Dozens of Labour MPs want to rid us of the broken first past the post system. Praise be. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Billionaire Trump donor, private equity boss in line to make millions from Thames Water bid. Attempted to fund Robert Jenrick’s bid for Tory party leadership. Wants exemptions from sewage dumping fines. Will extract returns, customers will be fleeced. Privatisation of essentials has failed.

15m Britons not saving enough for retirement. Result of low wages. State pension will be the only/main income for millions of retirees. It is less than 50% of minimum wage. Neoliberals want to cut it. Cut tax relief on pension tax relief for the rich, boost state pension.

“The weirdos. The misfits. The losers. The mostly elderly desperados who cling to the certainty they were right all along. Untroubled by all the evidence to the contrary. Unaware that many of their arguments contradict one another” The Brexit bells have a reunion… www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

🔴 NEW: Justice secretary David Lammy has told Parliament the government will "bring forward legislation" to tackle Slapps - abusive lawsuits used by oligarchs and the super-rich. Comments come in response to Democracy for Sale's recent investigation: democracyforsale.substack.com/p/we-investi...

Far-right Israeli minister Bezalel Smotrich says ICC is seeking his arrest Smotrich vows to retaliate by waging ‘war’ on Palestinian Authority and orders evacuation of a West Bank village | International criminal court | The Guardian share.google/SSL3QB2u5Y43...

"The Freedom Association’s Brexit Unleashed conference in Westminster was largely untroubled by reality" @mrjohncrace.bsky.social spends a day with the unicorn fanciers so we don't have to

Corruption is the guiding principle of the administration and has been from day 1. What is happening now is nothing new, it’s par for the course. It is what the USA is now. Face it squarely.

For those who are all of a sudden shocked at Trump’s corruption this week, please stop. Corruption has infused this administration its entire time. There has been purchase pardons, payoffs by foreign governments, shady crypto deals, insider trading on markets, etc.

🔎 From the archive: Revealed: Peter Mandelson's Russian Connections and Palantir Lobbying Links — Nafeez Ahmed, Peter Jukes, Josiah Mortimer and Adam Bienkov 🔁 Relevant again: Mandelson did not divest from Russian and Palantir interests as required when US Ambassador

I’m amazed anyone needs reminding of this, but local government spending power per person fell by 18% from 2010 to 2024 (would have been 26% but for increases in council tax). At the same time, social care pressures on local govt have grown a lot. The decay of the public realm is NOT a mystery

My statement on today's update from the Met Police.

This has been a long time coming. And is only the beginning of the next phase in getting justice for the families of those who died at Grenfell. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

in 2010 ministers said phase 1 of High-Speed 2 (from Old Oak Common to Birmingham) would be finished by 2026 now the completion date has been pushed back to between 2036 and 2039 with the final leg to Euston not set to be finished until as late as 2043 price tag up from £80bn to £103bn

Police to seek criminal charges against 77 companies and people over Grenfell fire

Micheál Martin: Brexit did not make sense, to cut yourself off, or to create barriers between your industries and a market of 450m people never made sense... The extraordinary amounts of money that is coming in from outside to influence British politics is an issue... #R4Today

Antisemitic attacks targeting Jewish people - just for who they are - are abhorrent & have no place in our city. The Met Police is setting up a dedicated team of 100 additional officers to protect London’s Jewish communities. Londoners stand together against antisemitism.

The Irish president has expressed concern after it emerged her sister was one of dozens of activists to be kidnapped by Israel while taking part in a major aid flotilla to Gaza

🚨 PANEL EVENT The New Laws of Capitalism: @katharinapistor.bsky.social & @hettieobrien.bsky.social in conversation with @mathewlawrence.bsky.social 📍 October Gallery, London, WC1N 3AL 🗓️ 2 June ⏰ 7-8PM Register to attend 🔗👇 luma.com/cqhnrkr2

"Putin is facing a challenge to assert his authority." The war in Ukraine is "causing a lot of problems for Russia." These include "rising utility bills" and "rising prices," the BBC's Russia Editor Steve Rosenburg tells @vicderbyshire.bsky.social #Newsnight

"We didn't have a clear vision for the country we wanted to build." Labour peer Lord Wood says the party is now facing the consequences of failing to prepare for government ahead of the 2024 election. #Newsnight

How about: a) I believe the UK should rejoin the EU; but b) Neither we nor Brussels are ready for a formal negotiation; and c) EU membership would not be a panacea for our national challenges; so c) I will work to build trust and lay foundations with the EU, while advancing other priorities.

WATCH: “I flippin’ well hope the Labour leadership contenders are listening”

“Last week, YouGov updated their figures…just 29% said we were “right to leave”, while 58% said “wrong to leave”. This is the first time numbers saying “right” have fallen below 30%, and the first time that “wrong” has outnumbered “right” by two-to-one.” #Brexit kellnerp.substack.com/p/brexit-is-...

🧵 Every fossil fuel crisis ends the same way: with higher bills for customers. The answer is cheaper, cleaner energy, smarter tech and systems that make energy more secure and more affordable. (3/3)

Trump is setting up a reparations fund for his friends & allies, funded by US taxpayers. We haven’t seen such a thing since the British government paid £20m to slave-owners (including many MPs) in 1834. www.thetimes.com/us/american-...

Cuba warns of ‘bloodbath’ as US imposes new sanctions amid rising tensions

Keep this in mind when people claim cars mean business — closing Central #Madrid to cars over holidays resulted in a 9.5% boost in retail spending on its main shopping street: STUDY. There was also a 71% drop in air pollution. Via @carltonreid.com in @forbes.com. #citymakingmath #citiesforpeople

Well first of all there needs to be a mass education drive so people understand the need to have a pension. But this is also a cost of living issue - if you’re struggling to manage today, you can’t afford to save for tomorrow www.theguardian.com/money/2026/m...

Personally, what I reject most are arguments that the EU would seek to make it difficult for the UK to rejoin. Yes, there might be some discussions on previous opt-outs, but ultimately a UK rejoin would be the biggest symbolic triumph of European integration in a long long time.

Great to see ABC news doing this - that's Rebel News panicking because if everyone does it they no longer have a business model @news.abc.net.au

Anna Turley, Labour Chair, rightly says that Farage “should stop dodging scrutiny”. But Farage shouldn’t be able to dodge scrutiny in the first place. He’s so cocky because he’s been allowed to get away with lying to us his entire political career. Time to investigate *everything*.

On Brexit Deputy PM David Lammy says “Farage said it would bring down immigration, it hasn’t it’s got worse, Farage said we would be better off, we’re much much poorer, everyone across the country realises that, there were promises made and we should hold their feet to the fire” 👏

For years British politics has treated Brexit like a cursed object locked in the attic. Don’t mention it. Don’t touch it. Don’t acknowledge the smell coming from under the door. Unfortunately, the Brexit-shaped boil is now very much bursting.

In today’s Lightbulb, Prospect’s free daily newsletter, Alan Rusbridger explores how GB News ignores the rules

This is interesting. It’s not how I saw it growing up in the 70s. My understanding was that we wanted a “safety net” that would help those who needed it and that contribution was the obligation of those of us who could afford to do so.

Very odd that the one chart included in this article directly contradicts the article's fundamental premise (that current/future welfare spending is "unaffordable")

“The independence of juries and their liberty to pass a verdict according to their conscience, whatever the law or the authorities may demand… is important not only for justice but for democracy, too.” My @theobserveruk.bsky.social column: observer.co.uk/news/columni...

🚨 Lord Sugar in Sun Times “Leaving Europe is the worst thing I have experienced in my whole time in business.” “Johnson and Gove should be in jail. As a chairman I am obliged to tell the truth to my shareholders.” “If I lie it’s a criminal offence. 1/2 #rejoinEU

UK Govt to nationalise British Steel, but not other steel companies receiving public subsidies. No plan to nationalise water, energy, mail and other essentials. Rail passenger services will continue to be nationalised but lucrative freight and rolling stock companies won't be Industrial Strategy?

Private Equity went under the radar for a very long time - it was great to join @goldbergradio.bsky.social on the brilliant @bylinepodcast.bsky.social for a joint #Taxcast, @taxjustice.net podcast with @hettieobrien.bsky.social on her brilliant book about this subject & with @alexcobham.bsky.social

"It might take our producers five minutes to find 60 economists who feared Brexit and five hours to find a sole voice who espoused it. But by the time we went on air we simply had one of each; we presented this unequal effort to our audience as balance. It wasn't." @maitlis.bsky.social

This is bad economic policy, because it will cost the government billions in lost tax income.. ..bad progressive policy, because the richest 10% of households will benefit three times as much from the freeze as the poorest 10%.. ..and terrible climate policy: www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-fue...

Well, at least we're past the pre-school phase. And it's going to affect those sixth formers more than anyone.

oh gr8 more months of politicians humming & hawing over whether Brexit has been disastrous for the UK rather than treating the public like adults and saying it’s been a disaster inflicted by Farage

Deregulation mania UK Govt to weaken ring-fencing of retail from speculative banking, introduced after the 2007-08 crash. Nothing learnt. Claims this will release capital for economic growth - more speculation. Danger of shadow banking, AI bubble looms Who bears the cost of bailouts?

England's High Speed 2 railway expected to cost over £100bn, many years late Result of changing political priorities, & "bespoke, highly engineered design" It's not the fault of some rare bats getting in the way, as you'd think listening to senior members of UK govt www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

HS2, the horror tale. "The “original sins” included decision to focus on “highest possible speeds” in an attempt to make it “world’s best railway”." We need to focus in so many areas on competently meeting needs, not "winning" www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/...

John 🌻 I fell at the first hurdle of ‘what matters most to you’ because you have no environmental options (and nor did the US survey). We’re in breach of 7/9 critical planetary boundaries and every single other issue here depends upon our regenerating those systems. 👇 www.gov.uk/government/p...