🌃 Midnight Mass: Andy's Pitch-in Cabinet 🗄️ @pimlicat.bsky.social & @sturdyalex.bsky.social convene for a gossip after a busy day of politics, to share some early thoughts on Burnham's top picks. What direction do they signal? 🎧 open.spotify.com/episode/1ySb... 🍏 podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/q...

Similarly delighted for Miatta Fahnbulleh at Energy. Excellent appointment.

Remember you can build your own fantasy No10 team here bestforbritain.org/fantasy-cabi...

🚨 Bridget Phillipson remains as the Minister for Women and Equalities After FWS Phillipson publicly stated that trans women should use men's toilets. She recently signed into force harmful & discriminatory statutory guidance which will devastate trans lives. Suggests no change re. trans rights.

I'm glad Reynolds is back with a chunky brief. He was a very good SoS DBT, always puzzling why Starmer moved him, and now he has the expanded role bringing in DSIT too.

Chagos with Ed Milliband! [Am I doing this right?]

As cabinet appointments start to come in, a reminder that we (@instituteforgovernment.org.uk) hold a database of all ministerial appointments back to 1979 It's easy to look up all the previous holders of a post, all the roles someone has had etc: www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/ministers-da...

I still think The Hacitenda but I appreciate this may be niche

So. Two Leeds MPs out of the cabinet. My worst fears about ‘Manchesterism’ being realised

Seems like a good moment to share this episode of Behind the Lines with @snellarthur.bsky.social which brilliantly discusses this very topic in the wake of John Healy's resignation as Defence Secretary bsky.app/profile/snel...

Ed Miliband foreign secretary

Omg Andy has just scythed down the FT www.ft.com/content/7cd3...

The U.K. now has nearly double the number of living former Prime Ministers (9) than it does frigates (5). And I’m not sure which is the more damning metric?

John Healey appointed CX

Well said. 👏👏👏

Andy Burnham must prioritise the UK’s relationship with the EU to secure the growth to fund his domestic agenda. bestforbritain.org/eu-reintegra...

Updated my profile. Again.

Another very well delivered speech. So a 10 year plan, an end to rough sleeping, and quick costed announcements on easing cost of living. Sounds like they’re hoping for a General Election next year.

To joylessly suck the fun out of this joke: this is actually true! As the BBC's budget has shrunk, there are fewer guests on programmes, which means you get more intra-BBC 'I'm not allowed to say anything of note' rather than getting a historian or the PM's biographer or a former No 10 aide on.

Excellent 🇪🇸🇪🇺

THE MAYOR THE MERRIER! Join @mrkennycampbell.bsky.social & @pimlicat.bsky.social as they chat about: 🌹 Burnham’s new leader speech 🥇Khan’s peerage 🌍 Climate food impact 🤖 The inventions we need (ok want) 🎧 open.spotify.com/episode/28jd... 🍏 podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/q...

@sturdyalex.bsky.social @petergeoghegan.bsky.social @pimlicat.bsky.social Palantir being a national security threat

In Richmond, the Lib Dems won every single council seat, leaving nearly half of all voters without the representation they asked for. It's great to see the council recognise that this is not what a healthy democracy looks like. Good work 💯

UK nearly blacked out after energy chiefs didn’t plan for heatwave

🚨 NEW: Andy Burnham is set to increase international aid spending to 0.7% of GDP [@Independent]

The convicted criminal who funded Nigel Farage opened an account with an obscure overseas payments company days before it was used to channel an “unexplained” £500,000 donation to Reform UK

This prompted a huge and angry backlash, and a petition with three million signatures. Crucially among exactly the kind of voter they thought would love the policy. Starmer tried to backtrack to the quiet-but-necessary gov data version of digital ID. Burnham now dropping it entirely.

If true this is economic madness.

How’s that for taking back control? www.nursingtimes.net/workforce/lo...

It's the will of the people

BBC has confirmed a BBC News Special on Monday morning from 10am as Andy Burnham becomes Prime Minister.

I mean, if this ever got to court, she would struggle to explain this message

Reform UK are now on average seven points lower in the polls than they were last September

Jonathan Reynolds set to oversee beefed-up business department ft.trib.al/ffkGTkw

After years of nodding along with the general sentiment "Palantir=Bad" I finally get precisely why the firm, its owners, business model, and products might just big a Big Ole Problem for this (or any) country. @petergeoghegan.bsky.social has an extraordinary ability to filter and share information.

This is a wild piece of political trivia from the BBC about Burnham’s wife that I am shocked @popbitch.bsky.social hasn’t clocked yet…

Labour needs to stop treating its large core vote in London as a weakness rather than a strength. Few remember now but the Tories used to lead in London under Thatcher/Major. Changing that is *a political success*.

Good speech from Andy Burnham, that got better as it went on. Strong close. They'll be happy with that.

Since several Brussels-based friends and colleagues have asked me: Waterstones Brussels has copies of my book Fantastic Kingdom in stock.

A very good episode! Peter Geoghegan has a calm reasonableness that inspires trust. He never exaggerates or makes inflammatory statements but he presents a strong case for kicking out Palantir, that intrusive tapeworm in the gut of our public services soaking up all our data to exploit.

In May we said Nigel Farage probably didn't owe tax on his £5m gift. The Guardian now reports the gift followed talks where Farage said he'd need £5m to return to frontline politics. *If* that's right, we think there's a high risk of a £3m tax bill - payable by Reform.

Even if you've never listened to Quiet Riot before I'd urge you to tune in today. This is a very eye opening episode about the people and politics behind Palantir and the contracts they have with UK Government.

⏰Andy Burnham: it’s time to fix our broken voting system! 👇Add your name to the open letter 👇 actionnetwork.org/petitions/an... @makevotesmatter.bsky.social @unlockdemocracy.bsky.social

NEW B-SIDE: THE PALANTIR FILES We are joined by @petergeoghegan.bsky.social to understand: 🩼The taxpayer value from the £330m contract 🇺🇸 Why we're so hooked on US tech 🌹 Can Burnham find an alternative platform? 🎧 open.spotify.com/episode/4c1x... 🍏 podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/q...

Great news everyone. Our Reform-led county council has solved the problem.

Politico piece about what Mahmood’s economic bent might be, points out her euro scepticism. 👇https://www.politico.eu/article/andy-burnham-government-shabana-mahmood-chancellor-race/

This week, suported by Lab, LD, Green, SDLP & PC MPs we landed pro EU press coverage in every nation of the UK. Have a read 👇 bestforbritain.org/eu-backed-uk...

NEW: A slew of new peerages announced: www.gov.uk/government/n...

This makes me extremely hopeful.

Ok so it's convention that the NEC Chair doesn't vote in this stuff.