Earlier this week I went to a drop in session at Brimscombe Mill to provide support for older people, run by GOPA (Gloucestershire Older Persons Association). It was a busy day, with 20 stalls from organisations designed to help the older community such as Age UK. Thank you to everyone involved.

Congratulations to Kirsty and Kevin and all at the Hoptician in Dursley. It was announced today that they have won CAMRA Cider and Perry Pub of the Year 2026, and quite right too. I'm thrilled for them.

Missed my friend the Stroud Lido lobster this morning, but I enjoy the tradition of the conference swim.

Missed my friend the Stroud Lido lobster this morning, but I enjoy the tradition of the conference swim.

I don't think we need a Parliamentary Select Committee looking at the UK's selection for the Eurovision Song Contest. They've got much better things to do with their time. Anyway, the answer's obvious...

Having worked in gynaecology - I know first hand the devastating effects of miscarriage. This is something that 1 in 5 women in the UK go through. I welcome the news that from April, those experiencing pregnancy loss will have a legal right to bereavement leave.

🧵 2/2 ..dynamic ecosystem. Like everywhere else they are recovering from a summer of extreme weather and there are lessons to be learned. I am looking forward to helping ensure a sustainable, resilient, diverse and nature rich future, with nature restoration firmly on the political agenda.

A visit to the WWT in Slimbridge is something I always enjoy, and while I was there last week we discussed their 'Parliamentary Wetlands Champions' initiative. Slimbridge is at the heart of the Severn Estuary, a globally important wetland environment, supporting a uniquely... 🧵 1/2

A personal statement about today's assisted dying vote.

The troubles at Royal Mail are currently the biggest issue that people raise with me. The situation is untenable. Ofcom acknowledge that Royal Mail has failed to meet their targets & I believe we need to take it back into public ownership. Meantime, I will do what I can to improve local services.

We heard a historic statement from the Foreign Secretary this afternoon. This is being backed up by comprehensive action. I will continue to speak out against Israel’s deliberate targeting of healthcare workers and look forward to meeting the Foreign Secretary to discuss this.

This morning, I was delighted to put on record my thanks to our brilliant local community for their tireless work in securing the reopening of Stroud Lido. I’m looking forward to meeting with the Sports Minister to discuss my proposal for a National Lido Fund.

With most schools going back today, let's take a moment to celebrate. Starting this term, 500,000+ more children nationally can get free school meals - that's more than 2500 children in and around Stroud. 🧵 1/2

This week, the Representation of the People Bill returns to the Commons for its final stage. It's a genuinely transformative piece of legislation But, there are two amendments which I would like to see added to the Bill:

🧵 2/3 ..conflicts (partly because of the density/age of population, but also the nature of the weaponry being used by the Israeli army). The casualty rate for healthcare staff (nearly 2000 dead) is x 75 more than in the war in Ukraine. We need to keep up the pressure on the Israeli government to

This week I went to a screening of the film 'Life Support' at Stroud Brewery. After the film I spoke to Dr Nick Maynard (of Medical Aid for Palestine) about his experiences working in Gaza. The casualty rate for children (30,000 dead) in the in Gaza is more than x 4 that of other recent... 🧵 1/3

🧵 3/3 We now need to make sure that the community takes full advantage of the excellent care they offer, and I am writing to all GPs locally to ensure that they are aware of all the advantages that SMH offers mothers to be.