It looks like (concerning Andy Burnham) Sir Keir Starmer has followed one of my grandfather's sayings (though I strongly suspect it did not originate with him): Better an end with pain than pain without end. He was referring to relationships, but it could apply here too.

I worked a tiny bit with Andy Burnham when he was in Government - never thought of him as PM material - defeats in two Labour leadership contests meant that others felt that way too - and if Sir Keir could let his private qualities shine more in public there'd be no contest now.

We ban children from smoking, alcohol, driving....why not ban them from social media when a) lived experience shows so many harmful effects b) they (& previous generations) managed perfectly well without social media until very recently. We can always re-instate it if a mistake

Who is at fault in the Beckham family feud? Only a few people know the truth, but the real sadness is that there are so many similar rifts between much less high profile parents & children (& who lack the wealth to soften the emotional hurt). All credit to those who get it right.

Time to say "hello" not "goodbye" - was the message from the Celebration of Liberal Judaism event on Sunday....marking the formal end of a separate movement for Liberal Judaism (and that of Reform Judaism) as they both merge together into a unified movement, Progressive Judaism.

Circumcision is perfectly safe if performed by qualified doctors (& so the World Health Organisation & General Medical Council both permit it), but we need to set up an accredited national scheme in the UK & prosecute rogue practitioners. See www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/... (at 9.54)

The Chief Constable of West Midlands Police had to go: the core issue was that anti-Israel extremists threatened violence to Israeli fans & he decided to ban the fans rather than protect them or crack down on the extremists i.e. letting the villains dictate policy & penalise the victims. Bad move.

What's the likelihood of the BBC deciding that for the next series of TRAITORS they ask Robert Jenrick to host it? I suspect that most people in the UK will not know much about his political views, but will now always carry that image of him. Whatever his talents, it's bad optics.

Forget being for/against assisted dying, how will it be implemented if passed and affect families, medics & clergy? Spent a fascinating 24 hours at a Consultation at St George's House in Windsor Castle on it. Great example of future planning (& fun to wake up to St George's Chapel!)

The more West Midlands police give details about why they banned Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from attending that Aston Villa match, the more it sounds like someone made the wrong decision for the wrong reasons in the wrong way. What's needed is for them to admit it & new leadership.

If you've ever heard someone claim that assisted dying is 'playing God', this clip (from LBC Radio) shows why they really do not understand how faith works. They can still be against assisted dying, but should not do so in God's name anymore. x.com/lbc/status/2...

Hold on....there's a popular revolution going on in Iran, innocent people are being killed, including women & children. Where are the marches & demos here in support? Where is the Left chanting slogans & shouting support, like Gaza? It feels like a bad case of two-tier caring.

I cannot get over how brave millions of ordinary Iranians are in facing down armed police. They are going out into the street every day knowing they may be among the ones that never return home. What courage it takes...and how desperate for change they must be.

Yay - yesterday the Peers backed a motion to ensure the assisted dying Bill is given sufficient time to progress to a final vote. They want the Bill debated properly on its merits or faults, not obstructed knee-jerk by ideological opponents. Let's make it the best possible Bill

Big vote later today in the Lords on a motion to make more time available for the assisted dying Bill to overcome the obstructionism of 8 Peers. They have every right not to like the Bill, but not to thwart the will of the Commons & the massive popular vote in every opinion poll.

I wonder - until Donald Trump starting claiming it - how many people could locate Greenland on a map of the world...or knew it was not independent...or realised whose authority it was under? I also reckon Greenlanders wish they could go back to being unknown and uncared about.

If we have stumbled in life, how can we recover, especially a public fall from grace - from Profumo to Welby? It's not just about recovering our reputation in the eyes of others, but regaining our own sense of self-worth. See my piece in The Times: www.thetimes.com/comment/regi...

Goodbye Eva Schloss (died 3rd Jan) step-sister of the most famous diarist since Samuel Johnson, Anne Frank, and who spent much of her life reminding the world that 'Holocaust' and 'genocide' are unique terms, should be used sparingly and not be banded around as political insults

The USA attack on Venezuela is bad news for Ukraine, for it reveals Trump's underlying approach to international relations: If Trump can attack a neighbouring country with impunity, how likely is he to ever condemn Putin for doing the same? Europe must fill the moral vacuum.

When your football team (the mighty Reading FC) wins 2-0 on the first day of 2026, it's hard not to feel optimistic about the new year, even though in reality there are so many reasons to worry. We have to hold onto the good moments, endure the bad and help create the positive.

Great start to 2026: President Macron has announced that France will follow Australia’s lead and ban under-15s from using social media and prohibit mobile phones in secondary schools in 2026. Time for UK to catch up. Conversation over isolation & compulsion. Over to you Sir Keir.

That's a powerful (and selfless) way of getting your message across

The Christmas/New Year break is great time-off for those with family/friends, but there are many who would prefer to be back at work/able to work so they don't spend the time alone. Having physical ailments is terrible, but loneliness can be a horror too & eats away at the soul.

Vile posts from 10 year ago don't necessarily mean Alaa Abd el-Fattah should lose his citizenship, but his general apology is not enough. He needs to say his remarks specifically about Zionists, white people and the police were all wrong & tell his followers why in each case.

I was on a discussion panel with Barbara two years ago and was so impressed by how supportive she had been when her husband had MND and went to Dignitas, as he couldn't have an assisted death at home, as she wants for herself too. Will the Peers force her to die abroad too or grant her last wish?

Au revoir Brigitte Bardot (or maybe not). She and Sean Connery once starred together in the film "Shalako" for which the publicist came up with the brilliant line: BB + 007 = TNT. That was 1968 and the proof of good advertising that I remember it.

Is Nigel Farage (and all of us) the same person now as when we were teenagers? The problem with the Government's one year military service plan. And divided families at Christmas. All in my Newspaper Review with @JumokeFashole @BBCRadioLondon at 1.30.30 www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

By spending Christmas with the Royal Family, were Princess Eugenie & Beatrice shunning their parents? Or had their parents told them it's best they do so? It's a scenario played out by so many other families at this time of year with divided loyalties & difficult histories.

Strange that Boxing Day was originally for the poor to collect money in their box from richer folk...yet now we insist they go to work to open our shops so we can stock up with items we've run out of...or so we can pick up bargains. Progress? (Maybe if they get overtime pay)

Whoever you are....wherever you are...whatever you believe in....however you lead your life.....I wish you a happy Christmas....and that it'll be the best sort of day (at peace & with companionship)...and that it won't be a one-off but will extend into as much of 2026 as possible

All credit to the police for foiling what was intended to be the deadliest terror attack in the UK - targeting British Jews in Manchester for death, carnage, family scars for decades: nothing achieved save mayhem & infamy. So, not just cruel but futile too. What a warped mindset.

Locally you can feel the spirit of Christmas - house decorations, people more friendly, neighbours more chatty - globally it's no different with cruel wars and seething conflicts continuing apace. Every year we hope the next one will be better....silly but there's no alternative.

I've now done 2 TV interviews in the last 2 days about why British Jews feel unsafe; 5 years ago that would have been utterly bizarre to say, but today it is a sad reality. If it's true that Jews often serve as "the canary in the mine", then everyone else needs to be worried too.

Rutger Bregman's Reith Lectures - he has a wonderfully engaging way of communicating powerful insights. His initial plea for moral ambition culminates in a call to resist the current tech drive to make machines that are more powerful than humans. Time to act before it's too late?

Good to celebrate Hanukkah at New Scotland Yard last night with Sir Mark Rowley, the Jewish Police Association & others in the Met - it's not often realised how seriously it takes a proactive diversity policy to appreciate all those of different faiths and none within its ranks.

Are "Globalise the Intifada" and "From the river to the sea" hate speech? They may/may not have started out that way, but they have become so. Associations change (see "gay"). You can still march, protest or call for a Palestinian state, but no need to use those two slogans.

Went to Hanukkah celebrations in Trafalgar Square last night - frankly it'd been a long day and I could have done without it, but thought it important to be there and support Jewish life in the public square without fear. See the 3 candles above Nelson representing the 3rd night:

So many false conflations: that British Jews are responsible for what happens in Israel; that all Muslims are extremists; that Jews and Muslims are at war with each other. All untrue. The answer is education, but it's a slow-burner, so we have to be fiercely & loudly moderate.

Dear Bondi gunmen, although I am celebrating Hanukkah every night at home this year, I was not intending to go to the big public London celebration of it..but now I shall..to show solidarity with Australian Jews..and to show that you can do harm but we won't let you intimidate

Can we prevent another Bondi beach killing? We can never be 100% certain despite the best efforts of police (& ordinary citizens who are alert or report violent intent), but we can stop the gunmen from changing us and making us give up on communal harmony & the dream of peace

The Bondi Beach killings is what didn't happen at the Manchester Synagogue in October - but could have done. A desperately sad reminder of that near miss. The Jewish community needs to be ever alert, yet not adopt a fortress mentality - we need to keep our doors and hearts open.

A seasonal question that may be bothering some Jewish parents (while others might like to know): should parents of a Jewish child let him/her sing Christmas carols in their primary school Christmas concert? Answer at: www.thejc.com/judaism/rabb...

Great debate on the Today programme just now (8.09 am) about the assisted dying Bill in the Lords - 'scrutiny or sabotage?' - with the unelected Lords clearly overstepping their duty to examine a Bill that has passed the (elected) Commons & instead covertly trying to destroy it.

Last night I heard comedy duo Rachel Creeger & Philip Simons, whose gig I helped arrange locally as they had their show in Edinburgh cancelled in the summer - because they were Jewish & therefore dangerous. Yuk! But what a reflection on the comedy circuit (& Scottish resilience)

If Netanyahu wants to be pardoned, then surely he first has to make an admission of guilt - otherwise what is he being pardoned for? - and IF it is granted, it surely has to be accompanied by some non-judicial penalty e.g. not being able to hold public office for, say, 3 years.

Strangely, there is a surge of people converting to Judaism - even though we are not a missionary religion and reckon there are many paths to God. Here are some of the factors behind the increase, as well as what happens to Jews who convert elsewhere: www.thetablet.co.uk/features/the...

Kishwer Falkner at the EHRC @EHRCChair has been a breath of fresh air when so much political dialogue has been conducted in a fog of ignorance and prejudice. Thank goodness she was at the helm during the women's rights issues. Let's hope those who follow her now will be as brave.

Fascinating that the biggest cheer when Zarah Sultana launched Your Party last week was that the party would be anti-Zionist. What happens in Gaza is important, but why more than child poverty etc. here? Is it easier to love those far away than nearby? Or that hate trumps love?

Eurovision: why exclude Russia but not Israel? The former was the aggressor, whereas the latter defended itself after being attacked. Palestinian deaths were tragic but never the game-plan, and all Israelis wish they were living in October 6th still.

Good news/bad news: the Government has given extra days for the assisted dying Bill to be heard in the Lords -but that might not be enough for the 1000+ amendments opponents have put up, attempting to override the will of the Commons and a massively popular policy in all polls.