Fred Thomas

Social media represents a major public health risk to our young people, and future generations. That’s why I’ve campaigned for a social media ban for under 16s. Today I asked the Prime Minister to confirm the consultation will lead to swift action 👇

I welcome the Govt consultation on banning social media for under 16s. The evidence for action is already conclusive, and I will continue to campaign for this to be done at pace. Every day children are exposed to harmful & addictive content is another day of preventable harm.

We all know the harm social media causes to young people's mental health. The Labour Govt has acted significantly in recent months. Today, 61 Labour MPs have written to the PM urging him to go further. We back an Australia-style model that puts the onus on tech firms to block under 16s access.

This Labour government is delivering defence investment into Plymouth - and it's only the beginning.

Strange to see myself on TV in my Royal Marines uniform this week! This was filmed last year before the election. I’m always blown away by how professional & motivated the people who sign up to become Commandos are. I never had a training role as a regular, so it was a privilege to be involved.

The Army know how to modernise, but they need more funding (now) to do it, and we need to tell a national story about the high technology, secure, ethical work available in a growing defence industry.

But the fact remains we are sending our people out to Estonia to man the Russia border without the full suite required to fight and survive in contemporary warfare. And we know it.

One thing Gen Roly was clear on is how crucial the ever closer relationship between fighting force and defence industry becomes if we are to achieve his vision. Thank you to all the companies who have been supporting the Army.