You want lower electricity prices? Check our South Australia where these are down 30% in 1 year as the State nears 100% renewables - proving to the world that relying on wind and solar energy with battery back-up is incredibly cheap www.newscientist.com/article/2514...

Snort-inducing from @alanbeattie.bsky.social, sunny and optimistic as ever on the proposals for a rare earths coalition. www.ft.com/content/bd81...

FACTCHECK: Centrica's Chris O'Shea got blanket coverage for claiming electricity will cost more in 2030 than in energy crisis (Chris Stark: "he's wrong on this") I asked Centrica for evidence – they didn’t reply (Bills in crisis were >2x today, before huge govt subsidies) 1/4

Two weeks ago, Peter Mandelson told us he had no recollection of planning to buy a £2m apartment in Rio via a Panama holding company and a Brazilian company. Yesterday we found notarised incorporation documents for the Brazilian company, with Mr Mandelson's signature.

Other work by the Ladybird artists. 'The Old Farmyard, Findon Place' Artist: SR Badmin

The High Seas Treaty is crucial for #rewilding the biodiversity of our oceans. It's encouraging to see the UK Government taking action for our seas globally, as we move one step closer to ratifying the treaty. We hope this continues a wave of change for UK seas and coasts too 🌊

Winter Bird Survey final visit completed this morning. Flock of Fieldfares, a single Redwing, pair of Kite and two Chiffchaff being the most remarkable. Huge number of deer tracks too. @bbs-birds.bsky.social #essexbirding

'London Visitors', Trafalgar Square (1874) by James Tissot (Toledo Museum of Art)

Outstanding

Ukrainians are now saying that Russia lost 9000 more men in January that it was able to recruit. This is a key part of Ukrainian strategy. united24media.com/latest-news/...

Calling on other UK immigrants and pro immigration citizens, today is the last day (til 11.59pm) to fill in the public consultation on the proposed changes to Earned Settlement, most notably moving the timeline from 5 years to 10 years www.gov.uk/government/c...

Bury St Edmunds seed swap 21st February #🌱🇬🇧 #allotmentlife

Visiting a local allotment, the bags are full of growing medium from a cannabis bust 😎🌱🇬🇧 #recycling

NEW – Analysis: Trump has overseen more coal retirements than any other US president ✍️ by @drsimevans.carbonbrief.org Read here ➡️ buff.ly/NeAAwNW

We visited Down House back in 2012, glad to see it conserved and used for education about him and his revolutionary theory. #DarwinDay

Want to progress your rewilding project?  The Rewilding Innovation Fund breaks down the barriers to rewilding by funding innovative and ambitious plans. Apply by 28 February: https://f.mtr.cool/pvzlgrhibf Image: Andy Rouse / scotlandbigpicture.com

#GraphicOfTheWeek: UK wind power set a new record in January 2026, generating 10.6 TWh in a single month. #Wind is playing an increasingly central role in delivering affordable, low-carbon electricity to Britain's power system. Explore other graphics: ember-energy.org/lat...

BREAKING: UK heat pump sales hit a record in 2025: 125,037 units sold (+27% vs 2024). Growth across all segments: • Air-to-water +26% • Ground/water source +32% • DHW +36% • UK-made units +38%

Jes Staley - former senior exec at JPM and CEO of Barclays - told the FCA he and Epstein were not friends. Let's break that rule that we can't call rich/famous people "liars". Thread:

13th February 2026 marks the 29th anniversary of the Great Lego Spill, when nearly five million pieces of Lego fell into the ocean after a cargo ship laden with goods was hit by a storm.

I’ve just remembered which character the Monaco-dwelling immigrant-baiter reminds me of. (While I’m here, 💯 to Downing Street for calling him out, quite right too ✔️✔️✔️)

The government’s determination to promote comparative disadvantage in the UK economy is a thing of wonder. David Ricwho?

The chutzpah of pundits who believe thàt only English could be a lingua franca alwáys gives me a frisson of schadenfŕeude.

General Licence restriction imposed in relation to shooting of Golden Eagle 'Merrick'. Raeshaw Estate claims this is "wholly unjustified" & says it will appeal the decision. Statement from estate & commentary from me 🔽 #RaptorResearch #WildlifeCrime raptorpersecutionuk.org/2026/02/11/r...

Yesterday afternoon, a view across Shalford Meadow to a crock of gold 🤔 #suffolk

Dinner in Den Haag. Breakfast in Berlin. Night train travels with @europeansleeper.eu.

NEW ANALYSIS: China's CO2 has now been 'flat or falling' for 21 months * Down in 2025 * Still below Mar 2024 * Clean energy wave a key factor If this is China's peak (TBC) it's the climate story of the century so far… www.carbonbrief.org/...

'Gordon's Wine Bar - Villiers Street WC2' by John Duffin www.royalwatercoloursociety.co.uk/artists/399-...

Did our feral political press pack call time on Starmer prematurely? Accusations are flying . markurban.substack.com/p/did-the-lo...

Had the Labour party been reading Private Eye in 2009, when business columnist Slicker was already laying out the peculiar Mandelson-Epstein connection, they would have known exactly what they were dealing with. ➡️ Watch the full episode of Page 94 on YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnCe...

Can Mandelson be prosecuted? We’ve discussed the law and the evidence with leading lawyers. The bottom line: "misconduct in public office" is the only viable route. The law is messy and proving intent is hard - but we believe there is a realistic prospect of conviction. 🧵:

'The Towpath', Maida Hill Tunnel (1912) by Christopher RW Nevinson (Ashmolean Museum, Oxford)

'The London Underground' by Fermin Rocker (1907-2004) (Private collection)

Last night, I got properly "doored" for the first time. A car in the road to my right paused, and the rear left passenger threw open his door without looking, right into my path. I ended up on the floor, badly winded but ok. If you don't know what the "Dutch reach" is, NOW is the time to learn.

Today Labour launch another major strategy, the Education Estates Strategy. It is a 10 year plan for national renewal for schools and colleges, ending the sticking-plaster approach to repairs and instead providing high-quality spaces which are fit for purpose. 1/2 www.gov.uk/government/n...

Today marked only our second-ever wild beaver release, as a family and a pair of Eurasian beavers were introduced at two sites across the Holnicote Estate on Exmoor in Somerset.

More lovely charts by @jonathanvincent.bsky.social, showing the huge rotation in US stocks as the anything-but-tech trade gathers momentum. Tech was the main driver in US stocks until Oct — now it's last among the S&P 500's 11 sectors as.ft.com/r/a3d9e607-f...

The final statutory instrument approved in the Commons today is the Energy-Intensive Industry Electricity Support Payments and Levy (Amendment) Regulations 2026. It aims to help about 550 energy-intensive business in industries like steel, chemicals and cement, to reduce their energy costs. 1/3

'Lights O' London - Glasshouse Street by Piccadilly Circus' (1933) by Rex Vicat Cole (Private collection)

Yeah, British politics is simple. You just need to improve public services without any meaningful tax increases, reduce immigration without any labour market impacts, and deliver growth and you'll be hugely successful.

“But doesn’t the efficiency go out the window?!” Watch this: youtu.be/IB-VwVyVTYE

Don’t believe everything you read online. Time for some honesty in the heat pump debate.

🚲 to Pebmarsh & Alphamstone. White-fronted Geese have returned to the Essex side of the river. Noticeably more Chaffinch and Sparrows about. Roads improved! #essexbirding

Geothermal is ALREADY cost-competitive with fossil fuels in Europe. Around 43 GW of enhanced geothermal capacity in the EU could be developed below €100/MWh today - compared to coal and gas prices fluctuating between €90–€150/MWh. ember-energy.org/lat...

Hot on the heels of the (very good!) Warm Homes Plan, today the government is launching the Local Power Plan, which from a quick scan looks, if anything, even more exciting! Ed Miliband’s DESNZ, continuing to show how it’s possible, even in this government, to do positive things of consequence 👏💫

BREAKING: UK govt auction secures 4.9GW new solar at £65/MWh and 1.3GW new onshore wind at £72/MWh, 13% and 21% below the price cap respectively. All due online by 2029.

'Eastbound, Piccadilly' by Michael Alford michaelalford.co.uk

The 'peublo blanco' of Grazalema, Andalusia, cementing its reputation as the wettest place in Spain

Today is the 5th anniversary of the release of the infamous #Lawyercat video, which I posted roughly thirty minutes after the start of the second impeachment trial. Who would have thought it would have such a lasting impact on the world! Happy Lawyercat Day for all who celebrate!

Song Thrushes, Skylarks and Robins singing well this morning and my first Yellowhammer tentatively singing too. Flood Alert over, river level dropped a great deal too. #essexbirding