Wera Hobhouse MP

The Government has approved Jackdaw. I know people in Bath, particularly young people, will be very disappointed by this decision. The Government claims Jackdaw will boost the economy. But when I pressed them, I was told it would create just 27 jobs. Does 27 jobs really justify the climate cost?

⚡I was pleased to host Metering UK in Parliament for their launch event. At a time of global uncertainty and volatile energy markets, accurate, reliable metering helps people understand their energy use and trust their bills. Great to hear about the amazing work the industry is doing.

⚡The Budget must bring down energy bills. We @libdems.org.uk would give every household discounted energy for essential use, saving them £100 a year on average. We'll pay for it by clawing back excess profits from energy networks and putting that money back where it belongs: in people's pockets.

🚅Travel update: Track renewals mean disruption between Bath Spa and Bristol Temple Meads until 28 October. Replacement buses are running, and rail tickets are valid on selected First Bus routes between Bath, Bristol, Oldfield Park and Keynsham. Please plan ahead and allow extra time.

Drilling the North Sea dry will not bring down energy bills. It just leaves us exposed to volatile fossil fuel prices. We must invest in home-grown renewables to deliver cheaper bills, greater energy security & a cleaner future. 🌱 Oil and gas are a thing of the past. Renewables are the future.

🍽️ The Budget must back Bath’s high street. Bath’s pubs, cafés & restaurants bring people together, attract visitors & help drive our local economy. But relentless rising costs & higher taxes have pushed many to breaking point. Enough is enough. Slash VAT by 5% for the hospitality sector now.

I loved visiting @bathspauni.bsky.social. From chatting with the Politics Society to exploring the production spaces and watching a stage combat performance that made me gasp, it was inspiring to see students pursuing their talents & passions. I can't wait to see what they go on to achieve. 🎓

Social media companies claim they tackle online harm. Don't believe them. A @uniofbath.bsky.social study found TikTok failed to remove 95% of accounts reported by researchers for advertising drugs. Vapes laced with drugs are being sold easily online. If tech giants won't act, we must make them.

🩷Proud to #WearItPink for @breastcancernow.bsky.social with @clivejonesmp.bsky.social. Clive is one of the few men diagnosed with breast cancer. We must raise awareness that men can get it as well. I'm backing his Cancer Reporting & Strategy Bill. Early diagnosis & faster treatment save lives.

No one in Bath should have to choose between heating their home and paying their bills. I hosted British Gas in Parliament to learn more about the support available this winter. If you're struggling with energy costs, help is out there. Please reach out.

Fear of being identified forced one of my constituents to withdraw from a police investigation. This was recorded as Outcome 16. Last year, Avon & Somerset Police recorded almost 39,000 Outcome 16 cases. It's time we started recording the reason for withdrawal so we can better support victims.

🌱🚜 We don’t have to choose between producing food & protecting nature. We can do both. We need a food system that is fair to farmers, affordable for consumers & kinder to animals. I was proud to co-host the Foodrise mass lobby. Let's back a system that works for people & the planet.

We desperately need to prevent rainwater run-off from entering our sewage system & causing overflows. Simple measures can help, including water butts that collect rainwater for watering plants. I asked the Government what steps they're taking to ensure more households have access to water butts.

If we want to bring manufacturing back to Britain, we need to bring energy prices down. Making & building in Britain is better for our economy & security, but sky-high energy costs are preventing it. The Government is not working anywhere near hard enough to get prices down.

Hospitality has been hit hard by Labour's rising costs, especially the damaging National Insurance hike. Pubs, cafés, restaurants & hotels keep our high streets alive & give many young people their first job. The Budget must back them by cutting business rates & slashing VAT by 5% for hospitality.

I met law firm Browne Jacobson at Parliament's Black History Month Fair. Today, only 3% of UK lawyers are black. Their REACH programme is working to change that by helping to recruit, develop & retain black talent across the profession. I'm delighted to see firms like them breaking down barriers.

Women are being secretly filmed in public. These humiliating, degrading, or sexualised videos are then posted online where every click, view & comment is helping perpetrators cash in on this vile content. No one should profit from harassment. We must make covert filming a criminal offence.

Strengthening democracy around the world and continue the dialogue with like-minded nations is more important than ever, because democracy is under threat. Together the Westminster Foundation for Democracy and the Swiss Embassy supported today’s event to strengthen our shared values and security.

Think my drumming needs a bit more practice... Thank you to @bathspauni.bsky.social for showing me their music, performance & production facilities. The creative industries are vital to our economy and culture, and it's brilliant to see students learning and building these skills in Bath. 🎶

People’s finances have been hammered time and again. This Budget must put money back in people’s pockets. The @libdems.org.uk have a fully funded emergency cost of living package ready to go. The Government should implement it.👇

Illegal e-bikes are terrorising our communities. Riders are speeding through streets & parks, leaving people feeling unsafe & intimidated. We must hit the brakes on this reckless behaviour. I, along with other MPs, have written to the Department for Transport urging it to take action.

Local domestic abuse charities have expressed fears about the number of early prisoner releases. At my regular roundtable, Avon & Somerset Police assured us that managing this is a top priority. I asked the Government how it will ensure police have the resources they need to keep survivors safe.

Farage claims Reform does not have an issue with vetting. ITV’s investigation tells us otherwise, exposing Reform councillors expressing vile racist & misogynistic views. It’s sickening that people with these views hold elected office. Farage must apologise & root these views out of Reform.

No student should ever fear for their safety. At @bathspauni.bsky.social, I met Vice-Chancellor Georgina Andrews to discuss student safety, including the recent & deeply concerning allegations of plans to spike freshers. Spiking is a serious crime, & anyone found responsible must be prosecuted.

Every local area deserves a youth hub. The Government has promised to expand youth hubs so more young people can access support, whether on finding a job or improving their wellbeing. I pressed the Minister: when will Bath get one of these new hubs? I won't let our young people be left behind.

There is still no specific treatment for lobular breast cancer. Instead patients receive general breast cancer treatment to fight the disease. This Lobular Breast Cancer Day we must change that. I'm supporting the Lobular Moon Shot Project's call for the Government to fund this vital research.

We must cut emissions from home heating. Yet electric boilers & other low and zero-emission technologies are being locked out of Government support. I challenged the Secretary of State for Energy on why support is being limited and what criteria determine which technologies are included.

Employers are the backbone of our local economy. If we want Bath to thrive, we need to give businesses the stability, skills & infrastructure they need to grow. I will keep pushing the Government to provide the support & long-term certainty local businesses need to grow, invest and create jobs.

Ministers have repeatedly promised to let communities share & use the renewable energy they generate. I keep asking. They keep promising. But we're still waiting. Community energy projects should benefit the people around them. The Government must set out a clear timeline & get on with it.

Households are facing sky-high energy bills. ⚡ As winter approaches, I hosted British Gas in Parliament to hear about the support they can offer my constituents who may be struggling to pay their bills. No one should be forced to switch off their heating because they cannot afford to keep warm.

Perfect for Bath’s creative community, Gather Round is more than just a co-working space. It’s a network of like-minded professionals who go to work every day & sit, write, design, consult & hang out. Their dynamic community at the stunning Trinity Church is truly amazing.

Young people are the future of politics. That’s why I was delighted to visit King Edward's School to talk with students about how I entered politics, & how they too can get involved & make their voices heard. I enjoyed answering their thought-provoking & challenging questions!

Bath led the rebellion against Brexit, & I've never stopped fighting for businesses paying the price of the Conservatives' botched deal. I welcome the PM's push for closer ties with Europe, but tinkering around the edges isn't enough. We must cut red tape & support businesses across the board.🇪🇺🇬🇧

Negotiate a new UK-EU Customs Union. Re-join the single market. Boost our economy. We need to tear down the Brexit barriers harming British businesses.

Great to meet with the CEO of Anyone’s Child. We discussed how a one-size-fits-all approach to drug policy, focused on bans and criminalisation, can do more harm than good, particularly for people with complex mental health needs. We must do all we can to prevent tragic drug deaths.

Deepfakes, coordinated online harassment campaigns, and now covert filming. The technology-facilitated abuse of women is growing rapidly; the law cannot keep playing catch-up. It’s time we tackle the root cause of this abuse: misogyny. I’m campaigning to make misogyny a hate crime. Read more.👇

I am deeply saddened by the horrific attack on Oleksandriya, a city Bath shares close ties & a friendship agreement with. As Putin's war continues to destroy lives across Ukraine, we must not look away. I encourage anyone who can to support the Friends of Oleksandriya Appeal. buff.ly/hzt6uCS

Thank you to everyone who has objected to the development next to The Bell. Bath's nightlife, music scene & community spirit are always worth fighting for. I've lodged my objection alongside more than 1,000 Bath residents. Let's hope we've done enough to protect this much-loved local venue.

🔶 Backing Bath's businesses. I met local business leaders through the Business West initiative to discuss the challenges they face, from Brexit & rising business rates to the National Insurance hike. Businesses are the backbone of our local economy. I'll always stand up for them in Parliament.

This #HospiceCareWeek, I'm joining Bath constituents and other MPs in calling on the Government to make hospice funding a national priority. Everyone deserves kindness, dignity and high-quality care at the end of their life. Our hospices need the funding to deliver this. Sign the petition.👇

🎶 I’m backing the Bell We cannot allow their live music nights to be put at risk of being silenced. Submit your objection here.👇 thebellinnbath.co.uk/make-some-no...

🎶 I’m backing the Bell We cannot allow their live music nights to be put at risk of being silenced. Submit your objection here.👇 thebellinnbath.co.uk/make-some-no...

Great to catch up with Vanessa from BEAT, the UK’s leading eating disorder charity. With the Government’s Mental Health Strategy set to be published in the coming months, we’ll be pressing for it to properly address the national eating disorder crisis. We won't let them ignore eating disorders.

I'm delighted to be part of the Wetlands Champions Leadership Group, working with WWT to advocate for the protection & restoration of our wetlands.🌱 Wetlands are incredibly important. They provide resilience during heatwaves, & are home to a variety of plants & wildlife! We must preserve them.

I was appalled to see reports that members of Bath University Rugby Club were allegedly planning to spike new students. Sports clubs must stamp out this culture, & universities must educate students on the warning signs. Spiking is a criminal offence. Any allegation must be taken seriously.

Heat networks can deliver cheaper, cleaner heating for people, while cutting emissions.🏠 My visit to Greenwich Peninsula showed me what’s possible. The Government must remove barriers & unlock investment to give businesses the confidence to deliver more projects like this across the country.⚡

Escaping domestic abuse marks the start of a long journey to recovery. Survivors need long-term, sustained support to recover & regain their independence. This Domestic Abuse Awareness Month, we must fight to ensure every survivor can access support to rebuild their lives & move forward.

After Brexit, the UK left EGNOS, a European service that improves GPS accuracy & reliability helping air ambulances operate in challenging conditions. When every second counts and lives are at stake, crews should have every tool available to them. We must rejoin the programme.