The Westminster lensArchive · Public voice — Bluesky · @torstenbell.bsky.social · 98 substantive posts

Bluesky — Bell.

Every substantive Bluesky post by Torsten Bell, classified for substance and tone — each links out to the original on Bluesky. Back to the MP page.

Bluesky activity · last 60 days
@torstenbell.bsky.social
131posts
86substantive
neutralvoice · measured steady

Voice score reflects the argumentative tone of the MP's own posts (critical vs supportive) — not what other people say about them. The "criticises" and "supports" lists below show who they're directing each tone at.

Most criticises
  • Welsh Rugby Union4
  • Kemi Badenoch3
Most supports
  • Labour government7
  • UK government3
  • Labour3
Top topics
  • Tax & Public Finances26 postsneutral
  • Culture & Community14 postssupportive
  • Economy & Jobs (General)9 postssupportive
All postsSubstantive posts.98 classified · most recent first

Each post links out to the original on Bluesky — open it there to read the full thread and replies.

WhenTopicTonePost
21 May 2026Cost of LivingmeasuredHere’s the full list of which activities are covered by the lower rate of VAT👇. It will run from the start of the Scottish summer school holidays (25th June) through to the end of them in England and Wales (1 September) www.gov.uk/government/n...
21 May 2026Cost of LivingcelebratoryInflation fell this week but the Iran war is pushing up prices, not least at the pump. So we're stepping in: 🚗 Extending the 5p fuel duty cut until next year 🎪 Supporting summer fun, cutting VAT from 20 to 5% on children’s activities & meals ⚡️ £150 off energy bills since April
20 May 2026Economy & Jobs (General)celebratoryInflation down more than expected. Growth up last week. Borrowing down last year. Investment up. Waiting lists falling. Migration down from record highs. Much more to do, and the conflict in Iran to weather, but real concrete progress is underway www.ons.gov.uk/economy/infl...
18 May 2026Economy & Jobs (General)celebratoryIn 2025 the UK was the fastest growing European G7 economy. Today the IMF forecast the same to be the case in 2026, with the UK very likely the fastest growing of the whole G7 in the first quarter of the year (Japan data out tomorrow) www.imf.org/en/news/arti...
18 May 2026Health & NHScelebratoryIf dementia affects you or someone you know, I'd really recommend going to a Forget Me Not Club. The group in Sketty meet every Friday 13:30-16:00 in Sketty Community Church. You can expect homemade cakes, quizzes, and a warm and welcoming community. www.dementiafriendlyswansea.org/forget-me-no...
18 May 2026Social Careempathetic1 in 3 people born today will develop dementia, and many more will care for someone who has it. A pleasure to visit Sketty's Forget Me Not Club and see the brilliant work being done by Dementia Hwb to support people in Swansea living with the condition, and their carers.
16 May 2026MP & ParliamentdefensiveIt didn’t - I said exactly the same thing about the march last year. Because it was true then and true today.
16 May 2026MP & ParliamentdefensiveI’m afraid that is simply untrue - I said exactly the same thing in response to the same march last year.
16 May 2026OtherangryPeople march for all kinds of reasons - but those leading today’s march hate Britain. Hate our diverse country. Hate even more the fact that far right, bot fuelled clicks on social media are not enough to overcome the reality of a decent tolerant country that knows a racist grifter when they see one
16 May 2026OtherangryThe far right try to claim our flags but in truth hate our country. They despise what makes the rest of us proud & makes us British, from the NHS to our BBC. They peddle anti-British propaganda globally. Thousands may march today but millions more stand against hate & for Britain
14 May 2026Defence & SecuritymeasuredOf course, today’s data only includes the start of the Iran conflict. It inevitably has consequences for UK households & our economy as a whole. There is no hiding from that. Understanding that reality is partly why we have refused to support this conflict as other parties did
14 May 2026Tax & Public FinancescelebratoryThe plan means it’s not just NHS waiting lists falling - so is the deficit. And this matters if you care about spending on schools not debt interest. Under the last Conservative government the UK borrowed above the G7 average in every single year. This year? We will borrow less.
14 May 2026Economy & Jobs (General)celebratoryThe economic plan put in place by Rachel Reeves to raise investment and cut the deficit is working. - start of 2026 was fastest GDP/capita growth in 4yrs - Q1 GDP growth fastest of 6 G7 nations we have data for - UK has seen the fastest investment growth in G7 since election
14 May 2026Economy & Jobs (General)celebratoryA very strong start to 2026 -significantly above forecasts. GDP/capita rose 0.6% in first three months of 2026 (OBR expected gdp/capita to grow by 0.8% in 2026 as a whole) www.ons.gov.uk/economy/gros...
13 May 2026MP & ParliamentsarcasticKemi Badenoch - a women who thinks what matters is being rude rather than being right
7 May 2026MP & ParliamentmeasuredOut in the sun with the brilliant Rob Stewart in Ynysforgan ☀️🌹 Polls are open until 10pm - still plenty of time to vote Labour.
7 May 2026MP & ParliamentmeasuredDivision with Reform. Distraction with Plaid. Or a better future for Wales delivered by Labour. Don't leave this next chapter to chance. Vote for it.
6 May 2026Technology & DigitalmeasuredI'm hosting an emergency meeting on whether children under 16 should be allowed on social media. Come along to hear from experts, share your views, and take part in the ongoing national debate. To reserve a seat, email torsten.bell.mp@parliament.uk with your name and postcode.
2 May 2026MP & ParliamentangryThere’s no “accused” about it - a politician being handed £5m IS a conflict of interest. Accepting such a gift is an open and shut case of not being interested in, let alone fit for, public service www.ft.com/content/6a56...
1 May 2026Culture & CommunitycelebratorySketty Cubs support children to socialise, learn more about the outdoors, and be part of a greater scouting community. They need more hands on deck - why not give something back to our community and volunteer with them. Find out more here: www.scouts.org.uk/volunteer/
1 May 2026Culture & CommunitycelebratoryBrilliant evening spent with Sketty Cubs last night. - Practicing important outdoor skills (incl. toasting marshmallows) - Answering questions about what it's like to be an MP - Awarding Swansea University student Ruth with a badge to mark 3 years of volunteering with them
1 May 2026Tax & Public Financescelebratory“New pensions bill is rare piece of policy gold”. Emma Duncan isn’t wrong www.thetimes.com/article/e6e2...
30 Apr 2026Tax & Public FinancesmeasuredThis speech is mainly about household finances - but there’s a link to public finances. Shocks happen so the public finances have to be resilient - and we are making that happen. The last govt borrowed mor than the G7 average in every single year. This year? We’ll borrow less
30 Apr 2026Energy & Net ZeromeasuredContingency planning needs to recognise that squeeze, but also that pressure from energy costs varies hugely between different households with the same income levels - because energy consumption varies so much (eg because of very different homes)
30 Apr 2026Cost of LivingmeasuredA key reason why this issue of energy prices matters so much is a bigger picture problem that has emerged over the last two decades: essentials are taking up a bigger part of British households budgets. The squeeze people feel is real
30 Apr 2026Cost of LivingmeasuredWe need to think harder about how you really support household living standards in the round. You don’t help higher income households if you cut their energy bills today but put up their taxes and mortgage bills tomorrow (because higher borrowing raises inflation & debt)
30 Apr 2026Cost of LivingmeasuredWe can also learn lessons from the 2022 response. Then all the direct energy support was universal - which meant those in the top 10% received an average of £1,350 from the government.
30 Apr 2026Energy & Net ZeromeasuredOnto the response to this energy shock. A key feature is the sheer uncertainty of the impact (sadly an impact is a certainty). As an example see the material movements in forecasts for the July energy price cap over a short period. That makes the case for contingency planning
30 Apr 2026Energy & Net Zeromeasured…we hadn’t been totally asleep at the wheel in not building nuclear power plants during the low interest era of the 2010s. Nuclear generation basically halved between 2015 and 2025
30 Apr 2026Energy & Net ZeromeasuredThe good news is that progress on some front has been made - renewable generation has, for the first time ever, now provided over half of our electricity for two years in a row. That would be even better if…
Sources & methodology
SourceBluesky / AT Protocol API · author feed. Each post links to the original on bsky.app.
VerificationOnly handles linked from the MP’s own published list are ingested. Self-declared or unverified handles aren’t included.
ClassificationEach post is LLM-classified for substance (vs reposts, social mentions, scheduling), then for tone (critical / measured / supportive) per target.
WindowThe 60-day summary above; the list covers all classified substantive posts.