I say again that anyone who thinks Jews, or any minority group, are better off in a world where senior politicians feel comfortable with overt racism is an idiot of the highest order.

The UK Could Be Quietly Heading for a Solar Power Revolution – Byline Times bylinetimes.com/2026/03/19/t...

🔴Reform Kent Council Suffers Walk Out After Party Declares ‘Immigration Emergency’ During Meningitis Outbreak The motion by Nigel Farage’s party blamed the spread of “infectious diseases” on undocumented migrants bylinetimes.com/2026/03/19/r...

🔴 Reform Kent Council Suffers Walk Out After Party Declares ‘Immigration Emergency’ During Meningitis Outbreak The motion by Nigel Farage’s party blamed the spread of “infectious diseases” on undocumented migrants bylinetimes.com/2026/03/19/r...

Update: Govt tells me plug-in solar is safe for UK - devices operate at low wattage (up to 800W) & include safety protections. They have a safety study which DESNZ says shows it is compatible with UK plugs & electrical standards Govt says it will work to "rapidly" introduce regulations to allow it

This picture has stayed with me: Farage posing with extreme far-right activists, December 2024. I never got to the bottom of where it was taken, or who a couple of the activists were. If anyone has any more info on it, my contact info is linked in my bio, or DM me. bylinetimes.com/2025/01/30/n...

You'd think that with the meningitis crisis going on in Kent the county council might have more important and less racist things to discuss... but no..

🔴The UK Could Be Quietly Heading for a Solar Power Revolution As fossil fuel prices soar due to Trump’s Iran war, the UK Government’s plans for ‘energy independence’ could transform how British households power their homes, reports @josiahmortimer.bsky.social bylinetimes.com/2026/03/19/t...

Reform-run Kent County Council is pushing a motion today claiming there is an "invasion" of refugees happening. The Greens say it is a racist motion and are set to protest.

Via No 10 today: "Historic legislation to end the two-child limit has become law, putting 450,000 children on a pathway out of poverty in the final year of this Parliament. The removal of the two-child limit from Universal Credit takes effect from April."

🔴 The UK Could Be Quietly Heading for a Solar Power Revolution As fossil fuel prices soar due to Trump’s Iran war, the UK Government’s plans for ‘energy independence’ could transform how British households power their homes bylinetimes.com/2026/03/19/t...

The GMB union has responded to the Government's steel strategy, out today “GMB had been calling for a steel strategy for a long time - so it’s good we now have some kind of plan. “This administration has done more [for] UK steel than any Government for many, many years."

Labour chair Anna Turley's letter to Tory leader Kemi Badenoch on Nick Timothy's comments about Muslims. I don't think they would have sent this under Morgan McSweeney

Via Politico: "Lib Dem leader Ed Davey today used PMQs to urge Keir Starmer to act on allegations the broadcaster breached Ofcom rules, based on a deep dive from the New World...Starmer said it was a matter for Ofcom while Farage and his pals scoffed from their Commons seats above."

Bravo. This needed saying: "I have never seen her party call out anything other than the Muslim events. It is only when Muslims are praying...the only conclusion is that the Tory party has got a problem with Muslims.”

The Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee has launched an inquiry into elections & democracy, looking at trust & engagement in the electoral system, the introduction of votes at 16, and concerns over foreign interference and disinformation. The inquiry is called 'Modernising Elections'

The Welsh Parliament has passed a law to make it illegal for candidates to lie during Senedd elections The new law paves the way for a new criminal offence to make false or misleading statements of fact to help a candidate Won't come into effect until 2030 at the earliest. But still, a big moment.

The Government must immediately ban political donations made through cryptocurrency until firm rules can be developed, to keep UK politics safe from illicit finance, cross-party Committee finds committees.parliament.uk/committee/11...

“One political party in Britain has effectively ended up with its own television station. GB News has essentially become Reform TV.” pressgazette.co.uk/publishers/b...

The Liberal Democrats have today tabled a Parliamentary motion (EDM), calling on the Prime Minister to advise the King that his upcoming state visit to the United States should be cancelled, "as Donald Trump continues his illegal war in Iran"

Anna Turley MP, Chair of the Labour Party, commenting on Zack Polanski’s speech at the New Economics Foundation “Zack Polanski has the wrong answers on the economy. Respected economists have sounded the alarm over the Greens’ “catastrophic” plans to print money, which would hammer working people."

Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has stood by her Shadow Lord Chancellor, who called Muslims praying at an annual event in London’s Trafalgar Square an “act of domination” from the “Islamism playbook”. bylinetimes.com/2026/03/18/k...

Zack Polanski on AI this morning: "In many ways [it] has potential to be a force for good - but is already causing people to lose their jobs, consuming huge amounts of energy and water. Planned datacentres will produce little employment, and blight communities...& jeopardise our climate targets."

Polanski: "In 1990...there were 15 billionaires in the UK. By last year, that number had risen to 154. And let’s look at how those people are making their money: today, more than 1 in 4 billionaires draw some or all of their wealth from property and inheritance." (I'm surprised it's that low tbh)

Polanski: "We know that rent controls can work...Rent controls are an established part of private renting in 16 European countries... "If we had frozen rents in autumn 2022, households in Britain would be saving over £3,300 per year on average. "Instead? [It goes] straight into landlords’ pockets"

Polanski: "I was born into a changing Britain. "As I was growing up, Thatcher was selling off the state’s vital assets one by one – British Gas in 86, water in 89. When I talk to young people about this, they can’t believe it. We used to own these things, and we sold them off."

Polanski: "The government should guarantee right now that it will not allow energy bills to rise beyond the April-June price cap – instead setting aside approx £8.4 bn to prevent a rise of up to £300 per household...coming down the track. "No, it's not cheap. But the alternative is unacceptable."

Zack Polanski in his NEF speech: "Struggling families are seeing price rises coming towards them like a freight train speeding... "Meanwhile, some are profiting off this misery & bloodshed. Oil company shares have soared to all-time highs. Here in the UK it’s ordinary people who will pay the price"

Oh boy...the MEN live stream for Zack Polanski's speech just showed me an ad pushing people to set up companies in Dubai to avoid corporation tax.

Green leader Zack Polanski will say in his keynote New Economics Foundation speech shortly: "We live in Rip Off Britain. Sky high bills, stagnating wages - extreme inequality. It can’t go on like this. But we have a plan to change it."

Energy Sec Ed Miliband will meet consumer groups & charities today to discuss support available for heating oil users. For households on gas & electricity, bills are coming down from 1 April: under a new legal instruction, energy firms will be forced to ensure all those on domestic tariffs benefit.

This is brilliant news if - as I hope - it actually happens. It's unjust that researchers, academics, reporters, activists and everyone has to pay through the nose to find out who owns England, esp. as a) the Land Registry recently hiked their fees b) Companies House ownership data is free.

I'm going to treat it in good faith but this is very similar to the story I did on this at @bylinetimes.bsky.social last week... www.theguardian.com/media/2026/m...

Should be noted that it was the Conservatives that rescued him here

The final arguments against EVs (vs fossil fuel vehicles) are evaporating before our eyes

Also as others have pointed out...The old guy is presumably dead, so...a ghost in tweed?

Seems like a nice guy

NEW: Reform UK risks breaching data protection laws with its competition to win free energy bills for a year, lawyers & data experts warn. Entrants have to disclose not only name, email & number, but also how they voted at last election and intend to at next one www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

📌 ICYMI — Daily Mail Forced to Correct Electric Car Price Claim After Misleading Readers Self-appointed press regulator IPSO initially refused to investigate the paper, until polling suggested that nearly two-thirds of readers had been misled

Macquarie, the same company which owned Thames Water and left it with debts in the billions

🔴 Reform UK Skip Debate on Mandatory By-Elections After Nigel Farage Called Defectors Who Avoid the Ballot Box ‘Disgraceful’ Farage previously said that defectors who refuse to hold by-elections are guilty of a “complete insult” to the electorate

As Trump’s war with Iran enters its third week, the Stop Trump Coalition is demanding the King cancel his visit to see Donald Trump in April as part of celebrations for the 250th anniversary of the United States

Over 150 London councillors and Assembly members have demanded London councils' divestment of pensions "from Israeli abuses against Palestinians" in a letter lodged today by leading politicians including Labour AM Elly Baker and Green leader Zack Polanski

....this is literally a punchline from those Mitchell & Webb sketches about a post apocalyptic gameshow ("Your prize is... fuel!")

Will be a major boost for EV use if this holds.

This is a big deal. A lot of lives saved through this.

Big – and very welcome – news for the local media industry today. This piece includes quotes from my boss @davidfloydnews.bsky.social, who says: “I hope this fund is able to kickstart sustainable new models for local news that prioritise on the ground journalism that is valued by local communities”

"From 2002, NCP was subsequently owned by private equity companies Cinven and 3i, and then by an infrastructure fund run by the Australian bank Macquarie, which loaded it with debt. In 2011, under Macquarie’s ownership, NCP had debts of £450m." Another grim win for offshore asset strippers.

Today in the Lords sees some potentially interesting Qs on: Plan 2 student loans; the BBC World Service; the Birmingham City Council–Unite refuse workers dispute; and Fujitsu's interim contribution to Post Office Horizon compensation costs. H/t Hansard Society

Today in Parl: Ministerial Salaries (Amendment) Bill is pushed through all stages in one go. The Govt bill will increase the number of ministerial salaries from 109 to 120. The Government has appointed 120 Ministers, but two in the Commons and nine in the Lords serve without pay under current rules