Gavin Barwell has lost the Conservative whip. Party sources keen to emphasise it’s not just about views but conduct too Letter from Baroness Williams, the party’s Chief Whip in the Lords, reads as follows:

Four in five Labour MPs have signed Burnham’s nomination papers as the party goes all in on him. Column on the great Labour beauty pageant for the new regime: spectator.com/article/labo...

Exc: Mel Stride has hired Callum Price from the IEA to be his new comms PAD. Price has previously worked for Raab, Chalk, Clarke and Cleverly t.co/uL1eDQP2uC

Please enjoy Richard Tice’s chicken impression

Paul Dacre reacts to the Mail's victory against Prince Harry

NEW: Farage quits to force a by-election

New: Prince Harry and six other defendants have lost their High Court privacy case against the publisher of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday. All of the claims have been dismissed after the claimants failed to prove the allegations.

Some men will do anything to promote their Substack

At least Starmer’s new media approach isn’t as bad as Albanese’s:

First World Cup was 2002. That Brazilian team was awesome, been nothing but disappointment virtually ever since.

Starmer saying it’s impossible for a prime minister to spend less time on foreign affairs has got me thinking that we need a cabinet position dedicated to foreign policy. Ideally they’d have their own department.

My colleague @shippersunbound.bsky.social on reports that David Miliband will return:

Two years' tomorrow since the election of the Labour government. How time flies...

Jeremy Thorpe is the benchmark for this when he lost his seat in 1979: "Was the murder charge against you an issue in this campaign?" "Well, I don't think it helped."

It is churlish for Burnham to criticise the questions he gets when the answers he provides are so unenlightening: spectator.com/article/burn...

Don't disagree. Just wonder how much of it is accounts based in the UK versus racists/slop merchants/grifters abroad.

New: Reform have hired former journalist Miles Goslett to work in their beefed up press team with Ed Sumner remaining Director of Communications.

Tory source messages: “In classic style, there's a fire alert in the Palace of Westminster - the House of Commons and House of Lords have been suspended... but Jim Shannon is still speaking in his obscure Westminster Hall debate”

Exc: Caspar Michie, the head of media at CCHQ is leaving to take up a new post in Vancouver. Senior Tory source: “Our loss is Canada’s gain”

Kemi Badenoch to Sky: “Nigel Farage would be just as bad or even worse than Labour”

Andy Burnham briefing that No. 10 will not be his primary residence. This would make Burnham the first PM to not live in Downing Street since Harold Wilson chose Lord North Street from 1974-76

Today's speech underlines how important Burnham's Chancellor will be. His appointee will effectively be signing up to a massive loss of power and status on day one. Echoes of George Brown and the DEA.

Great stat by Ross Clark: since 2001, there have been 55 referendums on whether to introduce an elected mayor, and in 38 of them the idea was rejected

For three decades, every time there's a crisis, devolved governments have simply blamed Whitehall and demanded more funds. Is Burnham prepared to give them tax-raising powers too? Next Chancellor pick crucial...

Doesn't say much for Bunrham that he's currently refusing media questions at the end of today’s speech, especially given the circumstances of his coronation

Andy Burnham the “centre of attention” in the Tea Room this morning, holding court to Labour MPs “like bees around the honey pot”. One onlooker remarks: “He looked utterly at ease as the new Messiah

Starmer didn’t fall in the battle for any great cause or principle. He didn’t have a foreign policy crusade (Suez) or major reform (poll tax), a strategic gamble (referendum) or economic package (mini Budget). His support just seemed to ebb away in pointless, petty matters.

Starmergeddon means Lammy is filling in to give the G7 summit update against Badenoch in Parliament later - despite not actually having attended. Tory source: “Kemi is the only leader actually turning up to do their job. The PM has clearly given up.“

That's the third/fourth PM who Farage can claim to have finished off. Cameron (referendum), May (Euros), Sunak (much more debatable) and now Starmer (locals).

Starmer: "The question my party is asking now is whether I am best placed to lead us into the next general election. I have heard the answer of my parliamentary party to that question and I accept that answer with good grace"

BBC "Looking at the members of his team there, a lot of them are smiling, they look quite relaxed"

23 months ago

Hot podium guy getting ready for his biennial walk out

Disgusting behaviour. No one deserves abuse like this, when posting about their own late father, on father's day. People who behave like this should be ashamed of themselves.

Two years of building bridges well spent

Strong echoes for Farage between 2019 and 2026. Big wins in the Euros/locals see the PM forced out within weeks. Question now as to whether Burnham will produce the same bounce that Boris did

If Keir Starmer does announce his resignation next week then he will be the shortest serving Labour Prime Minister in history

Do quite enjoy the fact that I got to be the co-biographer of Britain’s shortest serving premier. Seven weeks which we will (in peace time) likely never see again

Selection timetable for Labour Greater Manchester Mayoral candidate:

Farage reacts to Makerfield: 'What really happened here was it was “Vote Burnham, Get Starmer Out”, which of course, was our campaign message leading up to the locals on 7 May so we were slightly hoist with our own petard.' 1/2

Lovely news from St James’ Park - four pelican chicks were born last month, the first time in 360 years

Much of the Parliamentary Labour Party will now back any candidate who they believe can defeat Reform. In Andy Burnham, they have a man who has just done exactly that. spectator.com/article/burn...

Pretty much a dream night for the Conservatives. Scottish Tories win their first Westminster by-election since 1967. Reform underwhelm in Makerfield. At a local level, the party picks up two gains from Reform and retains a ward in Hillingdon.

Cameron Thomas has been suspended from the Lib Dems pending the outcome of a police investigation. Understand he has been barred from the House of Commons too.

Am fascinated to see how Burnham would do as PM. Better at comms and empathising, "I feel your pain". More political experience than Starmer, arguably a "feel" for the party. But lots of red flags too. Buckle up...

This column by my colleague Noa Hoffman exposes the tensions at the heart of the Green Party on the handling of antisemitism allegations. So far Zack Polanski is yet to offer any comment on it – but it seems clear that there are major differences with his deputy, Mothin Ali. t.co/nZ3iHYCg9q

Happy Waterloo day, one and all

The Polanski plummet:

A big day for Claire Coutinho who makes her DPMQs against David Lammy, while Keir Starmer is at G7