I know what Govt is going to do on its political fight against Reform but am hazy about their priorities for governing. First there were 5 missions, then 6 milestones, now 3 things: growth, NHS and security, I think. Any delivery chain needs clear orders, government even more so.

I like Starmer’s focus on giving people and communities agency, working in partnership with them to build a fairer Britain for all. Chimes very much with the Civil Society Covenant launched by the PM and Lisa Nandy in July. www.gov.uk/government/p...

It was striking that Starmer had his audience most behind him when he was attacking racism, and with real passion. I suspect we were seeing the real man there, not the speechwriter, and many would like to see more of this, and not the Reform-lite policies.

Starmer’s vision for Britain is to be a world leader in AI and quantum mechanics. Digital ID will be, as Darren Jones says, the bedrock of modern services. Inspiring for the big tech companies Labour talks to, but what about us? Where do we fit into this future? #Technovision

Conference speeches rarely stick but Davey’s jibe that Starmer’s govt is like Sunak’s made me think. Some policy differences eg net zero but many priorities the same. Starmer’s promise to work with civil society is genuinely new and could be a game changer but who’s heard of it?

Tackling child poverty is an investment - we invest in our own children’s futures and the state should do the same for those in poverty. It’s the right thing to do but it will also contribute to our future prosperity, increasing GDP and reducing state support costs longer term.

Madness. Michael Ellis, Attorney General under Truss and MAGA fan, will fix ‘Broken Britain’ by abolishing the Supreme Court, leaving the ECHR and UN, hiring and firing judges, abolishing police operational independence and politicising civil service. www.telegraph.co.uk/business/202...

Great to see the Hillsborough Law to require public servants to tell the truth, act with integrity and prevent cover ups. Tougher standards are good, as with Ministerial Code and new Ethics Commission. But the right culture and values must also be set by their political masters.

If I were Morgan McSweeney I’d be very worried about this piece, which presents him almost as Mandelson’s creature, guiding him to get to the state that Labour is now in, elevating Starmer as their instrument for doing so but lamenting his failings now. www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/...

If Starmer does go, history suggests it’s initially staved off by sacking of Chief of Staff or resets of No 10 (May, Johnson) but ultimately forced by Cabinet resignations (Thatcher, May, Johnson) amidst poor polling and unhappy MPs. So, McSweeney next?

I can see why Starmer wants to keep Mandelson, esp as sacking him just for being friends with Epstein will upset Trump. But how can a 'best pal' with Epstein, as made so clear by the b-day book, represent this country? At best, easily hoodwinked and seduced by money and power.

This and other revelations today give an insight into how former PMs might abuse their power and public funding to line their pockets. This Govt has given business appointment rules more teeth but an independent review by new Ethics Commission is needed. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

How does a govt criticised for the lack of a clear purpose show it has one? Reshuffle its Cabinet so almost all of them are on a learning curve and policies are up in the air, critical relationships at home and abroad are lost and a govt still learning how to govern is at sea.

Sorry for Angela Rayner personally that she has resigned but pleased the standards process has proved robust. It is vital this govt puts clear blue water between it and the last administration and maintains the highest standards of integrity in public life.

The Govt makes much of its strengthening of the powers of the PM’s ethics adviser, which it has, but it hasn’t given him the power to determine a breach of the Code, as recommended by the Committee on Standards in Public Life. He advises, the PM decides, as Johnson did on Patel, against advice.

What flying the flag really means to GB News. Paul Marshall, speaking in Washington to a MAGA crowd at the launch of his new media outpost, tells Trump land it needs to come to save Britain by spreading its cultural values and bully tactics here. Reported by Politico.

Streeting on @BBCr4today said police should be policing streets, not tweets and that legislative change is being considered. Will they change their own new law that requires the police to arrest hundreds of elderly protestors holding up banners supporting Palestine Action?

As the PM appoints Shafik as a new Economic Adviser, I'm reminded of Thatcher's Economic Adviser, Walters, an appointment which ultimately contributed to her Chancellor (who'd once been one of her greatest champions) resigning. Hopefully not here.

Good to see Darren Jones' appointment to the new job of Chief Secretary to the PM in charge of the Mission Delivery Unit. He will have a detailed overview of govt, given his previous role in HMT, and the direct line to the PM will strengthen central coordination of the missions

Britain is experiencing an invasion - an invasion of Trump-inspired policies on culture wars, anti-migration, net zero and more. Today's attention seeking policy? Badenoch promises to 'drill the North Sea dry.' This is performative politics at its worst, and it is taking hold.

I’m not surprised by the departure of the PM’s Principal Private Secretary. She’s a critical bridge into Whitehall, without which he can’t deliver, so normally filled by someone with deep Whitehall experience, eg from the Treasury, which she doesn’t have. www.bbc.com/news/article...

A government that has become so focused on an opposition’s agenda is one that is losing its sense of purpose and direction. Remember when growth was the top priority, the 5 missions and a decade of national renewal. Now it seems to be small boats.

I wish journalists would challenge Ministers like Torsten Bell on the Today Programme when they say they can’t comment on tax speculation in identical stories in two newspapers that have clearly been placed by the govt in order to roll the pitch. This debases government and erodes trust.

AI chatbots can already change political views within just 10 mins, research shows. With actors like Musk and Trump already seeking to introduce political bias in AI, the potential for harm is enormous. www.ft.com/content/31e5...

The facts speak for themselves. Police arrest 474 at Palestine Action ban protest, including a 89 year old woman. www.bbc.com/news/article...

Good to finally hear a BBC fact check yesterday evening after airing Jenrick’s dubious and highly inflammatory claims all day. With 47% of Brits believing irregular is bigger than regular migration when it’s actually 4% the media should do more to make the real facts clear.

Two weeks ago the govt published a Civil Society Covenant which promised to protect the right to engage in peaceful protest and I hope they will look again at the negative impact of its decision to ban Palestine Action on freedom of speech. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

The High Court has granted Palestine Action the right to judicial review, saying there’s an arguable case the ban interferes with freedom of speech and assembly. 215 people arrested so far for simply holding a placard supporting the organisation are now facing up to 14 years in prison.

Aid cuts are driving migrants to Europe, warns UN refugee chief. So short-sighted. www.ft.com/content/976f...

Do politicians simply reflect public opinion or do they shape it? Ask Farage and he will know the answer as he spreads false accounts re the police bussing in demonstrators. Politicians should calm not stoke tensions and the Govt’s ‘island of strangers’ stance hasn’t helped.

Good to see the promised Ethics and Integrity Commission, incl sanctions on those who break business appointment rules and requirement for govt to respond promptly to the Commission’s annual report and its recommendations. Previous bodies often ignored. t.co/v3bsVIrF6d

Starmer’s commitment today to work in partnership with civil society could be a game changer. The challenges we face can’t be delivered by govt alone, charities have so much expertise about what works and reach into communities in ways govt can’t 🧵

When he became PM Starmer told the civil service his missions ‘require a different way of working. One of openness, of collaboration and transparency in everything we do.’ But now officials are being blocked from public platforms. Why? www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/...

Refreshing to hear Macron focusing on the bigger picture while our government - and our media - obsess over a deal on asylum seekers that is likely to make little difference, while wars, tariffs, cuts in aid and global warming are bigger threats and will likely increase numbers.

Does money buy influence? Obviously. Labour MPs said to be alarmed about growing sponsorship of their events. Lammy has also appointed an advertising executive to the FCDO board who donated £5k to him in opposition. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

RIP Norman Tebbitt. He was my first Secretary of State when I joined the Dept of Employment. I disliked his brutal On Yer Bike comment and his politics but admired his devoted care to his wife so cruelly injured by the Brighton bomb and personal loyalty to Thatcher at the end.

I remember when New Labour coached Ministers on what to wear to look like a government, and then gave them uniform scripts to manage the message. Looking at Philipson on #bbclaurak I’m wondering if they’re now teaching them to keep smiling to demonstrate last week was just a blip

Minister threatens independent charity @AlanTuringInsti with withdrawal of govt funding unless it refocuses its AI work on defence and national security. researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-politics-2025-7-alan-turing-institute-told-to-focus-on-defence-or-lose-funding/

Reminded, somehow, of seeing Thatcher in front of her colleagues, trying desperately to hold it together, but breaking down as she tried to read out her resignation statement to her closest colleagues. 'Treachery with a smile on its face' she later wrote about them.

Looking forward to reviewing tomorrow's newspapers tonight on @listentotimesradio.bsky.social at 10.30pm. I wonder if the Chancellor will feature...

The Government’s welfare reforms were a cut not a strategy. Talk to disabled people and charities, find out why numbers are rising, tackle the causes including ensuring the NHS is equipped to address them and employers are encouraged to employ more disabled people. Much more likely to work.

At the same time as the govt promises to listen more and pledges ‘coproduction’ on disability benefits with disabled people it abolishes Healthwatch which gives a voice to patients in national and local policies. Customer satisfaction surveys alone do not provide that dialogue.

Baldwin's article also says there're no longer 'self-conscious efforts to mimic insurgent populism by attacking civil servants or goading environmentalists', and speeches are 'now more pragmatic and long-term'. Good, but where did all this stuff come from? www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Bend or break. Badging cutting disability benefits as a moral, progressive crusade yesterday is part of the problem. Remember those No 10 advisers who seemed in total control, until they weren’t: Hill and Timothy under May, Cummings under Johnson - and later their PMs went too.

Proscribing Palestine Action 'marks a significant escalation in the treatment of civil disobedience [elevating] a group known for throwing red paint at buildings and military aircraft into the same legal category as al-Qaida and Islamic State.' www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Politicians who make up facts to win votes still have to deal with reality when in power. Doesn’t look like Trump is going to, ignoring intelligence as he trumpets his absolute success in Iran. So why are we investing in nuclear weapons controlled by the US? Building on sand.

Quakers write to Home Sec about about concerns re proscribing Palestine Action and its impact on democracy. A reminder that Civicus has already downgraded the UK to the same level as Hungary on civic freedoms because of restrictions to protest @quaker.org.uk: www.quaker.org.uk/news-and-eve...

It’s largely forgotten the suffragettes made bombs and committed arson, including trying to bomb the PM’s house, and even threatened to kidnap Ministers. I don’t approve of Palestine Action’s action, they should face criminal charges - but should they be proscribed?

What Trump has done to world trade, he’s now doing to the Middle East. Lighting ever more fires might work politically, but makes it increasingly hard for him and others to manage the short and long term consequences.

Hopefully, the Casey inquiry will finally break the pernicious cycle of statutory inquiries taking years to conclude, followed by short days of political interest, handwringing and finger-pointing and long years of recommendations being ignored and very little changing.