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 | https://willstone.org.uk |
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 grew up in Pinehurst. He attended the Headlands School, now Swindon Academy. 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] As a councillor, Stone called for more support for veterans.[5]
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]
In February 2025, Stone introduced the Ten Minute Rule Bill to amend the Road Traffic Act 1988, which would make death caused by an unlicensed driver a careless driving offence under Section 3.[6][7] Stone was motivated to introduce the bill in response to the death of 14-year-old teenager from Swindon, who was killed by an unlicensed driver in 2022.[8][9] After the bill did not progress past its second reading due to debate time being used on the Terminally Ill (Adults) End of Life Bill, Stone put forward two amendments to the Police and Crime Bill, which would (1) make the maximum penalty for a driver convicted of driving without a licence who has never held one six months in prison or an unlimited fine or both. (2) make it possible to send someone who does not stop after an accident to prison for up to a year or to give them an unlimited fine.[10]
On 20 May 2025, Stone spoke out in favour of transgender rights in the United Kingdom, saying "We should be doing our utmost to protect the trans community and ensure they have the same rights as everyone else and that they can live in dignity".[11]
Stone has campaigned for local health service improvement, securing over £400,000 for repairs at Swindon's Great Western Hospital [12] and £508,090 for Prospect Hospice. [13][14]
Drone manufacturing hub.
[edit]In early 2025, Stone was appointed as a 'business champion' of defence and green technology by the Labour Party.[15] In this role, Stone has noted that one of his missions for Swindon North is to return the town to a place of high quality employment. To do this, he is leading efforts to utilise the Panattoni site for manufacturing in sectors like Defence and Drone production,[16] in line with the Government's increase to defence spending of 2.5% from April 2027 and foster economic growth in Swindon.[17] Overarching reasons for this move are to utilise the extra investment in defence whilst also supporting the UK's wider mission of scaling up defence capability. Many of the drone manufacturers he has engaged with have been involved in the defence of Ukraine and note their desire to support the UK and Ukraine's defence infrastructure[18].
The first investment in Swindon drone production was announced on 17 July 2025, with the German Defence company STARK announcing a 40,000 square foot factory in Swindon, outlining an initial 100 high-skilled jobs in the town, and marking the company's first expansion outside of Germany[19].
Will Stone commented "I’m proud to be working alongside STARK to bring defence manufacturing back to Swindon".[20]
Beyond STARK, Stone has been engaging with small businesses involved in the drone industry. On 22 August 2025, Stone welcomed anti-drone personal defence SME Munin Dynamics "to the town, and was quoted for saying, "Having another defence company set up in Swindon highlights that we are transitioning into becoming a drone manufacturing hub supporting the nation's security"[21].
On the 11th September Will Stone announced on his Social Media that the British modular drone company FLYBY that had been involved in delivering NHS medications to the Isle of Wight, would be bringing 300 jobs to Swindon as part of their expansion plans. Their CEO thanked Will for his "vision and energy" stating it's "what our industry and our nation has been seeking" [22] and noted that the Swindon North MPs direct involvement had played a key part in their decision to set up in the town. FLYBY's new vertical take-off and landing (VTOL), pioneered in collaboration with the RAF, prompted the expansion and Mr Stone noted the investment "bolsters our nation’s defence and provides high-skilled jobs to the people of our town."
On the 15th September 2025, Will Stone announced alongside the Defence Secretary John Healey, that TEKEVER, a Portuguese company worth over £1bn, would be establishing themselves in the Spectrum building in Swindon to produce AR5 drone and AR3 model drones and bring 400 jobs to the town. The move to Swindon was facilitated by Will Stone MP who supported the company in finding a facility and co-ordinated the talks between Swindon Borough Council and TEKEVER. Mr Stone noted "This announcement supports my ongoing commitment to establishing a drone cluster of excellence in Swindon" [23].
Personal life
[edit]Stone is a black belt in both Judo and Brazilian jiu-jitsu.[24][25] Stone is a fan of the Warhammer series of tabletop games and played at a tournament in Nottingham on 2 September 2025.[26]
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.
- ^ "Ex-soldier's calls for more help for Wiltshire veterans". BBC News. 27 September 2022. Archived from the original on 14 April 2025. Retrieved 14 April 2025.
- ^ "Harry Parker: MP seeks to close 'loophole' after schoolboy killed". BBC News. 4 February 2025. Retrieved 14 April 2025.
- ^ Akass, Amanda (4 February 2025). "Tougher laws on unlicensed drivers to be considered after Sky News report". Sky News.
- ^ Boobyer, Leigh (18 November 2024). "Grieving parents 'failed' as driving charges dropped". BBC News. Archived from the original on 14 April 2025. Retrieved 14 April 2025.
- ^ "Harry Parker hit by car outside school was 'charming young man'". BBC News. 29 November 2022. Archived from the original on 14 April 2025. Retrieved 14 April 2025.
- ^ "Latest on 'Harry Parker' road safety bill after teens death". Swindon Advertiser. 2 June 2025. Retrieved 2 July 2025.
- ^ "Swindon MP speaks out in trans debate as Tory leader accused of transphobia". Swindon Advertiser. 20 May 2025. Retrieved 9 September 2025.
- ^ "Safety repairs and maintenance set for Swindon's main hospital after £400k boost". Swindon Advertiser. 8 June 2025. Retrieved 2 July 2025.
- ^ "Hospices receive multi-million pound boost to improve facilities". GOV.UK. Retrieved 2 July 2025.
- ^ "£75 million boost for hospices to transform end-of-life care". GOV.UK. Retrieved 28 August 2025.
- ^ Thomas, Aled (20 February 2025). "Swindon North MP takes on 'business champion' role". Swindon Advertiser. Archived from the original on 14 April 2025. Retrieved 14 April 2025.
- ^ "Arms trade could 'transform Swindon' as defence spending set to rocket". Swindon Advertiser. 28 April 2025. Retrieved 2 July 2025.
- ^ "Prime Minister sets out biggest sustained increase in defence spending since the Cold War, protecting British people in new era for national security". GOV.UK. Retrieved 2 July 2025.
- ^ "Former paratrooper sets up military drone firm in town to help Ukraine". Swindon Advertiser. 22 August 2025. Retrieved 28 August 2025.
- ^ "Drone manufacturer Stark to begin production in Swindon". BBC News. 16 July 2025. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
- ^ Aled Thomas (17 July 2025). "Drone firm Stark creates 100 jobs with new Swindon factory". Swindon Advertiser. Retrieved 13 September 2025.
- ^ "Former paratrooper sets up military drone firm in town to help Ukraine". Swindon Advertiser. 22 August 2025. Retrieved 28 August 2025.
- ^ "British company making 'unique' attack drone setting up shop in Swindon". Swindon Advertiser. 12 September 2025. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
- ^ "Largest drone factory in UK opening in Swindon". Swindon Advertiser. 15 September 2025. Retrieved 17 September 2025.
- ^ Barltrop, Paul; Boobyer, Leigh (29 October 2024). "MP to grapple in jiu-jitsu match for charity". BBC News. Archived from the original on 14 April 2025. Retrieved 27 November 2024.
- ^ "Swindon Labour MP Will Stone defeated in charity jiu-jitsu fight". BBC News. 2 November 2024. Archived from the original on 14 April 2025. Retrieved 14 April 2025.
- ^ Stone, Will (2 September 2025). "Will Stone MP on Bluesky".
External links
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