NEW NEW NEW "Off colour - how the BNP's racist language went mainstream in UK politics." @goldbergradio.bsky.social hears from @josiah.writes.news @hardeepmatharu.bsky.social @bylinetimes.bsky.social podfollow.com/byline-podca...

Mea culpa: I jumped the gun (timing wise) on news of a councillor defection. Apologies, and do watch this space - I'll aim to share the story properly tomorrow...

Angela Rayner's work is starting to pay off, after leaving office (as is often the way) www.gov.uk/government/n...

Given how much the China spy case has dominated headlines, it really does beg the question: why is our political-media class so uninterested in Nathan Gill, his Russian bribes, his once close associate Nigel Farage, and Reform UK? Our new Byline Times edition investigates what the media won't 👇

🔴We Need to Talk About Michael Gove and Crony Covid Contracts Gove claims he had no “active role” in the procurement of Covid PPE during the pandemic, yet evidence suggests he was involved in multiple VIP deals worth over £1billion, reports Russell Scott www.bylinesupplement.com/p/we-need-to...

"The former chair of Cornwall Council has quit the Conservative Party after being called a racist by two of the Duchy's MPs for sharing and commenting on a petition calling for "mass deportations" As first reported @bylinetimes.bsky.social here on Bluesky www.itv.com/news/westcou...

Nigel Farage, whose ancestors came over in small boats in the 1570s, doesn’t meet the ‘English test’ set by his parties mayoral candidate. Scenes.

BREAKING: Councillor Pauline Giles, who @bylinetimes.bsky.social revealed had condemned "young black males" supposedly "flooding" Britain, has just resigned from the Conservative party Follows more Qs from us to CCHQ today, and local media follow-up

At the rate they're losing councillors, it's quite plausible that Reform in Kent could lose their (previously massive) majority. None councillors down only six months 🤯

Rockstar Games, "famed for its Grand Theft Auto franchise, the latest edition of which netted more than $1billion (£770 million) in pre-sale orders alone, last week fired all 30 workers who had been part of an Independent Workers Union of Great Britain (IWGB) Discord channel"

Interesting ruling by the union regulator on Manuel Cortes being booted from TSSA transport union (as Gen Sec and a member) The certification officer has mostly cleared the union but partly upheld one of Cortes' complaints on process. Cortes was booted for sexual misconduct allegations (he denied)

Six press releases from the anti-Musk Liberal Democrats in the past week - of perhaps a dozen - are based on (or primarily link to) a post on X. Is that not quite bizarre? Surely they want to be breaking Westminster's addiction to the hate site?

Hang on. In reporting, Cllr Kemp is described as a Reform UK staffer (now ex-staffer). As her LinkedIn seems to attest. So why hasn't she declared it on her register of interests? It is a legal duty under the Localism Act. Failing to declare relevant financial interests is a criminal offence.

The local press has now picked up my story @bylinetimes.bsky.social story on the Conservative councillor who hit out at "young black males" on boats she says are "flooding" the country www.cornwalllive.com/news/cornwal...

UPDATE: Cornish Lib Dem MP Ben Maguire, has now called for Cllr Giles to quit, telling me: “This is vile & blatant racism from a sitting Conservative Councillor. “The Conservative Party couldn’t condemn Sarah Pochin’s racist comments. Now they allow one of their councillors to come out with this."

ANOTHER Reform councillor gone in Kent. I contacted her early this morning to see why she was now described as an "Independent" on the KCC website. Turns out this is why... www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

The SNP has renewed its call for disgraced Baroness Michelle Mone to be stripped of her peerage after it emerged that a company linked to her and her husband owes £39 million in tax

It's not an "error" if you keep doing it. That's deliberate deception. He has previously failed to declare gifts & cash within 28 days as required. There should be clear and strong sanctions. Otherwise, why wouldn't MPs keep hiding their conflicts of interest? leftfootforward.org/2025/11/nige...

Some (rare) upbeat live music sector news, via the Music Venues Trust: "We’re thrilled to share that both The Joiners in Southampton and The Croft in Bristol have now been purchased and brought into community ownership. "These iconic grassroots music venues are now safe and secure" for the future.

Hopefully good news if this bears fruit... "Britain’s biggest mobile networks have committed to upgrade their network within the next year to eliminate the ability for foreign call centres to spoof UK numbers, making it clear that calls are originating from abroad – exposing scammers lies."

ICYMI: "Harmful greenhouse gases used in commercial and industrial refrigeration, and in air con & heat pump units will be phased down more quickly & extensively under ambitious plans outlined by the Govt to reduce emissions." Consultation launched today for a near-full phase-out of HFCs by 2048

Deleted a funny Gov Newsom post as alas, it was from a fan account rather than the real deal. Reposting for posterity, with the caveat up top:

"There are plans [by Reform] to reduce or even eliminate the Council Tax Reduction Scheme that helps the poorest households with their payments – the most impacted areas...are all Reform strongholds." V good run-down of how things are going in Reform-run Durham

Reform UK in Doncaster appear to have a recurring issue with racism. They had to suspend a general election candidate late in the campaign. Their Mayoral candidate, having said black people can be British but not English, now says this was somehow misinterpreted or unintended (Byline Times)

🔴The UK Must Urgently Distance Itself From Elon Musk and Space X, Warns Parliamentary Report The UK’s infrastructure has become far too reliant on the far-right billionaire, who could ‘politicise’ our reliance upon his companies, the report warns bylinetimes.com/2025/11/04/t...

🔴Conservative Councillor Accused of ‘Old-Fashioned Racism’ After Saying ‘Young Black Males’ Are ‘Flooding’ the UK EXCLUSIVE: Pauline Giles defended her comments to Byline Times, saying that “we cannot sustain the volume of young black males” that “jeopardises the security of our country”

What we have become Part 2 today: Nigel Farage’s Chosen Reform Mayoral Candidate Suggested Black Britons Can’t Be English The party’s candidate for Mayor of Doncaster claimed being English requires Anglo-Saxon ‘lineage’ bylinetimes.com/2025/11/05/n...

Not to be too salty, but it's hard to see how this is an 'exclusive' as the Media Liberation Day is *today* and the activists have a literal website promoting it www.betterretailing.com/media-revolu...

The New World has picked up our story about Reform's Doncaster mayoral candidate appearing to claim non-white people can't be English www.thenewworld.co.uk/rats-in-a-sa...

Thanks to Politico for the shout out - covering two @bylinetimes.bsky.social scoops on racist comments by senior councillors in recent days

Just had my first response from CCHQ in a *long* time, on this story... A Conservative Party spokesman said: "The Conservative Party has robust procedures in place to handle complaints. When complaints are received they are dealt with swiftly and in accordance with our disciplinary process."

No 10 on the new rail bill: "[It] will create an independent Passenger Watchdog and improve accessibility, with a shadow body already delivering early benefits across publicly owned operators. GBR will oversee train services AND track infrastructure, helping build a railway fit for Britain’s future"

No 10: "Pupils will be taught how to budget and how mortgages work as well as how to spot fake news & disinformation...thanks to the government’s response to the independent Curriculum and Assessment Review. "The new broader, richer curriculum will break down barriers to opportunity."

No 10: "Families & communities across the Oxfordshire-Cambridge corridor will benefit from a new national forest, creating green jobs, improving access to nature, and supporting climate action. A second forest will follow in the Midlands or North of England, ensuring benefits are spread nationwide."

Another racism exclusive at @bylinetimes.bsky.social today Reform's candidate for Mayor of Doncaster claimed being English requires Anglo-Saxon ‘lineage’ and attacked ‘third world cultures’ in now-deleted posts bylinetimes.com/2025/11/05/n...

Exclusive: A Conservative councillor and the party’s former Chair in Cornwall has been accused of “old-fashioned racism” after suggesting that Britain cannot sustain the “volume of young black males” she claimed was “flooding” the country and “jeopardising” safety bylinetimes.com/2025/11/05/c...

Trump-boosting Tory peer Ross Kempsell really is the Lord for Mar-a-Lago isn't he? "What assessment have [Govt] made of the risk of extreme left-wing terrorism in the UK, including Antifa and related groups?" Govt: "[Left-wing terrorism] is not currently present in the UK at any significant scale"

So James Cartlidge starts PMQs by asking David Lammy to apologise for something he had already apologised for. And then when that is pointed out to him double downs saying the Depty PM ought to have apologised. So going well then...

Deputy PM David Lammy on the heroes who tried to stop the train stabbings on Saturday: "The actions of the driver, Andrew Johnson, and the train staff members [inc. Samir Zitouni] were nothing less than heroic. I'm sure the whole house would agree some form of recognition is absolutely deserved."

Deputy PM David Lammy just now, on Reform UK's Sarah Pochin, who said she was sick of seeing non-white faces on TV: "The disgraceful, racist language that we heard from the Reform MP last week belongs in the dark ages."

A new social media platform has been launched today... "Media Revolution and the Newsmast Foundation have come together to launch Mo-Me, a new social media platform with the power to upend the UK’s social media landscape" Mo-Me has an open-source mobile app which will not be "oligarch controlled"

Interesting dilemma for the Attorney General, raised by Defend Our Juries: "The AG makes the ultimate decision about whether or not to approve each & every one of these highly controversial charges" against Palestine Action protesters. AG Richard Hermer KC made his name defending human rights laws

Politico: "Transport Sec Heidi Alexander is laying the Railways Bill in parliament later. It will create DfT’s flagship publicly owned Great British Railways, which...will bring together all the many (often awful) organs to operate & manage the trains, reform ticketing and improve supply chains."

The new London Underground pay deal with RMT will mean Tube staff would not be able to strike again over pay for three years, the London Minute reports. Good news for commuters, but also for Sadiq Khan if he decides to run for mayor again...

🔴Sadiq Khan Urges New Yorkers to Reject ‘The Politics of Fear’ and Vote for Zohran Mamdani EXCLUSIVE: Source close to the London Mayor accuses Mamdani’s political opponents of “weaponising” his Muslim faith in an “uncanny” repeat of Conservative attacks against Khan bylinetimes.com/2025/11/04/s...

🔴Challenger to Lead Britain’s Biggest Union Vows to Review Labour Ties and Slash Own Salary in Bid to Unseat Starmer Ally Bolton social worker Andrea Egan is fighting to overhaul Unison’s leadership and promising a shift towards taking more strike action bylinetimes.com/2025/11/04/c...

Politico: "Reform's Richard Tice insisted on Times Radio that the upstart movement never promised to cut council taxes — despite presenter Stig Abell reading out Reform election leaflets pledging just that." These people are very happy to lie. It is the Trump playbook: sowing confusion at any cost.

🔴 Challenger to Lead Britain’s Biggest Union Vows to Review Labour Ties and Slash Own Salary in Bid to Unseat Starmer Ally Bolton social worker Andrea Egan is fighting to overhaul Unison’s leadership and promising a shift towards taking more strike action bylinetimes.com/2025/11/04/c...

I’m sure Matt Goodwin will be along shortly to tell us all whether LNER Customer Service Host Samir Zitouni counts as British or not. news.sky.com/story/train-...

Climate thinker and businessman Michael Liebreich tells the Green Alliance conference: "There will be no Carbon Capture post-combustion on gas power stations. It doesn't matter what the government says or how much they try. It's a really stupid idea...It is incredibly capital intensive."