The war on Iran enters its 13th day. The war on banknotes enters its second.

A bridge too far.

The issue has never particularly been the original daft Sun feature, which (as Greens like to note) was more than a decade ago. It's been the almost entirely unnecessary dishonesty around it, which is much more recent.

DoD has now banned press photographers from briefings on the war with Iran after Pete Hegseth’s staff deemed “unflattering” pictures that were published of the defense secretary from the March 2nd Pentagon briefing.

Green leader Zack Polanski defended his job as a 'boob whisperer' hypnotist helping women increase the size of their breasts after a 2013 Sun interview he has since distanced himself from. He told BBC shortly afterwards that "the evidence is growing" that it works www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Yet McSweeney allies have been briefing that Powell was a prime mover in getting Mandy the job order-order.com/2026/02/09/i...

Mandelson documents show he wanted £500,000 after being fired as US ambassador and wanted to return to the UK with 'dignity'

Fuel duty row a classic example of the gap between being in power and not being in power: Government right to sit tight because who knows what Iran situation will be in September. But opposition parties able to make hay because markets, voters, not terribly interested in the long game. #PMQs

Kemi Badenoch came to #PMQs with one question and when the PM decided not to answer it, she just repeated it five more times. It did not work.

A beautiful spring day, the best sort to spend stuck to a computer trawling government documents…

Farage's closeness to the US president remains a potential Achilles Heel for Reform, especially if Iran campaign makes oil go through the roof.

Honestly, she should have been ejected at 30,000 feet. Good work, American Airlines. Hope others follow suit and require headphones. www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article...

Yvette Cooper slaps down Tony Blair for saying the UK should have joined US/Israeli attack on Iran. She tells Trevor Philips that the UK 'has to learn lessons from what went wrong in Iraq', says joining offensive action 'not in UK national interest'.

Tory peer Lord Chadlington to quit the Lords as standards watchdog says he should be suspend for a year for helping a firm he worked for win Covid PPE contracts worth almost £50m dailymail.co.uk/news/article...

So Philip Glass just joined TikTok. He only has like 4 posts and they’re simply him in what I assume is his living room playing the piano. First comment on one I saw was “your piano is too close to the fireplace, you’ll dry it out” and if that’s not the internet in a nutshell I don’t know what is.

Keir Starmer about to do a press conference re the US-Israeli attacks on Iran.

Tax exiles stuck in London desperately trying to get *back* to Dubai to avoid becoming tax resident in the UK? Just great stuff. giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...

This is a brave attack given how many Reform supporters are free to attend its daytime rallies

The first warship sunk by a torpedo since the Belgrano?

A couple of takeaways from this. Yes Labour and the Tories are in the merde. But also the voting public is showing its continued support for cakeism.

Shot: Kemi Badenoch backs US military action, warning that if Iran gets nukes, the UK will be nuked. Chaser: Tory MP Edward Leigh in Commons 'What evidence actually is there that Iran was on the cusp of acquiring (nukes) and since when has regime change from the skies actually changed a regime?’

Hedge fund manager fails to quantify risk 😂

Kemi Badenoch trying to triangulate how to make hay from row over minority voting in G&D, but without going fully Reform. Uses speech to say it's wrong to fixate on family voting but attacks 'separatism' by minority groups she says was reflected in result

The return of 100,000 expats from Dubai could be just the fillip the UK high street needs right now - a boost for tanning salons, hair salons, beauticians, cosmetic dentistry...

Another quiet news week ahead is it?

Had a similar exchange at a Reform UK rally in Lincolnshire last spring making a podcast. "I'm waiting for my husband... You'll need to speak to my husband about that..."

The is something to be said for dignity in defeat.

An understatement to say it’s a very tricky time for Starmer. After trying to head off Reform on the right he’ll face more pressure to veer left to combat Green surge. The danger is that progressives don’t come back and Labour just sheds votes on the right.

Even the Lib Dems would draw the line at a graph that bad.

Has Your Party been telling fibs about its membership numbers or has the constant infighting driven people away? In December @zarahsultana.bsky.social said it stood at more than 55,000. Today the internal elections returning officer said just shy of 41,000 people were eligible to vote.

Ooof, Kemi Badenoch goes in two-footed on Starmer at #PMQs, after he makes his standard jokes about Tories defecting to Reform. She points out that he has an MP under investigation for child sex offences and saying Labour is being branded the 'paedo defenders' party'.

Slightly surreal moment in the Commons as Speaker Lindsay Hoyle confirms he was the person who passed the Met a tip that Peter Mandelson was a flight risk, prompting his arrest this week.

A lovely bon mot for when we have to do a profile for his leadership bid...

Richard Tice tells Reform presser there is a 'patriotic duty' to frack in places like Lincolnshire. I'm sure that will go down well locally...

Sure, it’s disgusting and soulless, but on the other hand: very helpful for fraudsters

🚨Peter Mandelson has been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office - Metropolitan Police

Shot, chaser, etc

Happy 66th birthday, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article...

Writing about Trump criticising the Chagos deal again. Looking forward to next week, when I'll probably write about how he's ok with it, having yet again been swayed by the last person to speak to him.

Jenrick pretty clearly signalling that Reform will back the retention of the pensions triple lock. It knows its voters!

See also:

Jenrick wins battle with Farage over two-child benefit cap: Vows to also force people to prove they have mental illness before getting cash, and block those with some disorders from claiming at all. System would also be 'British only' www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article...

Fun times: Robert Jenrick says Reform would run 'competitions' for 'super forecasters', with the prize being a job at the OBR to ensure diversity of thought.

No.

Reform's new shadow frontbench team: Robert Jenrick: Treasury Richard Tice: DPM/ Business, trade and energy Zia Yusuf: home affairs Suella Braverman: Education and equalities

Nigel Farage unveiling Reform's 'shadow cabinet' at Church House, where the Church of England holds its Synod.

As Ronald Reagan said, "The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the Government, and have you considered bobsleigh."

Keir Starmer has U-turned over plans to postpone some of May's council elections until next year, less than three months before they will now go ahead...

This means that if you put on £10, you’ll win £0