iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Antonia Bance MP

Bridget Phillipson MP @bphillipsonmp.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

The best news to wake up to ahead of the morning round. Congratulations to Sagal, who has led such a positive campaign. Thank you to the brilliant Labour team and members who made this win possible. Britain is backing Labour’s message of hope. www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cq...

bbc.co.uk

Labour wins Holborn and St Pancras by-election, beating Green leader Zack Polanski - follow live

The contest was triggered when ex-PM Keir Starmer announced last month he would be standing down from the Commons.

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Antonia Bance MP @antoniabance.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

Of course, the WMCA region is the only part of the country specified in the Industrial Strategy for all eight IS sectors - so I am also here to hear about clean energy, defence, professional services, culture, life sciences, digital and finance

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Antonia Bance MP @antoniabance.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

At the West Midlands Growth Summit, looking forward to hearing the Business Sec and our Mayor Richard Parker set out our plans for reindustrialising our region

Antonia in purple in front of a big green and black banner saying West Midlands Growth Summit

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Reposted by Antonia Bance MP

Graeme Downie MP @graemedowniemp.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

For years, we've rightly focused on the military and political threat posed by Putin's Russia. But there's another cost that receives far less attention. A hidden cost paid by British taxpayers, businesses and public services. It's called the Putin Tax. 🧵

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Antonia Bance MP @antoniabance.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Huge news for the West Midlands - with the electric drive units and battery packs manufactured in Wolverhampton, the car built in Solihull, and the supply chain all over our region. British manufacturing excellence.

giftarticle.ft.com

Jaguar takes a leap into luxury EV market with new £130,000 model

British carmaker unveils new electric car following radical rebrand

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Antonia Bance MP @antoniabance.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

We are in a situation where British auto manufacturers will end up paying Chinese companies and Tesla for credits. It’s a nonsense. Together with our high costs, it will mean we lose car making here - and that would be an absolute disaster, much more so than a slight slowing in EV adoption

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Antonia Bance MP @antoniabance.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

No-one disagrees with that. The issue is pace. Policy set half a decade ago that assumed a speed and scale of adoption that has not happened. No-one intended to kill the UK auto industry but that is what will happen if we don’t flex it

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Antonia Bance MP @antoniabance.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Did you know he used to play for Palace?!

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Antonia Bance MP @antoniabance.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

We won’t get the investment if we have lost the plants cos we fined them out of existence. Loosening the target to reflect the market as it is, is a necessary precondition

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Antonia Bance MP @antoniabance.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Great to see this from Richard - like him I know this is crucial for our UK automotive industry and have written and raised this point directly with ministers, including yesterday with HMT ministers

giftarticle.ft.com

Labour mayor of West Midlands urges chancellor to relax electric car targets

Richard Parker says mandate for 80% of all new vehicles sold by end of decade to be all-electric will damage carmakers and suppliers

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Antonia Bance MP @antoniabance.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Tram to Wednesbury - be sure to look left at the new tram extension to Dudley just before you get off. Spend some time at the People’s Map of Wednesbury exhibition. Posh juice at Tracey’s. Tram back.

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Antonia Bance MP @antoniabance.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

We absolutely need to do this as soon as possible to protect domestic automotive manufacturing as well as to help ensure we can stop Made in Europe excluding British manufacturers - so glad that ministers are considering this

thetimes.com

Britain expected to impose tariffs on Chinese electric cars

Ministers are ready to match the EU’s 45 per cent levy to avoid pain of Made in Europe proposals

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Reposted by Antonia Bance MP

Bridget Phillipson MP @bphillipsonmp.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

The Tories’ position on pensions is falling apart. A Shadow Cabinet member wants to replace the State Pension as we know it with something that offers 'dramatically less'. Only Labour will protect a rising state pension while building a new National Care Service. www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/...

thetimes.com

Senior Tory privately urged ‘radical’ shake-up of triple lock

In a leaked recording in June, Katie Lam appears to break from Kemi Badenoch’s position, saying an ‘entirely new pension system’ may be needed

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Reposted by Antonia Bance MP

parliamentconnect.bsky.social @parliamentconnect.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Antonia Bance asks how the Specialty Steels UK acquisition will secure local jobs. Antonia Bance (Labour) House of Commons, 14 September 2026 #TiptonWednesbury #UK #ParliamentConnect #SpecialtySteelsUK #WednesburyBrightBar #WestMidlandsManufacturing

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Antonia Bance MP @antoniabance.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

ENERGY COSTS AT LAST - applications are now OPEN for the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme (BICS)! 💥💥💥💥 BICS will give around a 25% discount on energy costs to 10,000 manufacturers - it is absolutely MASSIVE - check if your firm qualifies check-eligibility-for-bics.service.gov.uk/check

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Antonia Bance MP @antoniabance.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Over £200k coming to Sandwell. Our new Reform council’s first act was to take holiday food vouchers off poor families, so I’ll be watching closely to make sure this gets spent properly

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Reposted by Antonia Bance MP

Labour Unions @labourunionsuk.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Labour Conference gave working people real reason to hope again. Now let’s unite and win the change workers are crying out for #Lab26

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Antonia Bance MP @antoniabance.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

An astonishing speech to be in the hall for. Standouts for me: the promise on big reforms on care to save our NHS, cracking down on unsafe private lets and public control of water.

Antonia sitting in the hall in green dress

Andy Burnham on stage and on two big screens above him

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Antonia Bance MP @antoniabance.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Liverpool looking gorgeous this morning - love a run along the Mersey!

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Reposted by Antonia Bance MP

Alex Collinson @alexcollinson.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

A great decision to bring back Union Learning Fund. All evidence shows that it helped to deliver training to thousands of, often hard-to-reach, workers each year. Independent analysis consistently showed it more than paid for itself over time. Silly of the tories to scrap it in the first place.

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Antonia Bance MP @antoniabance.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

The union movement always lifted up the working class through education. Now we will do it for a new generation - basic skills, digital and AI skills for work, esol and more - and for many workers, getting their first formal qualification with the help of their union and their employer

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Antonia Bance MP @antoniabance.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Union Learning helped over 200k workers get new skills, and its abolition was opposed by employers across the UK, including household names like Tata, Tesco and Heathrow. It’s a brilliant model not just open to union members that gets new learners into in-work training

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Antonia Bance MP @antoniabance.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Incredibly pleased that this government will bring back the popular Union Learning Fund. Was vindictive and shortsighted of the last government to abolish it, given how little in-work training this country does, and how crucial upskilling is for the changing economy

bbc.co.uk

John Healey to promise 'new age of industrialisation' for UK in conference speech

The chancellor will unveil policies aimed at boosting British shipbuilding in his speech to Labour's annual conference on Monday.

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Reposted by Antonia Bance MP

Heidi Alexander MP @heidialexander.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Tomorrow at @labouruk.bsky.social Conference, I will announce that we will nationalise Avanti West Coast train services at the first opportunity. We are building a railway Britain can rely on. www.thetimes.com/article/b68f...

thetimes.com

Avanti West Coast main line set to be nationalised in March

The transport secretary says the operator’s Manchester to London route ‘hasn’t been good enough for far too long’ and passengers have been paying the price

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Reposted by Antonia Bance MP

Laurence Turner MP @larry-turner.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Avanti West Coast Main Line InterCity services will be returned to public ownership on 07 March. Accompanied by investment in passenger services and in facilities at Euston. Railways run by and for the nation. I'm proud to have worked on the legislation that made this possible.

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Antonia Bance MP @antoniabance.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

And of course, it is huge for workers, pushed into claiming self employment and experiencing the consequences with none of the freedoms

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Antonia Bance MP @antoniabance.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

This is incredible news - ministers are going to crack down on bogus self employment! About time - this is huge for every business - from Royal Mail downwards - under pressure cos they directly employ their staff but are undercut by disreputable operators

mirror.co.uk

Nearly one million workers in 'bogus self-employment' to benefit from clampdown

EXCLUSIVE: Nearly a million workers stuck in 'bogus self-employment' that denies them basic rights are expected to benefit from a clampdown on abuses unveiled at Labour’s party conference

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Reposted by Antonia Bance MP

Bridget Phillipson MP @bphillipsonmp.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

150,000 children have been lifted out of poverty since we scrapped the two child limit. 150,000 lives made better. 150,000 brighter futures. That’s the difference a Labour government makes. That’s hope again. www.mirror.co.uk/news/politic...

mirror.co.uk

Scrapping two-child benefit cap has lifted 150,000 children out of poverty

EXCLUSIVE: Labour party chair Bridget Phillipson MP will reveal the scale of change delivered by scrapping the cap, as she warns the next election will be a choice between hope and fear.

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Reposted by Antonia Bance MP

Labour Unions @labourunionsuk.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

🌹#Lab26 is here! We're in Liverpool - bringing the collective voice of 4 million working people to the heart of conference✊ Find all our events here: labourunions.org.uk/lab26/

labourunions.org.uk

LABOUR UNIONS AT LABOUR PARTY CONFERENCE 2026

LABOUR UNIONS WHO ARE LABOUR UNIONS? Labour Unions are the 11 trade unions that are part of the Labour Party. We bring...

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Antonia Bance MP @antoniabance.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Rightly a priority for ministers to get the UK included in Made in Europe - existential for automotive and manufacturing, there is no reindustrialisation if this goes ahead with the UK excluded

theguardian.com

France says EU’s ‘Made in Europe’ law should not include the UK

‘If you’re not in the internal market, you don’t get the same protection,’ says French minister of policy designed to curb Chinese competition

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Antonia Bance MP @antoniabance.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

It's (still, just about) #NationalManufacturingDay! As a @makeuk.bsky.social UK Manufacturing Champion, today I'm celebrating manufacturers in the Black Country & across the UK for all they do to support skilled jobs, growth and opportunities for the next generation. #UKMfg #NMD2026

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Reposted by Antonia Bance MP

Bridget Phillipson MP @bphillipsonmp.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Reform UK has promised cuts of £100 billion, but provided no detail on where they'll be made. Now, Reform UK's favourite think tank has set out a blueprint – including getting rid of the state pension. Reform UK would take us in a dangerous direction. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

theguardian.com

Thinktank linked to Reform UK calls for abolition of state pension

‘Radical’ report likely to influence party’s platform also proposes abolishing inheritance and capital gains taxes

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Reposted by Antonia Bance MP

Liam Byrne MP @liambyrnemp.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

The Business, Innovation, Science & Trade Committee has written to Open AI, Meta, Anthropic AI and Google Deep Mind, calling on them to appear in front of the committee on 13 October to give evidence on the UK’s AI security regime. The letter sets out ten key questions to be answered in advance:

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Reposted by Antonia Bance MP

Bridget Phillipson MP @bphillipsonmp.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

We should be proud that being British is something that unites people regardless of their skin colour. If today’s parties of the right want a backward-facing, exclusionary patriotism – Labour will fight against them, and we’ll win.

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Reposted by Antonia Bance MP

John Slinger MP @johnslingermp.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Well said Bridget Phillipson on BBC Laura Kuenssberg on how disturbing it is “to question people’s British identity on the basis of their skin colour.” The question was in response to Rishi Sunak’s excellent recent @thetimes.com article. We must confront racism.

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Antonia Bance MP @antoniabance.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

This is wonderful news. Simon is a legend.

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Reposted by Antonia Bance MP

Jim Pickard @pickardje.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

The Tories have attacked appointment of TUC chief Paul Nowak as a director of Bank of England, saying: "The last thing our country needs is a trade union leader helping to run the BofE." And yet it was a Tory government that in 2019 appointed the then TUC chief Frances O'Grady to the same role

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Antonia Bance MP @antoniabance.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

With the announcement today that the government is intending to publicly acquire Speciality Steels UK from the Official Receiver, I asked the Business Secretary about what this means for the workers and production at Wednesbury Bright Bar, owned by SSUK.

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Reposted by Antonia Bance MP

GMB Midlands @gmbmidlands.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Better pay, safer workplaces, more family-friendly conditions - this is what union recognition brings. But weak enforcement on union access rights stops progress. We will not let US-style union-busting take root in the UK. @antoniabance.bsky.social

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Reposted by Antonia Bance MP

Shared Health Foundation @sharedhealthgm.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

The Temporary Accommodation Notification Duty has been law for a week and has already been debated and recognised in the Commons. @antoniabance.bsky.social Further guidance and training for local authorities, schools, GPs and health visiting teams: sharedhealthfoundation.org.uk/publications...

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Reposted by Antonia Bance MP

Shared Health Foundation @sharedhealthgm.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Powerful speech by @gideonamos.bsky.social, Angela Rayner MP, and @antoniabance.bsky.social in two debates in the Commons last week, highlighting the stark reality of child mortality in temporary accommodation. We fight to ensure that every homeless baby has a cot to sleep in. @ncmd.bsky.social

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Antonia Bance MP @antoniabance.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

What is the regional split, Luke? Dad, brothers, SiL (London) were bemused, friends and constituents (WM) overwhelmingly supportive

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Antonia Bance MP @antoniabance.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

You will have done. She is a legend.

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Antonia Bance MP @antoniabance.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

Well, no. You have an excellent Labour councillor in Sue Ridney.

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Antonia Bance MP @antoniabance.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

12.5% of working age adults in Tipton and Wednesbury claim PIP, compared with the West Midlands rate of 9.1% and a national rate of 8.6% We are the 19th Reform target constituency

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Antonia Bance MP @antoniabance.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

I have asked ministers multiple times when they will bring forward the promised consultation on employment status - thanks so much to friends at the Fabians and JRF for pressing the case

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Antonia Bance MP @antoniabance.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

If you care about the future of high streets or postal deliveries, care about this. Direct employment is vanishing in hairdressing cos of the lower taxes of letting a chair to a supposedly self-employed hairdresser - who has few rights Postal delivery being undercut as Royal Mail employs direct

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Reposted by Antonia Bance MP

Dale Vince @dalevince.com · 15/08/2026

For me it’s simply pragmatic to flex targets, rather than stick to an arbitrary date, when warned of consequences for the car industry.

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