honestly don’t have the concentration span or inclination to read any of them but, you’ll feel better for getting it off your chest. I hope.
As you were luvs,
Jim.
The Swindon Link Magazine Archive
Over on The Ink’s sister publication Swindon Link’s website you will find an impressive archive of the past 47 years of Swindon Link magazines, giving you a huge glimpse into the town’s recent past from the beginnings of West Swindon to now. You can find the archive here.
The latest magazines
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