Will Stone
Will Stone | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2024 | |
| Member of Parliament for Swindon North | |
| Assumed office 4 July 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Justin Tomlinson |
| Majority | 4,103 (9.3%) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Swindon, England |
| Political party | Labour |
| Website | willstone4northswindon |
Will Stone is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Swindon North since 2024.[1]
Early life
[edit]Will Stone was born in Swindon and was an Army rifleman in the 1st Battalion, The Rifles.[2][3]
Political career
[edit]Stone was elected as a councillor on Swindon Borough Council for the ward of Rodbourne Cheney in 2022.[4]
He won the Swindon North seat for Labour at the 2024 general election, defeating the Conservative incumbent Justin Tomlinson by a margin of 4,103 votes (9.3%).[1]
Since being elected Will has worked to advance two key issues Veterans affairs and Road Safety and has also been appointed the Business Champion for Defence and Net Zero.
Following the death of Harry Parker in his constituency of Swindon North in November 2022 and the dropping of charges for the driver that lead to Harry's death in November 2024[5] Will introduced the Road Traffic (Unlicensed Drivers) Bill to Parliament[6]. The Bill would make it an offence to Drive without a valid license by treating this as careless under the law. The Road Traffic (Unlicensed Drivers) Bill passed it's first reading in Parliament on the 4th February 2025.
As a Veteran, Will focussed on Veterans affairs, first as a councillor for Swindon and then as the MP, noting the mental health and employment gap some veterans face[7]. He has spoken in the House of Commons Chamber on Veterans rights and written to the MOD on the subject of removing MOD compensation payments from benefit calculations[8].
Personal life
[edit]Stone has practiced Brazilian jiu-jitsu for many years, and is also a black belt in judo, the first person in Parliament's history to hold a black belt in Jiu-jitsu.[9][10] After being elected to Parliament, Stone competed in a charity jiu-jitsu fight against Matt Inman at Polaris 30 on 2 November 2024, losing by submission (Americana).[11]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Swindon North | General Election 2024 | Sky News". election.news.sky.com. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
- ^ "Ex-soldier's calls for more help for Wiltshire veterans". BBC News. 27 September 2022.
- ^ Merrick, Jane (13 June 2024). "Inside Swindon North, target seat where Starmer hasn't won over voters". inews.co.uk. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
- ^ Thomas, Aled (31 January 2023). "Labour candidate for North Swindon at the next election says what he'd do if elected". Swindon Advertiser. Archived from the original on 4 November 2024. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
- ^ "Harry Parker: Woman's driving charges over boy's death dropped". BBC News. 15 November 2024. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
- ^ "Road Traffic (Unlicensed Drivers) Bill - Parliamentary Bills - UK Parliament". bills.parliament.uk. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
- ^ "Ex-soldier's calls for more help for Wiltshire veterans". BBC News. 27 September 2022. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
- ^ "Will Stone for Swindon North - I recently wrote to the Minister for Veteran's Affairs about excluding military compensation from benefit calculations. I do not believe it is right that those who have served our country with distinction should lose out on a rightful benefit because of compensation they've received as a result of their service. | Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
- ^ "Parliament has its first BJJ black belt! - UKBJJA". 10 July 2024. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
- ^ Barltrop, Paul; Boobyer, Leigh (29 October 2024). "MP to grapple in jiu-jitsu match for charity". BBC News. Retrieved 27 November 2024.
- ^ "Polaris 30 Full Results And Highlights". Jits Magazine. 3 November 2024. Retrieved 3 November 2024.
External links
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