Ben Jennings on Kemi Badenoch’s reaction to the lifting of the two-child benefit cap – cartoon. This sums up the Tory attitude perfectly! www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

UK rejects visa for girl left destitute in Jamaica by Hurricane Melissa. This is just so wrong on every level. The UK has a legal and moral obligation to out the best interests of the child as the primary consideration. Surely that is to be with her parents. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

2025 funding cuts to global nutrition programs = 44% of 2022 level. 40% by UK, 37% France, 30% Neths, 25% Belg. These cuts will “cut off treatment for 2.3 million children in low- and middle-income countries,” which would “lead to 369,000 extra child deaths a year". impakter.com/individual-a...

Children lifted out of poverty; higher minimum wage; higher contribution from people with £2m+ properties, dividends etc; more funds for NHS, regions, nations; lower energy bills... These address inequality & tackle poverty - a +ve mission for a Labour Government. More wld b good. But not at all bad

Farage talks about the "desperate establishment" as though he isn't part of it. He went to a posh public school and is very wealthy former City trader - very much more part of the establishment than those who criticise him for his behaviour at school. Don't be fooled.

Guardian budget game. I ended with £38.7bn surplus w'out spooking markets or upsetting polls. 2p on higher rate income tax, gambling tax, CGT reforms, higher council tax on big homes, remove 2 child benefit cap, pension tax relief cap @ 20%. Cash left to boost NHS www.theguardian.com/politics/ng-...

Latest YouGov poll has Reform down to 25% - the lowest of all recent polls. Lab+LD+Green=50%. Reform+Con=43%. Definitely nowhere near a Farage majority or even a right-wing coalition. But parties on the other side will need to work together.

Why does @bbcnewsnight.bsky.social lable tonight's guest @tomhfharwood.bsky.social as "journalist and broadcaster" (which makes him sound like an independent commentator) when he is actually Deputy Political Editor of GB News, a pro Brexit campaigner, & a former Tory candidate. Hardly independent!?

Good piece from @jonathanfreedland.bsky.social. Every public service is desperate for more cash. We need more money than we’ve got. Reeves will scrabble around to find a few billion, but none of those efforts will address the fundamental problem" - Brexit. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Asylum changes seek to use children as a weapon, says Labour peer Alf Dubs. I have huge respect for Alf Dubs. His views can't just be dismissed. He knows what he's talking about. Government needs to listen to him and make adjustments accordingly. I hope they do. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

‘Deeply shocking’: Nigel Farage faces fresh claims of racism and antisemitism at school. Why does none of this feel surprising? www.theguardian.com/politics/ng-...

Refugee Council: Home Office temporary refugee status idea could cost £872m over 10 years. It won't deter boat crossings, but will prevent refugees integrating into British life for up to 20 years, while adding to backlog and chaos at Home Office. www.refugeecouncil.org.uk/stay-informe...

Latest poll from Find Out Now has Greens in second place on 17%.

UK charities condemn ‘immoral’ plans to force asylum seekers to volunteer. I'm glad to see charities stand against this policy. They won't cooperate with any attempt to effectively force vulnerable people into unpaid work. Let's hope the idea will now be dropped. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

According to Which, Meta is earning billions from scam adverts Meta users are exposed to 15 billion scam ads every day and Meta projected that 10% of its earnings in 2024, or $16bn, came from fraudulent ads for scams and banned goods, leaked documents show. www.which.co.uk/news/article...

World on track for catastrophic 2.6C temperature rise, report finds. Emissions from fossil fuels are still increasing! The world is "spiralling into a catastrophic new era of extreme weather and severe hardships". All this amid denial from populist politicians. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

David Dimbleby for BBC DG! Good interview on @channel4news.bsky.social

The idea that the BBC is left-wing biased is absolute nonsense, promoted by those who hate anything that isn't purely commercial. In fact, the bias is clearly to the right, particularly through the excessive representation of Reform representatives on political programming.

The latest UK opinion poll has Green Party in 2nd place, ahead of Conservatives, Labour & LibDems. I think that's the first time? Interesting to see Labour now turning fire on Greens. Maybe this'll force Labour to shift more left instead of aping Reform? Will the media now give Greens more airtime?

How much tax will Elon Musk pay on his trillion dollars? I suggest 90% - should be more than enough to provide all low income Americans with free healthcare? But I bet that's not what will happen!?

Of course we know Brexit is to blame for many of UK’s economic woes. At last it is being said openly in political and business circles. But what are we going to do about it? ‘The money machine is misfiring’: City blames Brexit for UK’s £20bn productivity headache www.theguardian.com/business/202...

Excellent analysis of the issues facing the grooming gangs enquiry and why the politics needs to be toned down to enable to inquiry to proceed. Grooming gang survivors risk becoming pawns in a political game that is no place for vulnerable people | Gaby Hinsliff www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Intelligence on ‘extreme’ Maccabi fans with history of violence led to Villa Park ban. The concern was apparently potential violence by Israeli fans against Muslims. How can a ban based on this intelligence, and supported by some Jewish residents, be antisemitic? www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

Latest YouGov poll has reform on 26, lowest for months, and Greens up to 15 (equal with LibDem). Tories not far ahead on 17. Lab 20. Lab/Lib/Green total 50; Reform/Tories total 43. Are things moving in the right (left) direction at last?

Excellent article. True social integration needs effective services and vibrant communities, not more hurdles for migrants to jump. "A-level English, voluntary work, delayed citizenship: it’s Labour’s Orwellian Two Minutes Hate for immigrants" | Nesrine Malik www.theguardian.com/world/commen...

Israel is again preventing access for aid trucks into Gaza. International humanitarian law prohibits using starvation as a method of warfare and requires parties to allow the free passage of essential relief supplies for the civilian population. Willfully impeding relief supplies is a war crime.

Great to see so many people standing up for democracy and the rule of law. www.theguardian.com/us-news/gall...

My alma mater, Sussex Uni has been ranked happiest uni in UK. The award recognises student satisfaction with their university, looking at what makes students feel happy, heard and at home. Sussex was rated UK's highest for student satisfaction & support. Congrats! www.sussex.ac.uk/alumni/news-...

Hoping to see hundreds of aid trucks moving in to Gaza with urgency, for distribution by the UN agencies and international NGOs to ensure those most in need receive lifesaving supplies, and hospitals get the medical supplies they need so desperately. I'm keeping everything crossed for that.

Great that Trump finally ordered Netanyahu to reach agreement. Wonderful that hostages will be released. But why did he wait so long, while continuing to arm Israel and permit the genocide to continue? Surely someone who facilitates genocide can't win a Nobel peace prize, whatever he then achieves?

Stamp duty revenue is expected to rise steadily to £26.5billion by 2029-30. Abolition, as proposed by the Tories, would take those funds away from public services - probably without saving house buyers any money as house prices rise.

As Tories vow to scrap ‘failed targets’, how do their climate claims stack up? Excellent analysis that shows what utter rubbish is being spewed out by the increasingly right wing Conservative Party. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Home sec calls Gaza protests after Manchester attack ‘un-British’. What on earth does that mean? Is the Home Sec implying that Gaza protests are anti-Jewish? They're not. Many Jews oppose the war. It is Israeli policies, not Jews, that the protests are about. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

The Tories have gone full Faragist. Badenoch vows to repeal Climate Change Act despite expert consensus that “The claim that keeping Britain dependent on fossil fuels is good for economic growth is demonstrably false". Badenoch has few, but disastrous, policies www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Stop blaming migrants and tackle UK’s real problems, 100 charities tell home secretary. The Government really needs to push back against the scapevoating of migrants rather than feeding that dangerous narrative. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

150+ lawyers & refugee NGOs report being ‘pressured into silence’ by far-right protesters. It's no coincidence this comes on day of Farage's attack on migrants w indefinite leave to remain. Reform is whipping up anti migrant hate. And the Tories are no better. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

"Privatisation of UK industries is driving cost of living crisis, says Greens leader". The case for privatisation was that greater efficiency would outweigh the need for distribution of profits to shareholders. That was always a dubious premise. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Excellent poem by Carol Ann Duffy contrasting Trump's state visit to the UK with a ‘bombsite’ where "a famished child peers through a bullet-hole in a wall". www.theguardian.com/books/2025/s...

Together for Palestine event at Wembley Arena on Wednesday. Sign up for a link to the livestream here: secure.avaaz.org/campaign/en/...

Excellent piece from Gordon Brown. Let's hope Rachel Reeves is listening. "Nothing prepared me for the child poverty I see in Britain. November’s budget can and must halt its inexorable rise" | Gordon Brown www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Shocking report on BBC News tonight about the consequences of aid cuts and Taliban restrictions on women's education and work on maternal and infant deaths in Afghanistan. There's no doubt, & no excuses - aid cuts kill vulnerable people, especially women and children. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

What do the immigration figures for the UK really show? Public concern is rising, whipped up by political rhetoric, while actual numbers are declining rapidly, and asylum seekers make up a tiny proportion of the total (students the biggest). www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

So much for free speech! Trump news at a glance: Kirk critics lose jobs amid rancour after killing www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Flags Is It? www.southwalesargus.co.uk/news/2545203...

Proud of Wales for this super response to the appearance of St George flags everywhere. www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-n...

Ed Davey: “The facts don’t lie. The BBC is fuelling Reform’s rise by plastering Farage across our screens without providing the proper scrutiny the public deserves." Many have suspected this, but new academic study from Cardiff Uni shows it is fact. www.theguardian.com/media/2025/s...

UK imposes 100 new sanctions targeting Russia’s revenues and military supplies. Good! www.theguardian.com/world/2025/s...

Charlie Kirk in his own words: ‘prowling Blacks’ and ‘the great replacement strategy’. What's really scary is how many people will read these remarks and think "what's wrong with that". www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Warning! The rightwing junktanks behind the Tories’ worst disasters still have the keys to No 10 | George Monbiot. This is very scary and worrying stuff. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Here are some things that Charlie Kirk said in his life. The man is dead, and so it only seems fair to share his legacy by cataloguing the values he spread while alive.