NEW: How A Secret Government Report Delayed Leeds' Long-Awaited Trams My @thehousemag.bsky.social feature includes more detail from the confidential NISTA 'peer review': www.politicshome.com/news/article...

My West Yorkshire Mass Transit exclusive is discussed on YIMBY Pod 👇 Read the full feature piece in the latest edition of @thehousemag.bsky.social or on @politicshome.bsky.social tomorrow morning 🗞️

A plan to begin building a Leeds tram by 2028 was delayed after a secret Whitehall review warned about a risk to taxpayers' money The peer review, obtained by @noahvickers.bsky.social, warned that the project was being driven by a “political agenda rather than a recognised programmatic approach"

My (fab) colleague @noahvickers.bsky.social reveals why West Yorkshire tram has faced delays🚊 Reveals details of a secret govt report showing Tracy Brabin’s attempts to start construction on the network before her next re-election campaign were blocked due to a high risk of wasted taxpayers’ cash

EXCLUSIVE: @thehousemag.bsky.social has obtained the confidential government report which delayed West Yorkshire's planned tram network. It warned the scheme was working to "unrealistic milestones" and there was a "high" risk of public money being wasted: www.politicshome.com/news/article...

Shaun Connor is retiring after working in Parliament for 48 years He tells @noahvickers.bsky.social about creating tapes of Tony Benn speeches, the pen Lord Sugar gifted him, and being held at gunpoint during the 2017 attack "I feel proud and privileged to have been a part of this place"

On his first day, his line manager explained he’d be working in the Records Office in the Victoria Tower “I said to him, naively: ‘Records! I love records. I spend all my money buying records.’ He looked at me and said: ‘Not those kinds of records.’” Wonderful piece by @noahvickers.bsky.social

NEW: Short-term holiday lets are a major part of Britain’s tourism industry – but many Labour MPs want tighter controls on their number to protect local communities and housing supply. Will the government listen? @noahvickers.bsky.social reports

NEW: Labour MPs are pushing ministers to go further in plans to regulate holiday lets. DCMS will introduce a national register of lets, but this will be "light-touch" and seems to be delayed. MHCLG is meanwhile "considering" giving councils more powers: www.politicshome.com/news/article...

"We have to ask some questions about whether we want data centres which take up an enormous amount of water, and an enormous amount of electricity, and don’t create very many jobs." My interview with Polly Billington MP for @thehousemag.bsky.social 👇 www.politicshome.com/news/article...

Good to speak with Kevin McKenna MP for the latest edition of @thehousemag.bsky.social He tells me about his career as a critical care nurse, the mission to end new HIV transmissions across the country by 2030, and Keir Starmer's future as PM 👇 www.politicshome.com/news/article...

🚨 Calling UK tech startups !!! Especially if based by the coast 🏖️🌊 Niche request, but I'd like to speak to digital nomads who have set up or moved their businesses to a seaside town/rural area in the last few years If that's you/someone you know, please get in touch in the comments or via DM

🏥 The latest edition of The House is out! 1802 - The health issue - How does Wes Streeting run DHSC? - Danny Kruger interview - Antonia Romeo profile - Why early diagnosis is more complex than you think Try a sample and subscribe:

Resident doctors' strikes: Labour MPs are quietly optimistic that a deal with the BMA might soon be reached - but there are fears that an end to the dispute could cause new problems for the government. My feature for @thehousemag.bsky.social www.politicshome.com/news/article...

In my latest interview for @thehousemag.bsky.social, I spoke with Guernsey's chief minister Lindsay de Sausmarez, who told me about Brexit's impact, the island's demographic challenge, and Westminster's demand for more transparency from the Crown Dependencies: www.politicshome.com/news/article...

NEW: Data centres across the UK are turning to the gas network as grid connection delays mean they may have to wait almost a decade for electricity. Could it imperil the government's 2030 Clean Power mission? My feature for @thehousemag.bsky.social www.politicshome.com/news/article...

NEW: I speak with Lib Dem energy spox Pippa Heylings about the party's strategy to gain further seats by taking on "the myths being peddled" by Tories and Reform about net zero. Heylings claims Lib Dems could be UK's next official opposition: www.politicshome.com/news/article...

I understand London mayor Sadiq Khan will *not* be joining Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar in calling for Keir Starmer to go. The mayor was asked about his support for the PM in the Observer this weekend: observer.co.uk/news/nationa...

Delighted to announce that we (Social Social Community News) have today launched our sixth borough-wide local news publication in London – Barking and Dagenham Star! Check it out 👇 barkingstar.co.uk And give the Star a follow on here as well 👇 @banddstar.bsky.social

The plight of Britain’s boys is a growing political talking point A group of Labour MPs has launched a campaign to produce a coherent, centre-left response to the issues facing young men According to co-founder @alistrathern.bsky.social, it's an area where progressives have "ceded the field on"

BREAKING: Andy Burnham says he has sought permission to stand in the by election.

As the government grants permission for the new Chinese Embassy to be developed, a reminder that MPs in countries as far away as New Zealand were among those concerned about fibre-optic cabling close to the site, as I reported for @thehousemag.bsky.social www.politicshome.com/news/article...

Nine years ago a Twitter user was sending poetry to Sadiq Khan about London’s many cultural identities. A decade on, Reform UK’s mayoral candidate doesn’t dispute it was her old account - so what’s changed? Our profile of Laila Cunningham: www.londoncentric.media/p/laila-cunn...

When I asked Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander about a new Birmingham-Manchester rail link, she told me: www.politicshome.com/news/article...

"We're ending up like a Potemkin power" For @thehousemag.bsky.social's first issue of 2026, I speak with ex-security minister Tom Tugendhat about the state of Britain’s military, his bids for the Tory leadership and why UK politicians should get off TikTok www.politicshome.com/news/article...

Update Kent County Council, described as Reform's "shop window" council, has proposed a 3.99% council tax hike Celebrated as a win by council leader: "Through sound financial management and efficiencies, the council has been able to keep the proposed increase below the level previously expected”👇

Councillors' home addresses will soon be kept secret from the public under new legislation, amid rising concern over politician safety The LGA found that 1 in 4 councillors had experienced threats of violence or death against themselves or someone close to them @noahvickers.bsky.social reports

Amendments to the English Devolution Bill mean local councillors' home addresses will soon be kept secret by default, amid mounting concern over politicians' safety at all levels. @jocoxfoundation.bsky.social and @local.gov.uk have welcomed the change: www.politicshome.com/news/article...

🏏 Parliament’s cricket team has been playing since 1850 Graham Stuart and Andrew Bingham tell @noahvickers.bsky.social about the sport’s lasting popularity among MPs, peers and staff

Grim nights in Wales and Scotland are already baked into Labour thinking about the May locals Less discussed, however, @matildamartin.bsky.social & @noahvickers.bsky.social report, is things getting ugly in London, where Polanski eyes gains "The whole of the Olympic Park belongs to the Greens"

Labour facing tough London elections in May. “The whole of the Olympic Park belongs to the Greens,” Labour source says. “There is no Labour party presence in one of the most sizeable developments in the whole of London… It’s all Green, Green, Green.” Story w @matildamartin.bsky.social

All eyes are on elections in Scotland & Wales next year. But London council elections will also be a crucial bellwether for the government. We can reveal that nervousness extends from City Hall to London Labour MPs & councillors With @noahvickers.bsky.social www.politicshome.com/news/article...

175 Years Not Out! Parliament's Cricket Club Celebrate Their Anniversary www.politicshome.com/news/article...

Here's our big interview with the Transport Secretary www.politicshome.com/news/article...

In 2018, Heidi Alexander (then London's deputy mayor for transport) told the London Assembly that Heathrow expansion "would expose hundreds of thousands more people to worsening air quality and adverse noise impacts". Now she says a third runway has "transformational potential"

NEW: Labour's northern MPs grow frustrated over the government's repeated delays in progressing Northern Powerhouse Rail. Ministers don't want to commit to anything that looks like HS2, but have found the two schemes are bound up with one another: www.politicshome.com/news/article...

Andy Burnham has warned the Treasury not to give Manchester a "cut-price" rail upgrade In a strongly-worded message to Westminster, the Greater Manchester Mayor said removing Manchester Airport from Northern Powerhouse Railway plans would be "ludicrous” He sat down with @noahvickers.bsky.social

Exclusive: Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has warned the government not to give his region a “cut-price infrastructure option” as discussions continue over Labour’s plan to deliver the Northern Powerhouse Rail project www.politicshome.com/news/article...

EXCL: Burnham warns ministers not to build "cut-price" version of Northern Powerhouse Rail, as Treasury ponders how to keep costs down. Cutting Manchester Airport from the route while expanding Heathrow would be "one of the most London-centric things ever" www.politicshome.com/news/article...

What is the roll-out of AI doing to the UK's labour market? What kind of future scenario planning is going on inside government to prepare not only for the opportunities ahead, but for the prospect of mass job losses? My feature for @thehousemag.bsky.social www.politicshome.com/news/article...

NEW: My interview with Natural England chair Tony Juniper, who tells me, on the infamous HS2 'bat tunnel': "We could have finished up with a much better outcome for the bats, without having to spend that money" www.politicshome.com/news/article...

A real pleasure to interview Sir Michael Lyons for @thehousemag.bsky.social Sir Michael chaired the independent New Towns Taskforce which the government commissioned after last year's election. He tells me how ministers can make their grand plan a reality: www.politicshome.com/news/article...

My @thehousemag.bsky.social interview with Mel Stride: 🔵Is keeping the pension triple lock an example of 'living within our means'? 🔵Will Tories change PIP to voucher-led system? 🔵Would he have resigned if he'd made Reeves' rental licence error? www.politicshome.com/news/article...

Juliana Süß, from defence think tank RUSI points to China’s growing capabilities in space. “China has thrown everything they have up into space...For them, space is tied to the China dream." Story from @noahvickers.bsky.social www.politicshome.com/news/article...

EXCL: MPs in parliaments around the world tell @thehousemag.bsky.social they are concerned about China's proposed UK embassy. Lawmakers as far away as New Zealand fear that cabling beneath the site could present security risks not just for the UK but globally www.politicshome.com/news/article...

"We Are Very Exposed": How Should The UK Protect Its Economy From Cyber-Attacks?

The Home Office confirms to me that it does not keep a record of what sensitivity settings police are using when they deploy live facial recognition (LFR) cameras, despite concerns over the technology's accuracy and civil liberty impacts www.politicshome.com/news/article...

Live facial recognition cameras have been used by police for years. With a government consultation on the way, MPs and campaigners are demanding safeguards on the technology, reports @noahvickers.bsky.social

“We’re at a very low spot right now, and there’s no guarantee that things can’t get worse," admits Tory chair Kevin Hollinrake He insists Badenoch can turn it around — but signs of progress are needed by May — and says "if you want revolution, then vote Reform" He spoke to @noahvickers.bsky.social

In their search for alternative forms of asylum accommodation, ministers will be forced to balance a range of competing factors, including cost, speed of procurement and equity of dispersal. What will they choose? My piece for @thehousemag.bsky.social www.politicshome.com/news/article...