If you’ve got it, flaunt it. Well done @manchestermill.bsky.social and Kat manchestermill.co.uk/independent-...

If the weather is too nice for you to be reading 4,000 words about Andy Burnham (fair) @thetimes.com have helpfully produced a TLDR version in today’s paper. Sadly no mention of my cat.

This is a great, nuanced take on Burnham from someone who has been covering him up close for years (@joshih.bsky.social) manchestermill.co.uk/stop-looking...

If you want to understand what kind of politician Burnham is, this is genuinely worth your time.

Just here to agree with everyone that this is a very good profile. As someone a long way from Manchester, I found it really illuminating.

I’ve been writing about Andy Burnham in Manchester for a while. We’ve had a few run-ins but I think he has qualities that people don’t appreciate and weaknesses that spell trouble. I wrote this for @manchestermill.bsky.social I hope it’s insightful and fair. manchestermill.co.uk/stop-looking...

"Asking Burnham to outline his cogent political programme is like asking my cat, who came from a shelter near the Etihad, whether she supports Man City. You’re asking about something she has no interest in and that forms no part of her life."

Thought this was a good read on Burnham, his record in Manchester, and his prospects as prime minister

This is a genuinely excellent profile. Remarkable work.

Sheffield has a new leader — but who is she? We speak to Fran Belbin and those who know her about her background in activism and politics, and how she will lead a Sheffield council that is more fragmented and polarised than ever before. ✍️ @molliesimpson.bsky.social

Stop looking for Burnhamism - in six years, I’ve never found. Watching the mayor up close in Manchester, I’ve seen his unusual gifts and glaring weaknesses. Would he make a good prime minister? Our weekend read - by @joshih.bsky.social manchestermill.co.uk/stop-looking...

Delighted and daunted in equal measure to be joining @millmedia.bsky.social as a staff writer as they branch out to a new city. Launching in June, The Exchange will provide quality writing, features and investigations covering Leeds and West Yorkshire. Any local tips? Reach out!

Two weeks ago, @manchestermill.bsky.social investigated electoral fraud before the locals. Now there have been five arrests. As the Telegraph writes: “An investigation by The Mill reported claims that the fake independents were put forward by people associated with the Tameside Labour group.”

Delighted to read this. Scurrilous slapp libel case against @millmedia.bsky.social, in which the subject of their investigation also sued reporter @coramazov.bsky.social and editor @joshih.bsky.social personally, thrown out by judge. But the case has cost Mill M £40k-unlikely to be recuperated🤯

A good email to get from our lawyers: "Great news!! The attached judgment was handed down this morning and we have won!!!” Nightmare over for @londonermag.bsky.social and @coramazov.bsky.social. And a huge win for the free press. So delighted with this. ✊ www.the-londoner.co.uk/we-won-our-d...

'Thank God that’s over': A libel claim brought against local news publisher Mill Media has been thrown out as an 'abuse of process' as David Lammy promised action against such groundless lawsuits intended to silence public interest reporting pressgazette.co.uk/news/mill-me...

It's hard to get across how catastrophic London's collapse in housebuilding has been. But for all the political bluster, there's very little analysis on the real reasons why things have gone so badly wrong.

The biggest hippy commune in the UK was on an island in the Thames. It It hosted David Bowie, orgy rooms and a woman named ‘Fuckbucket Flo’. Then it disappeared. It's death is a story of Victorian largesse, landlord takeovers and mysterious fires. www.the-londoner.co.uk/eel-pie-isla...

For three years the Tranmere Rovers' owners and its fan Trust having been doing battle over a fancy marquee... Read all about it in today's Post 👇 www.livpost.co.uk/welcome-to-t...

Will Burnham win Makerfield? Who will Labour put up to replace him? And could we really get a Reform - or Green - mayor? The latest @manchestermill.bsky.social is great, featuring @robfordmancs.bsky.social talking about his new book. podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/t...

Amen to that! The rise of @millmedia.bsky.social is an interesting phenomenon - subscriber powered proper local journalism with papers across several cities. A small, hopeful example of what you're calling for.

Good news - here's a welcome addition to West Yorkshire's local news ecosystem, courtesy of @millmedia.bsky.social. Best wishes to all involved.

Our investigation - a Democracy for Sale co-production with @newstatesman1913.bsky.social by me and @jennacorderoy.bsky.social - is already prompting cross-party calls for libel reform. www.newstatesman.com/investigatio...

Late last year, an event was held to celebrate Devyani Saltzman, the arts director and driving force behind the Barbican Centre. Just a few weeks later, she was no longer in a job. What happened? And why do ex-staff say it's like "Game of Thrones"? Read @andrewkersley.bsky.social's investigation:

Despondent Labour activists, jubilant Greens and a Reform councillor now serving on TWO local authorities. We encountered it all at Birmingham's seismic count yesterday, which ended 14 years of Labour dominance. So: what now? Read our report.

JUST PUBLISHED: Our big @manchestermill.bsky.social read on what the hell just happened in Labour’s modern heartland. 🔴 The ‘unfathomable’ fall of Labour’s Greater Manchester 🔴 With some very raw quotes and brilliant insights as Reform and the Greens run riot. manchestermill.co.uk/the-unfathom...

As ever, great piece in the @manchestermill.bsky.social here. "The only saving grace for Labour was that only a third of seats were up for election this year. Had these elections been ‘all outs’, the destruction would have been catastrophic."

Is the University of Manchester's BAME Staff Network 'under attack'? The university launched an investigation into the 300-strong network last year following a whistleblowing complaint. In a nine-page report seen by The Mill, poor governance, inter-ethnic tensions and bullying were uncovered.

Can a restaurant be humble while having gold cutlery, waiters in waistcoats, and the option of buying a whole lamb for £350?

Groovy, Laidback and Nasty: A History of Independent Music in Sheffield by Daniel Dylan Wray, is the first ever truly definitive history of the Steel City's musical heritage. In today’s piece, which is a must read for all Sheffield music lovers, Daniel explains why he felt the book needed writing.

Thanks to @charlottetobitt.bsky.social for covering my comments at @sirharrysummit.bsky.social yesterday. Emma Tucker and I both spoke about the litigation we're facing. In her case it's Donald Trump suing for $10b, so maybe that makes me feel a bit better. pressgazette.co.uk/media_law/wa...

Last weekend, the government tried to stop us from publishing our exclusive story on the Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood. Yesterday it was discussed on Private Eye’s podcast with Ian Hislop, Helen Lewis, Adam Macqueen and Andrew Hunter Murray. Watch below⬇️

It is absolutely extraordinary for the special advisor of a serving cabinet minister to be threatening a British media outlet with an injunction on what seem like deeply spurious grounds. You cannot get an injunction for defamation: the saying is "publish, and be damned" for exactly that reason.

🚨EXCLUSIVE: Shabana Mahmood’s postal ballot was investigated in a 2004 vote-rigging scandal in Birmingham The future home secretary submitted two postal ballot documents with very different signatures:

EXCLUSIVE: The Dispatch can reveal that Shabana Mahmood’s postal ballot was examined in an explosive vote-rigging trial, in which the judge concluded there had been “widespread fraud” in two wards at the 2004 Birmingham city council elections.

Shabana Mahmood’s special advisor threatened us with an injunction and two different lawsuits last night in an attempt to block this story linking her to a notorious vote rigging case. I think it’s strongly in the public interest. So here it is. www.birminghamdispatch.co.uk/exclusive-sh...

So proud to see five of my wonderful colleagues listed for the Paul Foot award. 👏👏 It’s the second year now that a @millmedia.bsky.social investigation has been up for the top UK journalism prize. Huge thanks to all our paying members who back this model/team/vision - it’s working!

Oof.. the collapsed charity that ran Brockwell Lido does not sound like a brilliant operation. @londonermag.bsky.social got hold of internal emails and accounts, including the request for a massive payout for the CEO. www.the-londoner.co.uk/fusion-lifes...

The Truth Tellers 2026 lineup is here 📣 From conflict zones to courtrooms, the world’s most fearless journalists come together on 6 May. Co-hosted by @tinabrownlm.bsky.social @reuters.com & @durham.ac.uk 🔴 Livestream 6 May: sirharrysummit.org 📆 Agenda live 29 April

🗞️"Nowhere is as broken as Birmingham,” Nigel Farage said in February. “We’re going to throw everything we’ve got at those Birmingham elections.” As he uttered those words, a bitter row was unfolding among his party in Brum. Click the link for more🔗

☀️ If you’re in Perugia for @journalismfestival.com, I’m giving a talk in this cute little spot at 4pm with my friend from @zetland.dk Lea Korsgaard. The baroque surroundings will match the vibe of the session. Come! ☀️

I have three court hearings to attend in three months. Two subjects of our reporting are suing us. Journalism is threatened by abusive legal threats aimed at silencing reporting. The Government needs to #StopSLAPPs. Please share and write to your MP. manchestermill.co.uk/three-courts...

🍞 The city’s 10 best breads and pastries: our arbitrary but absolutely authoritative guide 🥐 Read our rankings below, from the best focaccia and sourdough to the top viennoiserie in the city. There are a few surprises 👇 www.glasgowbell.co.uk/glasgows-bes...

I love the “nah, they’ll never go to Dundee to check things out there” assumption that he made. And that they called him on it.

‘Kenna appears to be a businessman for our times: channelling the hallucinations of chatbots and AI hype to conjure his own AI dream, and misleading plenty of people – including MPs and major companies – along the way.’ Incredible piece. manchestermill.co.uk/is-chris-ken...

🧵 On Birmingham's historic Station Street is the nearly 120 year-old Electric Cinema. Film enthusiasts know it very well. Others might not. But beyond film fans, the Electric could become very significant for Brum at large. At least, that's the bet of Ian Francis.

Is Chris Kenna Manchester's first AI billionaire - or a serial fantasist? He claims his company is on course for a £2.5bn valuation, with data centres up and down the country. But in a collaborative investigation with @tbij.bsky.social, we couldn't find any. manchestermill.co.uk/is-chris-ken...

What are these teen ‘link-ups’ happening across the country? I was on the phone to my colleague Moya on Wednesday and one just started happening around her! She’s written a very fun @birminghamdispatch.bsky.social piece about what the teens said. www.birminghamdispatch.co.uk/a-hectic-hou...

📰 There's a lot of bakery beef in Glasgow but it usually involves customers and a business. Today's story is about the bizarre events at a West End bakery, that ended with allegations of assault, coercion into signing ChatGPT, NDAs and staff on trial for 'stealing' recipes.

🚨 BREAKING: Andrew Milne arrested. "On suspicion of fraud and blackmail" as @sheffieldtribune.bsky.social reports. Not much more we can say now that proceedings are active, but wow. www.sheffieldtribune.co.uk/breaking-and...