How is Burnham preparing for power, and feeling about politicians jockeying for jobs? And what's going on in Reform? @pronouncedalva.bsky.social, @tommctague.bsky.social and I discuss on the latest @newstatesman1913.bsky.social pod!

My column in this week's @newstatesman1913.bsky.social is now online - on Nigel Farage losing momentum, and his common touch:

My column in this week's @newstatesman1913.bsky.social is now online - on Nigel Farage losing momentum, and his common touch:

On the latest @newstatesman1913.bsky.social pod, @pronouncedalva.bsky.social and I analyse Andy Burnham's big speech:

Fifteen years since the "dinner-table test", everyday racism is becoming a British political norm - my column in this week's @newstatesman1913.bsky.social, drawing on @britishfuture.bsky.social @sundersays.bsky.social research:

Men carrying lecturns, men in shorts in the Palace of Westminster, men versus horses, and a men's slouch pouch onesie (£75.55) - it's a hot boy summer on the latest @newstatesman1913.bsky.social pod, where @willdunn.bsky.social and I round up the week!

New @newstatesman1913.bsky.social pod! @tommctague.bsky.social, @pronouncedalva.bsky.social and I talk through how Burnham pulled off his coup, and what the next three weeks could bring:

New @newstatesman1913.bsky.social pod! @tommctague.bsky.social, @pronouncedalva.bsky.social and I talk through how Burnham pulled off his coup, and what the next three weeks could bring:

Fifteen years since the "dinner-table test", everyday racism is becoming a British political norm - my column in this week's @newstatesman1913.bsky.social, drawing on @britishfuture.bsky.social @sundersays.bsky.social research:

🚨NEW: I recently attempted to run 22.6 miles faster than a horse. READ ON to find out if I can run faster than a great big horse. The answer might* surprise you! www.newstatesman.com/this-england...

One supportive minister calls the next three weeks “the Valley of Death” for Burnham:

Very striking cover and brilliant, juicy cover story by @pronouncedalva.bsky.social in this week's @newstatesman1913.bsky.social: www.newstatesman.com/politics/wes...

On today's @newstatesman1913.bsky.social pod, @pronouncedalva.bsky.social, @tommctague.bsky.social and I react to Keir Starmer's resignation speech, look back on his premiership and look ahead to Andy Burnham:

On today's @newstatesman1913.bsky.social pod, @pronouncedalva.bsky.social, @tommctague.bsky.social and I react to Keir Starmer's resignation speech, look back on his premiership and look ahead to Andy Burnham:

More Ariana Grande-inspired headline writing at the NS (and piece is well worth a read!)

Brilliant sketch by @willdunn.bsky.social:

My weekend round-up with @willdunn.bsky.social on the @newstatesman1913.bsky.social pod! From political brands to our banned lists to the topsy-turvy tale of the shadow home secretary, listen here for anything you might have missed this week:

My weekend round-up with @willdunn.bsky.social on the @newstatesman1913.bsky.social pod! From political brands to our banned lists to the topsy-turvy tale of the shadow home secretary, listen here for anything you might have missed this week:

My latest column for the @newstatesman1913.bsky.social on how "the brand" is back in British politics - 20 years after the Tories last rebranded from their flaming torch to the scribbly oak tree.

Listen to our snap analysis, brought to at 4 in the morning on the @newstatesman1913.bsky.social pod, on the scene at the Makerfield count!

Listen to our snap analysis, brought to at 4 in the morning on the @newstatesman1913.bsky.social pod, on the scene at the Makerfield count!

Top scoop from the ace @pronouncedalva.bsky.social -

My latest column for the @newstatesman1913.bsky.social on how "the brand" is back in British politics - 20 years after the Tories last rebranded from their flaming torch to the scribbly oak tree.

Fascinating profile of the towns and villages of Makerfield, away from the campaign politics, by @willoyd.bsky.social - particularly the observations about the resilience of women there:

"It is not unusual for a law to be made in the expectation that most people will break it." great piece by @willdunn.bsky.social:

Really enjoyed recording this last temperature-take of Makerfield ahead of polling day with the ace @bwalker.uk on today's @newstatesman1913.bsky.social pod!

This is ace - as is the record:

My reporting goes inside the Home Office and the outsourcing giant Serco to find out what's gone wrong - and who really benefits - from outsourcing our most toxic social problems out to private firms:

Latest @newstatesman1913.bsky.social pod! @tommctague.bsky.social and I chat about the Home Office, asylum accommodation, and how the state has outsourced our most toxic political issues to private firms:

Latest @newstatesman1913.bsky.social pod! @tommctague.bsky.social and I chat about the Home Office, asylum accommodation, and how the state has outsourced our most toxic political issues to private firms:

"They are on a permanent holiday living in luxurious hotel accommodation we can't afford FOR FREE" Oh, you might want to read this if you haven't already. bsky.app/profile/anoo...

Lots of talk about HMOs being targeted in Belfast - here's the full inside story, after months of reporting, behind HMO Britain and how the Home Office outsources our most toxic political problems to private firms:

#Serco #Outsourcing #NDIS #MandatoryDetention #UKRiots #Refugees * www.theguardian.com/australia-ne... bsky.app/profile/anoo...

Brilliant reporting of an appalling system by @anooshc.bsky.social

- During a 2nd consecutive summer of rioting outside hotels last year, I'm told senior Serco bosses discussed at a private meeting the pressure from the far right and Home Office to spend less on asylum housing. - The poor state of some of the HMOs was also raised at the company's AGM this year

Far from local, this civil unrest is symbiotic. Tommy Robinson from Luton encourages men from Belfast to “not make peace with evil.” Great piece by @finnmcredmond.bsky.social:

- Landlords rejoiced at juicy deals to house asylum seekers, and shrugged at kicking existing tenants out - Locals despaired at overcrowding; their streets being "quadrupled" with no consultation - In one HMO, asylum seekers showed me their year-long broken toilet. Others had rats and leaks

- Even Andy Burnham - who has repeatedly criticised this system - has stopped short of calling for bringing it under public control. - He's said he hasn't "proposed directly that local authorities should take control" and will only call for "reform of these Home Office contracts".

- Local MP and cabinet sec Lisa Nandy told me it's “among the worst companies I’ve had to deal with”, accusing it of a “a deliberate strategy” not to consult the community - BUT with councils reluctant to do it in-house, Serco "too big to fail", and the asylum appeals backlog, who could fix it?

My cover story - something I've been working on since last summer - on the shadow state, a country trapped in an outsourced asylum (and everything else) system it created for itself:

The towns and villages of Wigan and Makerfield are the epicentre of HMO Britain. Wigan had some of the first asylum hotels, and now hundreds of HMOs. And the issue is coming up "all the time" for the Labour Party on the campaign trail. Read @anooshc.bsky.social's cover story:

I love Anoosh's journalism. I love even more that the illustration is a ferret-shaped lion being choked for some reason.

There's no easy way to house asylum seekers, or anybody else, in a country with a severe housing shortage. The best way to fix this problem is to build a lot more housing - because that will drive down prices regardless of whether we rent from government, charities or the private sector.

- Serco sources spoke of the hotels being "horrible" - but “that’s what the government wants, they don’t want to pay us to make them nicer.” - Shareholders at its AGM celebrated a "good year" for growth: asylum accommodation contracts used to lose Serco money; no longer, since asylum numbers rose

An amazing piece on the corrosive consequences of outsourcing to the fabric of society. And two years on with a massive majority the government has done nothing to address this. The same companies continue to win contracts to provide "services" because nobody is willing to do anything at all

A riveting read from my colleague @anooshc.bsky.social

Lots of talk about HMOs being targeted in Belfast - here's the full inside story, after months of reporting, behind HMO Britain and how the Home Office outsources our most toxic political problems to private firms:

This is an absolutely electric read, and essential if you want to understand the anger and powerlessness that people feel across Britain today.

Read full thread here. 2/2