Who Wants Normal? has been out in paperback 3 months today! I spent four years interviewing 50+ of Britain’s best loved disabled women, from Ruth Madeley, Jameela Jamil, Tanni GT, Rosie Jones to Nikki Fox. I’m so glad more readers are able to read their wisdom. And filthy anecdotes.

“It feels like Ed is the thing to spend your political capital on. Otherwise what’s the point?” one Labour MP said. This is the key on Mahmood as Chancellor, I think. Burnham will never have a better chance to set his economic agenda. Why quit before you start? www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

“Hydration breaks” are just a chance for England fans to sing to Mr Brightside and you’ll never convince me otherwise.

Ideology and basic values aside, this would be such a foolish move from Burnham. Elevating Mahmood would lose him much of the goodwill he currently has with the left, while she won’t add any of the economic expertise Miliband offers.

I’m choosing to ignore Pat McFadden’s comments. No thank you, Pat! We won’t be engaging today! Have a lovely morning!

“The purpose of such interrogations has never been to determine whether someone needs disability benefits, but to make them reluctant to apply for it.” Today’s col. on Pip, its impending overall - and what a humane and effective system could actually look like. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Damn, I broke the cardinal rule of being a Guardian columnist: desperately claim you are in fact working class. *In my defence*, a reader commented that loads of people on disability benefits are lying and I wouldn’t understand that because I’m middle class.

“For all the talk of ‘soft’ welfare, it isn’t the left that’s broken the benefits system - it’s the right. Their model of botched cost cutting, privatisation and punishment has had every chance to offer reform – and failed repeatedly.” My col. on fixing Pip. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

The May and June heatwaves killed 2,700 people in England and Wales, new data suggests. This is a damning indictment of the climate crisis but also a warning the U.K. needs an urgent plan to keep disabled and older people and young children safe in extreme heat. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

“Few would disagree with the idea Pip - plagued by basic errors, widespread wrongful rejections, and, in extreme cases, deaths - needs an overhaul. What exactly that overhaul should entail, however, will be less easy to agree on.” My analysis of the Timms review: www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...

“Timms doesn’t pull his punches. The entire assessment system must be redrawn as part of a “radical” welfare overhaul, he says. It is not simply widely ineffective but “dehumanising” for disabled people.” My analysis of what the landmark Pip review really means: www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...

Disability benefits assessment must be redrawn as part of a “radical overhaul” as the system is “not fit for purpose,” the government’s landmark review into Pip will say. @jessicaelgot.bsky.social exclusively outlines the major early findings from Timms report. www.theguardian.com/society/2026...

Who is going to pay for the Nigel Farage by-election show? Does the taxpayer have to fund this vanity exercise? I’d suggest that the man himself cover the bill but then I suppose we’d have to ask where the money was coming from.

Consultants are already in the top 2% of earners in the UK. They’ve had a 28.5% increase in basic starting pay over the last four years. Junior doctors only called off their strike last month. Fair play to the BMA as ever - you’ve almost got to respect the nerve. www.theguardian.com/society/2026...

I’ve never felt more patriotic.

Not saying I was caught up in the drama of the England highlights but when “VAR” flashed onto the screen, there was a moment where I thought it said “WAR.”

I’ve enjoyed binging the Four Seasons. Tina Fey continues to be a generational writer. Colman Domingo steals every scene. But does everyone have to be so miserable? Grief subplot aside, is anyone happily married? Does anyone like life? You’re on holiday! Four times a year! Have some fun, guys!

THEY KNOW HOW TO PLAY FOOTBALL!

Until now, if a woman was killed in her home by a partner or ex, her killer faced a max sentence of 15 years – 10 fewer than if she’d been murdered in the street or by a weapon brought to the scene. Labour has equalised it - thanks to huge strength from families. www.theguardian.com/society/2026...

“After two years of Labour toeing the centre-right line on the false promise of electability, Burnham can now make a distinct break – not only from Starmer’s agenda, but the decades of social and economic dogma that have led to Britain’s current crises.” My col. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

“The Burnham wave is effectively an act of collective projection, where various groups are putting their – often competing – hopes on to the former Greater Manchester mayor, on the possibility he might just deliver them.” My col. in today’s paper: www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

The IDF has killed 235 Palestinian children in the West Bank – plus another five killed by settlers themselves – since 7 October 2023 with what activists call a ‘licence to kill’. Devastating but vital reporting: www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...

absolute height of comedy is when they cut to the goal and you see how many kid keepers they've got

Pass this on. You never know who might need it and it could make a huge difference if someone is struggling for whatever reason

The care visa article row between Shabana Mahmood and Mike Tapp has got a real “last week of summer term” energy to it. The headteacher has resigned! No one knows which teacher has authority! The kids are hot and acting out!

There are no words to describe how much I want Burnham to sack Shabana Mahmood. Though I’ll imagine I’ll find them for a column if he doesn’t.

The heatwave means all my limited energy has been lost and yet I am still here for whatever the hell Kemi Badenoch is doing this week. Randomly starting a grudge against Bridget Phillipson? Talking about Andy Burnham’s eyelashes? That woman is not safe for public office and it’s incredible to watch.

The Taliban’s new marriage law makes it almost impossible for women and girls in Afghanistan to leave unwanted or abusive relationships, even with family support. A devastating but important piece on women who are captive wives. www.theguardian.com/global-devel...

If Burnham is going to get a coronation as PM, the real contest is going to be for Chancellor. Ed Miliband and Wes Streeting are the two most likely candidates. Burnham’s choice will send an early signal of how radical his premiership may be. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Let’s not fudge why Starmer is in this mess. Yes, he didn’t have political instinct. Yes, the public is much less patient and more critical. But Starmer was also - to use his own phase - morally bankrupt on key issues of the day, from Gaza, disability benefits, to immigration.

Classic pub quiz of the future stuff here.

Has anyone ever been preparing to take over as Prime Minister *on the same day* they were sworn in as an MP? This is such a wild moment for British politics, political geeks will be quoting it for decades.

Wherever you stand on Starmer’s resignation, it is objectively wild that a regional mayor who wasn’t in Westminster until last week is likely going to be Prime Minister next month.

Fair play to the Labour MPs briefing that Starmer is spending the weekend “making time to reflect on the political realities” he faces. He’s sitting in the corner, thinking about what he’s done.

As one Reform MP said of Makerfield voters’ reaction on the doorstep: “We were either too racist or not racist enough.” Excellent by @johnharris1969.bsky.social in Makerfield on why Reform is (thankfully) losing momentum and the challenge for Nigel Farage ahead. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Reform have now lost six by-elections in a row in England, Scotland and Wales. Their national poll rating is 26% – below Labour in 1983 – and Farage’s approval rating is -37. They’re very far from the voice of the people and need to stop being treated as such.

Nigel Farage miserable! Keir Starmer on his way out of government! It’s like Christmas morning mixed with the best 2 for 1 discount your local supermarket has ever offered.

“Threats to a nation do not always come from enemies across an ocean. Often, the danger is closer to home: the way an economy is rigged against a populace that feels divided, alienated and without the means to live a decent life.” My col. on welfare v warfare. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

The Tories have launched a disability benefits review to cut the bill by £23bn. Bless them, just trying to get some attention. www.thetimes.com/article/5f42...

“Call it two-track governance, where generously funding the military is seen as prudent and necessary but doing the same to improve the lives of ordinary people is wasteful and optional.” My col. on the ‘warfare v welfare’ narrative and unspoken double standards: www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Thank you to everyone who’s messaged today about benefit reassessments. I hate we go through this and wish I could reply to all but my typing hand has been on column duty. If you’re comfortable, please do share your thoughts with Letters Page. Always appreciated: www.theguardian.com/info/2022/ju...

Hundreds of thousands of disabled people with lifelong conditions are being put through “pointless” benefit reassessments, contrary to official guidelines. This includes people with learning disabilities and limb amputations. My exclusive: www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Since 2010, between ESA/UC and PIP I'm averaging an assessment every 14-18 months. As soon as I catch my breath from one, I'm preparing for the next. It feels like erosion, a constant trickle tearing its way through you

So many people replying to today’s story with experiences like this. Benefit reassessments are a dark cloud hanging over someone’s head, many who - by definition of needing disability benefits - will already be struggling with anxiety, pain or fatigue before piles of admin and invasive interview.

Hundreds of thousands of disabled people with lifelong conditions are being put through “pointless” benefit reassessments, contrary to official guidance. My exclusive in today’s paper: www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Regular reminder that what Britain desperately needs is “low skilled” care workers - and that these jobs are not actually low skilled at all and should be welcomed by an immigration system that appreciates their huge value. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

We need a statue of this image and the text here engraved on the plinth and we need it now this woman is everything that made this country great

7 years ago today, CRIPPLED was published. This morning, a lecturer emailed me to say a student had written their dissertation inspired by it. I’m continually blown away by the impact this book has had and so grateful for how readers have responded - and are still discovering it.

Email my colleague, Libby, if you have thoughts on this!

As a disabled kid of the 90s, I’ll always be pro-inclusion and put the duty on society to make mainstream education more accessible. But specialist schools are absolutely essential for some kids and must be protected too - as @johnharris1969.bsky.social sets out. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...