In a feature for @politicshome.bsky.social I’ve explored the debate behind the government’s “difficult tightrope” on immigration policy Govt insiders believe there’s political space to set out more of a positive case for skilled legal immigration – but even MPs who support this admit it’s "risky"

I understand there's a split within govt over how big the controversial new levy on international students should be The q at the moment is whether it should be 6% or a £1,000 fee Different depts & unis would favour one over the other....read more below👇 www.politicshome.com/news/article...

Half of voters who backed Labour in 2024 have deserted the party, according to internal polling shared with Labour MPs, reports PolHome's Harriet Symonds The figures suggest Labour's lost vote is broadly split between its left and right flanks, demonstrating the electoral challenge facing the party

"Any attack on any member of my Cabinet is completely unacceptable," Keir Starmer told PMQs on Wednesday He also came to the defence of Wes Streeting, who was the subject of hostile briefings by unnamed No 10 sources overnight @tomscotson.bsky.social reports

“We need to do something... but it makes me nervous" Government insiders believe there is political space to make a more positive case for legal immigration. But even Labour MPs who want a progressive shift admit it comes with risk @zoecrowther.bsky.social goes inside the "tightrope" debate

An interesting story from Portsmouth this morning where latest YouGov MRP projects Pmouth North for Reform & Pmouth South for Labour in a GE -also interesting area to keep an eye on next year, with elections for a new Mayor of Hampshire and the Solent set for May 2026 www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

One loyalist Labour MP tells me last night's events were a "catastrophe" But they remark that mood is low, citing a lack of cheering during PMQs when Starmer stands up to answer Q1 in recent weeks - something that Tories have started to notice and pick up on👀 www.politicshome.com/news/article...

EXC: The Conservatives have introduced an optional streamlined selection process for local election candidates, as they struggle to find people to stand for election

Juliana Süß, from defence think tank RUSI points to China’s growing capabilities in space. “China has thrown everything they have up into space...For them, space is tied to the China dream." Story from @noahvickers.bsky.social www.politicshome.com/news/article...

Story from @cjayanetti.bsky.social Reform’s North Northamptonshire Council is planning to double council tax on second homes 6 months after Farage denounced such policies as “madness” and “extortion” Another example of friction bw local and national policy www.politicshome.com/news/article...

More top @matildamartin.bsky.social data work, this time showing why there are growing calls for council tax to be overhauled Highest rates (% of house price) are in some of the country's poorest areas @jonathanbrashmp.bsky.social, chair of council tax reform APPG, says the figures are "insane"

Labour MPs warn council tax is “driving poverty” as analysis shows some of the most deprived areas are paying the highest rates The analysis revealed a strong relationship: the more deprived a local authority, the higher its CT as a percentage of house prices www.politicshome.com/news/article...

NEW: Reported plans to double tax rates on the top two council tax bands would cause huge distortions and unequal treatment between owners of expensive homes across England One area where homes cost £500k would barely be touched By me, for Politics Home www.politicshome.com/news/article...

A change to council tax reporting being considered by the government would lead to huge disparities in what owners of similarly expensive properties would pay, PolHome analysis has found Story by @cjayanetti.bsky.social

Excl: Govt set to hold two meetings on homelessness this month as stakeholders call for more urgency on the issue The government is being urged to step up its efforts to reduce homelessness as it prepares to host a summit on tackling rough sleeping. www.politicshome.com/news/article...

I'm losing my mind over how many reviewers are like "GDT's Frankenstein makes you wonder who the real monster is." THAT'S THE STORY! That's the story Shelley wrote!

Want to work in TV? Channel 4's apprenticeship programme is now open to applications for places in Manchester. Gain Level 4, or 7 qualifications while actively contributing to projects. Find out more below and apply today: careers.channel4.com/4skills/appr...

Enjoyed chatting with @alaintolhurst.bsky.social and guests about the current challenges facing the university sector We discuss: 🎓The international student levy 🎓The tensions between wider govt immigration policy and unis 🎓And....Reform UK podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/a...

🚨OUT NOW🚨 Are unis about to collapse? 🎓 Ex-minister Jo Johnson, UUK's Vivienne Stern, Public First's Jess Lister and Russell Group's Sarah Stevens join PolHome's @matildamartin.bsky.social & @alaintolhurst.bsky.social to discuss the strain on higher education Listen: podfollow.com/politicshome...

Justice Secretary David Lammy has defended his decision not to answer questions about a wrongly-released prisoner during PMQs on Wednesday, saying he did not have "all of the detail" about the case

It looks like Reform has lost *another* councillor at Kent County Council. Isabella Kemp now sits as an Independent, according to the council website. Means that Kent has lost ***16%*** of its Reform councillors since May👀 www.politicshome.com/news/article...

Zarah Sultana is being accused of failing to transfer money to Your Party as agreed with Jeremy Corbyn and the other directors Sources close to Sultana denied that she is delaying the transfer for any politically motivated reasons, reports @siennarodgers.bsky.social

Rachel Reeves warned about the impact of "years of economic mismanagement" in a pre-Budget speech in Downing Street on Tuesday morning In a major hint that further tax rises are coming later this month, the Chancellor said "each of us must do our bit," reports @matildamartin.bsky.social

“Adult social care, which the public estimates takes up 13% [of spending] actually accounts for 39%” “Because social services are used by so few, this spending is invisible to most people” Labour Together polling👇 www.new statesman.com/politics/2025/11/council-spending-and-the-jay-delusion

According to local government expert, Professor Tony Travers, this is an “unusual and rapidly growing” loss of councillors Reform has lost 36 councillors since May: - 11 have been expelled - 6 suspended - 9 have left the party - 1 has defected to UKIP - 9 have resigned from the council altogether

I've put together an interactive table within our analysis for anyone interested in the details 👇 www.politicshome.com/news/article...

Reform has lost 1 in 20 (5%) of the 677 councillors it gained in May elections In Kent alone, it has lost 14% of its councillors... -11 have been expelled -6 suspended -9 have left the party -1 has defected to UKIP -9 have resigned from the council altogether www.politicshome.com/news/article...

Undersea cables, gas pipelines and military comms are all a potential target for sabotage As the Russian threat to UK security grows, I sat down with the First Sea Lord, who told me that assertions that the sea is “about to become transparent” are “overstated” www.politicshome.com/news/article...

Undersea cables, gas pipelines and military comms are all a potential target for sabotage As the Russian threat to UK security grows, I sat down with the First Sea Lord, who told me that assertions that the sea is “about to become transparent” are “overstated” www.politicshome.com/news/article...

Reform has lost 1 in 20 (5%) of the 677 councillors it gained in May elections In Kent alone, it has lost 14% of its councillors... -11 have been expelled -6 suspended -9 have left the party -1 has defected to UKIP -9 have resigned from the council altogether www.politicshome.com/news/article...

Sometimes I like to dream about being from a nation where you always know where you'll find your country name in an alphabetical list.

Reform UK has lost more than 5 per cent of the councillors it had elected six months ago: analysis by @matildamartin.bsky.social www.politicshome.com/news/article...

Reform UK councils (& their cllrs) have been in the news a lot in recent weeks. But what is happening more widely? My analysis @politicshome.bsky.social has found Reform has lost more than 5% of the cllrs it elected just 6 months ago www.politicshome.com/news/article...

Reform has lost over 5% of councillors it had elected six months ago A @matildamartin.bsky.social deep dive into the councils won by Farage's party in May found what a local government expert called "unusual" levels of churn Exclusions, suspensions and resignations have taken place nationwide

Six months on from the locals… Reform is losing councillors at an “unusual” rate PolHome analysis finds that Farage’s party has lost over 5% of all cllrs elected in May In Kent, its 14% @matildamartin.bsky.social’s deep dive www.politicshome.com/news/article...

Reform UK councils (& their cllrs) have been in the news a lot in recent weeks. But what is happening more widely? My analysis @politicshome.bsky.social has found Reform has lost more than 5% of the cllrs it elected just 6 months ago www.politicshome.com/news/article...

'The explosion of AI-driven social media has created an online public realm where fake news, manipulated content & deliberate misinformation spread unchecked' A recent AI deepfake showed Tory MP George Freeman defecting to Reform. Writing for The House, he says parliamentary democracy is at stake

Earlier this month an AI-generated deepfake video appeared online showing a convincing replica of George Freeman announcing his “defection” from the Tories to Reform We can expect more MPs to experience this as the believability of AI videos only increases www.politicshome.com/opinion/arti...

There has been a rise in parents requesting formal support for their children ahead of proposed reforms to SEND New council reports seen by PolHome show sharp increases in families seeking EHCPs, amid fears that they could soon be harder to come by, reports @cjayanetti.bsky.social

Plaid Cymru Beats Reform UK In Caerphilly By-Election www.politicshome.com/news/article...

Plaid Cymru beats Reform UK in the Welsh Parliament by-election for Caerphilly, with Labour coming in third Plaid Cymru: 47% Reform 36% Labour: 11% Tories 2% www.politicshome.com/news/article...

Raising council tax by up to 10% is a scenario that was also worked up in Kent County Council's (now of Jackie Weaver-esque fame) consultation document. Reform councils in the news this week for all the wrong reasons! www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Last month, PolHome's @matildamartin.bsky.social reported that SEND reforms, initially promised in September, face being delayed until the start of 2026 Government today confirms her story, with Bridget Phillipson telling the education committee to expect long-awaited reforms "in the new year" 🔮

Bridget Phillipson confirms long-awaited SEND reforms will not be published until 2026 In September @politicshome.bsky.social reported warnings from multiple sources familiar with the process that the delays could be as late as January/February www.politicshome.com/news/article...

"You can legislate all you want, but these systems won't work unless people trust them" The information commissioner, John Edwards, today told MPs on the science, innovation & tech committee that the government's digital ID policy won't work without public trust, reports @matildamartin.bsky.social

Former Conservative minister Damian Green has joined other voices on the right in calling for the end of the pensions triple lock “Let’s be brave for once. The triple lock has served its purpose and has had its day. We need a new settlement that is fair to all generations.”

Watch the full video, it’s absolute gold 😭 Brings back fond memories of “you have no authority here Jackie Weaver, no authority at all!”

To summarise: The council leader tells attendees they’re just going to have to “fucking suck it up”, goes on to mute another councillor… A few people on the call challenge her leadership, and one says “I’ve worked my arse off and I’m still getting a rod up my backside”

@matildamartin.bsky.social and I reported last month on the reality check faced by Reform councils (including Kent) On the push to cut costs, the KCC leader said “we are getting on with the job quite adequately on our own” without the support of the central party

A Tory MP says he has reported a deepfake video depicting him announcing he had joined Reform UK to the police. "This sort of political disinformation has the potential to seriously distort, disrupt and corrupt our democracy," he said apple.news/A37JnQerrS26...