Good luck to the @England team tonight against Croatia ⚽ I hope it’s a strong performance and a result to match. Come on England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

📡 Too many rural households are still unable to get a working smart meter. I’ve been working with residents, the Parish Council and local councillor in Studley Roger to help tackle the problem. While progress has been made, poor radio and 4G coverage continues to prevent some homes in communities like Clapham, Lothersdale and Healey from accessing smart meters. The good news is suppliers are now trialling broadband-connected smart meters, which could help overcome these challenges. If you’re having problems getting a working smart meter, get in touch, and I’ll do what I can to help.

We need to cut welfare to fund our defence. Fantastic to hear @KemiBadenoch today set out a serious plan to keep our country safe.

1 in 4 people now report as disabled. But we can't afford to sign off 25% off the population. Bold action is needed. Not piecemeal tweaks. @Conservatives will rip up the current sickness benefits system and start again. This morning I'll kick off our review at @restate_thinks

📱Under-16s will be banned from social media from early 2027 The Government has finally decided to ban social media for under-16s, and I welcome this step toward stronger online protections for children. Many families have told me how worried they are about the impact social media can have on young people’s wellbeing, safety and mental health. Over the past year, alongside @Conservatives colleagues, I’ve been pushing for a ban - as well as a ban on phones in schools - so I’m pleased to see the Government taking action. I want to hear your views. Do you support these proposals, or do you have concerns? Share your thoughts in the comments below 👇

Assisted Dying Bill to return to Parliament I am deeply disappointed that the Assisted Dying Bill is returning to Parliament via a Private Members' Bill. This is one of the most profound and far-reaching moral, legal and societal questions that Parliament can consider. It has implications for the vulnerable, for the medical profession, and for the relationship between the citizen and the state at the end of life. Such a significant change to the law deserves the full scrutiny, time and accountability that only Government legislation can properly provide. I continue to believe that this issue is far too serious to be pursued through the Private Members' Bill process. I set out my concerns in more detail when I wrote about this back in May. The article is below 👇 conservativehome.com/2026/05…

Tomorrow I'll unveil the @Conservatives' plan to rip up the current sickness benefits system and start again. We'll fix the broken incentives and welfare traps at the heart of our benefits system, as part of our plan to get Britain working again. @restate_thinks

Here’s what all the organisations have said about the Bill :

Very sad to see my colleague Lauren Edwards MP bringing the deeply flawed and unsafe Assisted Dying Bill back as a PMB. If it was safe and brilliant why did the Lords sponsor of the bill bring 77 amendments in the Lords? It cannot just be brought back as it is and forced through.

1. This statement contains several inaccurate or confused claims. First, Edwards says the bill is only for those “at the very end of their lives.” But the bill’s “6-month prognosis” criterion is very broad: 1 in 5 of those eligible will actually have at least 3 years to live.

We’ve been waiting almost 30 years for this. Come on Scotland! ⚽️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🤞 #FIFAWorldCup

Happy Birthday to His Majesty King Charles III. God Save the King! 🇬🇧

Did a Labour Minister at last actually do a good thing? Defence Secretary John Healey’s resignation follows on from Lord Robertson (former Labour Defence Secretary) - and Tony Blair too, saying the Government should cut welfare and spend more on defence. In fact, it feels like everyone is saying this. Everyone, that is, except Keir Starmer, Rachel Reeves – and Andy Burnham, who was promising £10 billion more on pensions for WASPI women. Burnham has at least done a rapid reverse ferret on that. But even those who do agree talk about it as though it's a walk in the park. If it were, even this hapless Labour Government would have managed it by now. As Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, I've spoken to most of the welfare secretaries of the past fifteen years about making welfare savings. There is a common thread running through every one of those conversations: it is hard. It means hate mail and death threats for the minister in charge.  MPs will be deluged with emails from campaign groups telling them to stop you. The only path through is to make the argument and have a mandate from the electorate to see it through. That’s why I’m doing so much work right now - not just saying we need to make welfare savings but actually working out how. The first step is stopping sickness and disability benefits being awarded for milder mental health conditions and the less severe end of the neurodiversity spectrum. This idea was not cooked up over a pint, or after reading the headlines about people claiming Motability cars for ADHD. Ten years ago, I chaired a report on how the NHS needed to treat serious mental illness better. As a Health Minister, I began investigating the rise in sick notes for mental health and launched a pilot to reform the sick note process. Last year, I worked with the Centre for Social Justice on the steep rise in sickness benefits for mental health. I spoke to psychiatrists, GPs and benefit assessors to understand what was going on. Our policy is built on this work and is forecast to save £7-9 billion. But beyond the numbers, I don't want to see so many people – young adults especially – written off on benefits rather than starting out in work. Leaving the ECHR will also allow us to end benefit payments to foreign nationals who have not yet contributed to this country. There are around 300,000 people with an immigration status of either ‘indefinite leave to remain’ or ‘definite leave to remain’ that allows them to claim benefits. We will change that. The principle is straightforward: if you choose to make your life in the UK, you should be contributing to it – not burdening the finances that working people have paid into. Reform made a similar announcement – in a rush when Danny Kruger, who had been involved in this policy discussion, defected – but without the underlying work to back it up. We have done that work. We have the numbers. We will also restore the two-child benefit cap, which we introduced in 2017 and Labour have since scrapped. And we will tighten the Household Benefit Cap, where savings of £1 billion could be made. Over 2 million households now receive more than the household benefits cap – with 100,000 receiving over £50,000 a year – despite many having an adult who could be working. That will change. It is absurd that working families routinely take home less than households living entirely on benefits – and we intend to fix that. Detailed policy takes more time to get right, because it is easy to be outraged and harder to be certain that what you propose will actually deliver on a principle most people share: that welfare should be a safety net for those who genuinely need it. Even as the consensus grows that the system has become too generous, there are people with serious disabilities who struggle to access the support they need and battle every day to live with dignity. Any serious programme of welfare reform must answer a harder question than simply where to cut. It must identify how to get help for those who genuinely cannot work, while stopping the flow of money to those who can. That is the test I have set myself – and the reason this work takes time to get right. When I speak to disability campaign groups, I always ask them to help identify where any savings could be made. I have yet to have a single one propose any. The answer is always that more money is needed – which is not, in the current climate, a realistic ask. If any are reading this, I would welcome that conversation. And there is a starker point beneath all of this. If we fail to invest in defence and find ourselves in a conflict that consumes our economy, the question of how much we can afford to support even the most seriously ill and disabled becomes a very different one. That is the crux of the welfare versus defence debate – which John Heeley’s resignation has put a spotlight on. We should not have allowed the benefits bill to grow as it has. We should not be taking so much from working people to fund it. But as we face greater security threats – as our enemies develop their capabilities to manufacture hundreds of attack drones every day and snoop around our critical infrastructure – we have to call time on a system that has got out of control. Saying cut welfare to fund defence is not enough. We need a plan. The capability as well as the conviction – and backing from the electorate to see it through. We have identified £23 billion of savings so far, and we are working on more. We are making the argument. At the next general election, we will seek the mandate.

Drowning Prevention Week, 13-20 June As Drowning Prevention Week begins, it is important that we all take a moment to learn how to stay safe around water and help protect our families and communities. The tragic deaths of Palwasha Akbar and Azaz Mohmed Chanda in Burnsall in the past few years are heartbreaking reminders of how dangerous open water can be, even during warmer weather. My thoughts remain with their family and friends. I would encourage everyone across Skipton and Ripon to take a few minutes to read the Royal Life Saving Society’s water safety advice and speak to children and young people about the risks around rivers, lakes and reservoirs. Find out more here: rlss.org.uk/drowning-prevent…

The Government is seeking views on children’s screen use as part of a new Call for Evidence looking at the impact of phones, social media, gaming and digital technology on young people aged 5-16. Parents, teachers, researchers, charities, health professionals and young people are all encouraged to share their experiences and evidence. The Government is particularly interested in understanding both the benefits and risks of screen use, and how families manage technology in real life. The consultation is open until 29 June 2026. You can take part here: consult.education.gov.uk/scr…

🏥 The consultation on plans for the NEW Airedale Hospital is now open Residents, patients, staff and the wider community are encouraged to look at the first draft plans for the new state-of-the-art hospital and share their views. The plans include more space for patients and visitors, improved accessibility, single ensuite rooms, larger clinical areas and better parking and outpatient facilities. This is a great opportunity to help shape the future of healthcare in our area, so please do take part before the consultation closes on 24 July 2026. 👉 Read more and have your say here: tinylink.net/XCWeB There will also be Community Roadshows organised by the Airedale NHS Trust offering you a chance to chat face-to-face about the plans for our new hospital. 📍 Tuesday 16 June – 9am - 1pm – Settle Market, Market Place, Settle, BD24 9EJ 📍 Monday 20 July – 9am - 3pm – Morrisons Broughton Rd, Skipton BD23 1FL These are initial locations, with more dates and venues due to be added by the Trust. Other locations include: Thursday 25 June – 5:30pm–8pm – Silsden Town Hall, Kirkgate, Silsden, BD20 0AJ. Saturday 27 June – 10am-2pm – Colne Market Hall, 66 Market Street, Hartley Square, BB8 OHS Friday 10 July – 10am-2pm – Keighley Market, 36 Low St, Keighley BD21 3PT Saturday 11 July – 10am-5pm – Addingham Gala Scout and football pavilion, Stockinger Lane, Addingham, Ilkley LS29 0NZ Monday 13 July  – 10am-2pm – Bridge St, Silsden, Keighley BD20 9NX Friday 17 July – 10am-2pm – Ilkley Town Market, The Grove, Ilkley, LS29 9EE Use the link below for further details: airedale-trust.nhs.uk/about-…

🚗 Great to visit the headquarters of Bill Plant Driving School in Ripon and meet CEO Adam Pumfrey and the team. Bill Plant Driving School is a local success story, supporting thousands of people into driving instruction careers while operating one of the UK’s leading national driving schools. It was good to hear more about their work, growth and investment in skills and employment here in our area.

Great to see Dean John again in Westminster ahead of this week's Ripon Cathedral Rural Housing Conference. Ripon Cathedral plays such an important role at the heart of our North Yorkshire community. It was good to discuss the work being done to support community-backed rural housing across North Yorkshire, & I am sure the conference will be a success.

📮 Hellifield Post Office Hellifield Post Office, located within Ahernes, will be closing on Monday 13th July. The Post Office has confirmed they are working to restore services locally and are actively looking for a new retail partner potentially within an existing business. In the meantime, you can use nearby branches in Long Preston and Airton. If you’re a local business - or know someone who might be interested in running a branch - please come forward.