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Ahead of the departure of the last hereditary peers I spoke to Lord Trefgarne, once a minister in Thatcher’s government, who is preparing to leave the Lords after nearly *64 years* there. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

I honestly cannot stop laughing

If you’ve not quite yet switched off from news: Reform’s plan to slash the aid budget by 90% would not cover existing contributions to global bodies such as the UN and World Bank, shredding Britain’s international influence, charities & other parties have warned. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Over on X it’s not just the guests on certain right wing TV stations who are now being openly racist. This sort of thing would have been career-ending not so long ago.

Cycling in booming in London but fairly stagnant UK-wide. What’s going on? I spoke to some people who know about these sorts of things. www.theguardian.com/news/2025/de...

The more discussion I see here about No 10’s decision to cut back on lobby briefings the more I realise that lots of people really don’t understand what they are and what they are for. Which may or may not be a fault of political journalism.

NEW: Chris Parry, the Reform mayoral candidate who said David Lammy should “go home to the Caribbean”, also suggested at least eight other politicians from minority ethnic backgrounds do not have a primary loyalty towards the UK. Reform have not disowned him. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Downing Street have unilaterally announced they are cancelling one of the two daily No 10 "lobby" media briefings and will at times replace the other with a ministerial press conference. The lobby system has its drawbacks but it very much holds No 10 to account, so this will reduce scrutiny a lot.

Fascinating thread about a fascinating poll on Welsh voting intentions. I was particularly struck by these two vignettes.

As far as that PMQs goes, recess might have already started. Apart from a couple of decent jokes from Starmer, both he and Badenoch seemed to be going through the motions a bit.

Very pugnacious official response by Reform to this mass letter about Nigel Farage's actions at school. Calling the allegations of racism "smears" and "a naked attempt to discredit Reform and Nigel Farage" echoes the Richard Tice "made-up twaddle" line. The defence does seem to change weekly.

A mini-story to cheer you up this morning. The other day my teenage son returned to his locked bike to find the back wheel nicked. We went back yesterday to rescue it - and found this note taped to the frame. We have the wheel again. A very happy Xmas to Ollie and his note-writing other half.

Labour's gradual shuffle back towards the EU continues. Exclusive by @pippacrerar.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/world/2025/d...

Fantastic detail from the PA court coverage of Lib Dem peer Lord Razzall getting his second driving ban of the year.

I'm been at a Richard Tice press conference at which he: • Refused to say whether he still believes Nigel Farage's school accusers made up their claims, calling the row "old news". • Refused twice to condemn a Reform candidate who said David Lammy should "go home" to the Caribbean.

As with many contentious policy areas, the aftermath of the Supreme Court ruling on gender is, as much as it is anything, a job creation scheme for lawyers.

Overdue and valuable work, even in part of me does miss the daily rush of adrenaline.

Reform UK say they will not be commenting any more on the claims of racism against Nigel Farage when he was younger. Danny Kruger, who was hosting a press conference on their proposed changes to the civil service, told me: "We have nothing more to say on those allegations."

My kids woke up so excited this morning for the first night of Hannukah and now yet again we have a festival where I’m very conflicted about whether it’s safe to take them to synagogue to celebrate. Communities shouldn’t have to live like this.

V pertinent point in a useful mini-thread.

Given Christmas songs start playing in most big shops some time around early September* then the plot by the Woke Liberati to cancel the festive season isn’t going very well. *I exaggerate but only a bit.

Well, it has "provoked debate", alright. Mainly along the lines of "Has Bobby Gillespie only just become a massive bell-end with a tin ear for racial sensitivity, or were the signs there as long ago as 1994 when he put a neon Confederate flag on an album sleeve?" www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

Some interesting thoughts from roads minister Lillian Greenwood, who I spoke to this week. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Met commissioner Mark Rowley says Trump talks 'complete nonsense' about crime in London - www.theguardian.com/politics/liv...

New from @jessicaelgot.bsky.social - Senior *opponents* of assisted dying have called on peers to not hold up the bill through parliament, warning there is a serious danger of the Lords losing democratic legitimacy. www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

“If you were a member of the public, you would think that grooming gangs is the biggest threat to children in our country,” says the director of Britain's Child Sexual Exploitation Taskforce “But in the overall statistics, that represents just over 0.5% of offending” www.nytimes.com/2025/12/10/w...

This is quite an interesting article about 20mph zones and the way that such a high proportion of drivers tend to go faster. I agree with idea that one reason speeding is so easy is that modern cars are so quiet and cocooning. You're so cut off from the outside world. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Very good explainer/analysis by top colleague @libbybrooks.bsky.social on the legal aftermath of the Sandie Peggie employment tribunal result, and the way organisations are still left tiptoeing across a minefield of rights, duties, and potential lawsuits. www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

One of the things I noticed in this very long account of Nigel Farage's dealings with the US and the MAGA/Trump world is how very *male* it is. I counted 27 contemporary politicians/pundits/hangers on citied in the piece, and precisely two are women.

This story from yesterday didn't perhaps get the attention it should have. It's utterly shocking. It follows dogged reporting by the Observer (in its pre-sale era), which was repeatedly rejected by the academy federation concerned. www.theguardian.com/education/20...

I got a Lime bike to work today for Xmas festivity reasons and I increasingly enjoy the very niche commuter-race sub genre of overtaking other Limes beyond the 15mph powered limit. The combination of vast bike weight and tiny gearing makes it inherently ludicrous.

The UK is rejoining the customs union! The Commons has just said so!* *Not really, but the Lib Dems' ten-minute rule bill to do so has just passed, after a 100-100 tie with the deputy speaker casting a tie-break vote to allow the process to go on rather than stop.

I 100% endorse this message. What a great film. www.theguardian.com/culture/2025...

I’m at a Kemi Badenoch speech on welfare where her opening sentence was: “On Friday, I worked a shift in a cafe with James Cleverly.” That would have been quite a surprise for customers. About the dignity of work, apparently.

On a purely factual point, Trevor Phillips’s column in the Times misrepresents our reporting in casting doubts on claims that there were more boys called Patel than Smith at Dulwich in 1980 (we did not report 1976 as the year it occurred). 1980 roll shows 13 Patels and 12 Smiths.

If I can ask a slightly boring question, can anyone recommend a good pair of waterproof over-trousers for use on a bike, to go over work trousers when needed? Decently waterproof, ideally not vastly expensive as not used often, but also not tailored like a pair of half-adapted bin liners as some are

Exclusive: More than 50 groups connected to transport and public health have urged the transport secretary, Heidi Alexander, to set specific targets for levels of walking and cycling in England, warning that plans as they stand are too vague. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

I've written about whether faith and evangelism is becoming an increasing force on the right on UK politics. The short answer is: only to a fairly limited extent, and mainly because of a simple matter of numbers (there just aren't many evangelicals in the UK). www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Asked if she would want it to be mandatory for all businesses to become workers' cooperatives under her idea of a nationalised economy, Zarah Sultana tells the BBC: "It has to be something that we have a conversation about." But, she adds, this is not Your Party policy (as it has no platform yet).

Kishwer Falkner, the former EHRC chair, is on Sky saying the Labour government is anti-women, citing not just trans issues but also grooming gangs and what she calls pandering to Islam and racial sensitivities. She's not exactly dispelling the idea she was a political actor when she led the EHRC.

Pat McFadden on Sky asked about latest rumour that Unite might disaffiliate from Labour [to be read out mentally in a voice that is utterly deadpan even by Pat McF standards]: “I think I read this story every few months. Maybe it’s true this time. I would regret it, but we would survive and go on.”

Whether or not you agree with the reason, there’s something delightfully British about using apple crumble and custard as a means of protest. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

If in a parallel world the allegations against Nigel Farage were criminal eg historic sexual offences, I’d say the breadth and consistency of testimony would be enough that prosecutors would most likely charge him & believe they had a decent chance at conviction. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Not sure this justification cuts it, for two reasons. Firstly, the TV shows were pretty offensive, but I don't think any had "gas the Jews" or hissing noises as punchlines. Also, the most damaging aspect of the claims is that Farage's comments were intended to bully, not "banter", however misplaced.

At his press conference, Nigel Farage is ranting about the Black and White Minstrel Show, Alf Garnett and It Ain't Half Hot Mum in - as far as I can tell – an attempt to justify his "banter" when a schoolboy. He is very much not going down the Richard Tice, "lies" route.

While this BBC article on ever-bigger SUVs is perfectly good, it's absurd the way there has to be quotes from people who insist they could not get around without a vehicle the size of a Sherman tank. It's just bollocks. I'm one of three kids and we were all ferried around in a Vauxhall Astra estate.

I love the fact that the Telegraph tried to cover the Rachel Reeves chess 'truth' story, and had to include the fact that even their own chess correspondent thinks it is utter bollocks.

This is vile and so so wrong. GB News is the TV version of X. Extreme racism like this should not be platformed as ‘news.’ It is absolutely disgusting and another attempt to drag ‘debate’ to the right and destabilise our democracy.

"The Hanover county animal protection and shelter confirmed the raccoon was drunk and said it had since become sober." www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...