Antonia Bance MP

I see another group of Lords are having a whinge cos they can’t steamroller their assisted dying bill through without scrutiny.

Absolutely fascinating to watch them clutch at straws. They stacked the deck in the Commons, not able to do so in the Lords.

Re-industrialisation isn’t a rhetorical tactic in the war on woke. It’s a strategy for a changed less secure world - but one that can reward British knowledge, skill and innovation

We need to rebuild British supply chains for critical capabilities, turn out more skilled workers and cut industrial energy costs fast - all as part of a cohesive Industrial Strategy

Antonia at Lavender

Antonia at Bodrill Parker

Antonia at Angle Ring

This Small Business Saturday I am reflecting on the manufacturing base in our ends, and what fighting for re-industrialisation really means - more mid- and high-skilled jobs in companies supplying advanced manufacturer OEMs across aerospace, automotive, energy and defence

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the sites Chat GPT learns from could learn that!

One of the things I am noticing in emails to me is that people (understandably) want to get emailing their MP “right”, so they use Chat GPT and it adds all sorts of unnecessary frills.

But it doesn’t tell users the two things an MP really needs to act for you: your consent, and your postal address

Antonia, mouth open leaning over black guitar in recording studio

If you go to a brilliant youth arts centre working with neet kids in your ends, you have to pick up a guitar and rock, no? 🤘

I mean, we have just put £39bn into the affordable housing programme. It’s not like we are saying we’ll reduce TA without taking the actions to actually do it…

National child mortality database cited here www.lullabytrust.org.uk/tackling-inf...

Donate to Shelter - Shelter England Help families facing homelessness this Christmas. Donate to Shelter today to provide urgent support when it matters most.

Now I am an MP my voice and my vote matters and I use it for these kids.

But long before I did this, I was a staffer and a donor to Shelter, whose advisors and lawyers fight to get kids a home every day. I’ll donate to them again this Christmas - I hope you do too

england.shelter.org.uk/donate

I was questioned by a young man of 10 who is on the school council and lives in TA in Birmingham when I visited a Tipton school last week.

As an MP the kids from my ends living in hotels in Walsall or on the Hagley Road in Birmingham are among those who worry me the most. Their parents (and teachers) perform extraordinary feats to keep them in school and well and fed and clean but it is so hard

I am so so glad that the child poverty strategy can see the 16k or so families in B&Bs. It’s no way to spend Christmas.

74 children including 58 babies have died in temporary accommodation in the last five years - often because there is nowhere safe for babies to sleep with no cots and the whole family in one room.

Half a lifetime ago, when I was a cabinet member on a local council pre 2010, the director of public health used to come and see me if there was *one* family in a B&B for more than an emergency weekend or so. Just the least safe and healthy place for children

I haven’t had a chance to read the child poverty strategy yet, but the reporting focussing on two hugely important issues for poorer families - getting them out of TA especially B&Bs and funding childcare costs upfront instead of in arrears for UC claimants - show care and thoughtfulness

Bridget Phillipson’s child poverty victory The abolition of the two-child benefit cap is the end of a long fight by the Education Secretary

Why today's child poverty strategy is a very personal victory for Bridget Phillipson. www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk-...

This is a helpful and fair thread from RF

Morning Call: Bridget Phillipson’s child poverty victory The abolition of the two-child benefit cap is the end of a long fight by the Education Secretary

This is an excellent point from @georgeeaton.bsky.social - Bridget has been a consistent champion for years and years on this point

open.substack.com/pub/morningc...

When P&O Ferries sacked 800 staff in 2022, they could ignore the law cos unfair dismissal compensation was capped. Not any more.

This is excellent news

Please share this info. I cannot emphasise enough: all formulas are the same by law (*except prescription ones), you don’t need to spend £3-£5 more a tub for the branding. Spending more buys no extra quality and does not make you a better mama x

A lovely thing today was meeting FareShare at The House charity showcase. They pulled up where they distribute surplus food in our ends - and there were all the pantries and food banks I know, who they know & help too. And we shared our joy together at the end of the two child limit

Thank you for reminding me about this! I couldn’t hear the PM as PMQs was v noisy today and had forgotten this

And where it comes to formula:
- all formulas are the same by law
- the cheapest is always Aldi Mamia at £7.50 or so a tub (only own brand on the market)
- follow-on milk is a marketing device to get round the ad ban - your baby doesn’t need it

Overview

Read the response here

www.gov.uk/government/p...

Glad to see ministers respond positively to the CMA’s review into the broken baby formula market - something I raised with them at the business and trade select committee earlier this year

A bit sad that the codes are voluntary and plain packaging isn’t happening - these companies are *rapacious*

I was also very glad to talk recruitment with people who really know - having taken up some recent casework on behalf of disappointed potential recruits (we got a good result!)

I learned a lot. As someone who knows manufacturing a bit, but is slowly getting to grips with defence manufacturing, it was really helpful to talk about what they use and what they need.