New Home Office impact assessment finds that cutting skilled and social care visas will cost the UK up to £10 billion with a central estimate of -£5.4 billion. It would be good if this got even a fraction of the coverage devoted to the endless debate about boats, flags and Turkish barber shops

Videos claiming that the government is introducing a £500 “Christmas Decoration Tax” are being shared online. As you may have guessed, this isn’t true.

"This has nothing to do with the inconsistencies that have characterised Trump's behaviour on other occasions, but is part of a carefully crafted strategy to reconfigure the world order." Summary of European reaction to Trump's fashy interference. ~AA www.eurotopics.net/en/349639/ne...

Thou shalt stop attacking Ms. Rachel for caring about the lives of children.

I assume every single European government is calling in the US Ambassador to say….well one can only imagine.

Gentle reminder that the European Union was established because the first four decades of our 20th century were mostly internecine war and genocide.

"For the first time in 25 years, child mortality rates for preventable diseases are projected to increase, after having declined for 25 years." This is the legacy of aid cuts. ~AA time.com/7338791/chil...

The number of global deaths of children under-5 is projected to increase this year (from 4.6m to 4.8m) for the first time this century. (FT) The price of aid cuts.

From the @wsj.com chief foreign correspondent

Breaking. Liz Truss wins this year's FIFA Prize for Economics.

The flag-shagging accounts hate all of these policies, want to deny the existence of child poverty and are happy for the kids to suffer for their parents' circumstances. Despite the "Man of the People" schtick www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

[to the tune of Eleanor Rigby] Jonathan Gullis Studies his shorts on the train with a sense of unease Too much Febreze

Reform accepted £9 million from a former Boris Johnson backer & crypto-multimillionaire. Today, Nigel Farage postures as a righteous defender of the same democracy he actively undermines. Democracy should never be for sale. It's time for a cap on political donations.

The harmful and biased medical advice from social medial influencers, highlighting lack of expertise and financial conflicts. Many specific examples and recommendations provided bmj.com/content/391/...

Bloody hell

Ireland will not take part in the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 after it was confirmed that Israel would be allowed to participate in the competition. Spain and the Netherlands have also confirmed that they have withdrawn from the contest. jrnl.ie/6893728

A Thailand-based crypto investor has handed a record-breaking £9 million to Reform UK, shortly before Nigel Farage used media interviews to plug his crypto firm and promise lower taxes and deregulation on the industry bylinetimes.com/2025/12/04/c...

There was something "fundamentally wrong" with how Israel conducted its military operation in Gaza and there are "strong reasons to believe" that war crimes have been committed, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said

Time to admit the truth: Brexit has been an unmitigated economic failure, says The Telegraph. Brexit Effect: UK GDP down 8% Investment down 18% Productivity down 4% Employment down 4% Immigration not cut No trade benefits No regulatory freedom Why do some still vote for Farage? archive.ph/L2Gqp

The "Rachel from accounts" thing is sexist, classist, misogyny, and anyone who uses it should be utterly ashamed of themselves. Too many dinosaurs in this country who cannot abide women who succeed. Conservative Deputy Chairman Matt Vickers MP should do better 👇 #PMQs

This is how Chris Mason, like a child filled with wonder, described "the choreography and theatre that surrounds a Budget" in Feb 2024, when a male Tory Chancellor was in post. "Plans, or even just options, can be floated... Reaction to them can be tested. Opponents can be teased or wrongfooted." 👀

I wonder if it's time to retire the role of "political editor" altogether Return most of the coverage to the Economics Editor, the Health Editor, the Home Affairs team & so on. Leave the "who-said-what-to-whom" & "what-does-it-mean-for-the-polls" to others. The BBC doesn't need to foreground this.

“we must all now confront the reality that the Brexit deal we have has significantly hurt our economy” Keir Starmer

A reminder that London is far safer than many major cities, that crime is falling and that racists hate both these truths because they undermine their vicious little divisive narrative. Multiculturalism works. London works. And those who hate both things hate themselves most of all.

Very positive experiences of #NHS out of hours urgent care in past week. Something is definitely improving in terms of access.

👏 Keir Starmer PM: "How Brexit was sold and delivered was wrong. Wild promises were made to the British people and not fulfilled." "The idea that leaving the EU was the answer to all our cares and concerns has clearly been proved wrong."

Let's just take a moment to reflect on the self-sacrifice and hope this person embodies - not the evil, hateful monsters thirsting for violence.

A case study in far right propaganda success. Tory governments run down public services over decades & then the the populist right breeds in ruined communities by scapegoating Black & brown immigrants. Why one small town with very little immigration turned to Reform UK www.bbc.com/news/article...

A systematic review and meta-analysis of 511 peer reviewed studies on #covid-19 #vaccines supports their effectiveness and safety. #vaccineswork #publichealth

Hannan and Frost in the Telegraph. Sunak in the Times. Kwasi Kwarteng in the iPaper. Johnson in the Mail. Gove editing the Spectator. Farage everywhere. All of them shamelessly honking out their ‘Listen to me!’ garbage, as the country flails around in the unbelievable mess they’ve made. Nauseating.

Dancers at Trump’s Halloween party as people begin losing food stamps under his administration

Putin's 'flying Chernobyl ' carries a stark warning for 🇮🇪 Geography affords little by way of protection as threats evolve. Lara Marlow in todays @IrishTimes

The UK Government is arranging flights for British nationals who can’t leave Jamaica on commercial routes. If you or someone you know hasn’t been able to book a flight home, register your presence now 📞 +1 (876) 936 0700 📞 +44 (0)20 7008 5000 www.register.service.csd.fcdo.gov.uk/jamaica-2025...

Is it better for governments to stick to their manifesto promises or do what they believe is in the national interest? Do what they believe is in national interest: 45% Keep manifesto promises: 33% yougov.co.uk/topics/polit...

City blames Brexit for UK’s £20bn productivity headache www.theguardian.com/business/202...

The buses bill also became law this week, allowing councils in England to finally take control of local services used by millions of people. Almost nothing from No 10 or Govt Comms as a whole. It's beyond woeful. Meanwhile Reform are holding multiple press conferences a week.

Kemi Badenoch is absolutely right about this. At the time she hacked Harriet Harman's emails it was an offence carrying a prison sentence of up to five years

My thoughts with Sam West & his siblings on the death of their mother, Prunella Scales - Sybil Fawlty needs no explanation, but remember she played the Queen in Alan Bennett's A Question of Attribution, the first time Elizabeth II appeared in drama. Madge apparently found it 'amusing.'

A majority of voters, and a plurality of white voters, think that Reform is a racist party with racist policies.

Given the party's refusal to act on Pochin's brazen racism, it should be as socially unacceptable to vote for Reform as it was in the early 2000s to vote for the BNP. And we should be prepared to say this to people's faces.

Politico: "MPs should consider deleting X, according to a committee led by Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle... "On social media, the report said MPs should feel “empowered to step away from platforms that pose more harm than benefit.” Absolutely. Please get on with it.

Our data released today has found that 15 million people in the UK live with damp, mould and cold in their homes. 🔴 No one should have to live in a home that damages their health. Explore the findings from our survey here. 👉 healthequals.org.uk/data_insight...

Striking to hear a senior Government minister in Wes Streeting clearly condemning Sarah Pochin's racism and the wider spread of racism across the UK, while defending the contribution of migrants to our country. Feels like a long time since we've heard a government minister speak like that

And then allowed two completely unaffordable tax cuts as a desperate election ploy, screwing up the public finances while leaving the overall tax burden still at a high.

This from Mason suggesting Reform 'barely existed a few years back' really is just wrong. Reform are the clear successors to Nigel Farage's UKIP - who won over 12% in a general election a decade ago.

#A_NewHope ✊

It is embarassing not to see the BBC pulling up Reform leaders claiming that Nathan Gill was just some fan who got photos taken with Farage - he was an MEP for them & their leader in Wales while taking cash from Russia to act against the UK! Literally the very basics of your job to point this out