In a letter seen by PoliticsHome, the government was warned by lawyers that the decision to delay some local elections would be illegal. Story by Harriet Symonds www.politicshome.com/news/article...

The government has U-turned on delaying some local elections, hears PolHome’s Harriet Symonds Labour MPs have today been told that elections in 30 areas will go ahead as originally planned in May The decision is believed to relate to new legal advice

My weekend read on the issue of student loans - and why the debate is not going anywhere anytime soon ➡️Several Plan 2 Labour MPs have had discussions with sympathetic ministers ➡️Labour Together and IPPR look at what could be done ➡️Tories, Lib Dems, Reform forming policies in this area

The issue of student loans has exploded in recent weeks, with figures across the political spectrum demanding a conversation about the 'Plan 2' system -Several Plan 2 Labour MPs have had discussions with sympathetic ministers -Policies are being worked on by Conservatives, Lib Dems and Reform UK

My weekend read on the issue of student loans - and why the debate is not going anywhere anytime soon ➡️Several Plan 2 Labour MPs have had discussions with sympathetic ministers ➡️Labour Together and IPPR look at what could be done ➡️Tories, Lib Dems, Reform forming policies in this area

Today marks 5 yrs since I had my first pitch accepted! (linked below) It’s still early in my career, but advice I would give to anyone starting out is to write about what you know(&love!) DMs always open for those pondering this career Still thinking of how I can pitch a ballet political story…

Starmer arrives to speak to Women's PLP meeting An observation - there seems to be a lack of applause for the PM as he enters the room, compared to 30+secs we heard on Monday Starmer has been meeting with women across the party in recent days to hear their concerns following Mandelson revelations👇

Starmer arrives to speak to Women's PLP meeting An observation - there seems to be a lack of applause for the PM as he enters the room, compared to 30+secs we heard on Monday Starmer has been meeting with women across the party in recent days to hear their concerns following Mandelson revelations👇

Ahead of Starmer addressing the Women’s PLP at 1pm today we report: - Starmer has been having meetings with women across the party in recent days to listen to their concerns - Some MPs pushing for more women in Cabinet reshuffle - What MPs think Mandelson revelations mean for VAWG strategy

Ahead of Starmer addressing the Women’s PLP at 1pm today we report: - Starmer has been having meetings with women across the party in recent days to listen to their concerns - Some MPs pushing for more women in Cabinet reshuffle - What MPs think Mandelson revelations mean for VAWG strategy

From @siennarodgers.bsky.social and Harriet Symonds - Burnham making regular visits to the campaign trail & featured prominently on some Labour campaign literature - Labour is increasingly confident that it could win the Gorton and Denton by-election

It would be fair to say there is some nervousness in the university sector about what a Reform UK government would mean for institutions When I questioned Zia Yusuf at the party's conference in 2025 he said: "We've got a massive issue [with universities]. Those...are indoctrination camps, sadly"

It would be fair to say there is some nervousness in the university sector about what a Reform UK government would mean for institutions When I questioned Zia Yusuf at the party's conference in 2025 he said: "We've got a massive issue [with universities]. Those...are indoctrination camps, sadly"

We’ve been awarded a penalty and now she’s watching again! #lufc

Every four years I consider learning the rules of curling but then decide it's more enjoyable if I don't.

🚨NEW: Scottish Labour Leader Anas Sarwar has called for Keir Starmer to resign as PM, saying "the distraction needs to end and the leadership in Downing Street has to change" "The situation in Downing Street is not good enough" www.politicshome.com/news/article...

Tim Allan quits as 10 Downing Street director of communications after around five months in the job “I have decided to stand down to allow a new No10 team to be built. I wish the PM and his team every success," he says in a short statement

By my calculations, Reform UK has now lost more than 6% of the councillors it had elected nine months ago When I wrote this piece back in October, a local govt expert described the trend as "unusual and rapidly growing"

Cllr David Taylor from Worcestershire County Council resigned from Reform UK **live on air on the BBC** "I walked in here today as a Reform county cllr - I won't be leaving this studio as a Reform county cllr" Taylor was unhappy with Reform's wish to increase council tax by up to 10% from April

Cllr David Taylor from Worcestershire County Council resigned from Reform UK **live on air on the BBC** "I walked in here today as a Reform county cllr - I won't be leaving this studio as a Reform county cllr" Taylor was unhappy with Reform's wish to increase council tax by up to 10% from April

Morgan McSweeney has resigned from his position as PM's chief of staff McSweeney: "After careful reflection, I have decided to resign from the government. "The decision to appoint Peter Mandelson was wrong. He has damaged our party, our country and trust in politics itself"

Where Starmer's disastrous week leaves him — and his potential successors Big, detailed PolHome read on what comes next, ft Rayner, Streeting, Carns ("Al-mentum") and the “wounded buffalo" PM w/ @siennarodgers.bsky.social @matildamartin.bsky.social @zoecrowther.bsky.social & Harriet Symonds

A long-serving Labour MP: “Starmer seems to be dead in the water...like a wounded buffalo, he forges forward with the end in sight” Starmer's admission that he knew about the ongoing friendship between Mandelson & Epstein unleashed a level of fury that many MPs say they had never witnessed before

🚨 OUT NOW 🚨 Solving the student loan 'scam' 💰Labour MP @chriscurtis94.bsky.social, economist Kate Ogden & head of education and social policy @danihpayne.bsky.social join @alaintolhurst.bsky.social to discuss the long-simmering row over student finance 🎧 Listen: bit.ly/4qof0H8

Labour MP Matt Bishop says he will not be able to vote for the government's amendment to limit Mandelson vetting disclosures "If we are not fully transparent about how we vetted the ex-US ambassador in the face of such scandal, how on earth can we expect victims to come forward in future"

Keir Starmer: "[Peter] Mandelson betrayed our country, our Parliament, and my party" Mandelson "completely misrepresented the extent of his relationship with Epstein and lied throughout the process" "If I knew then what I know now, he would never have been anywhere near government"

💥Met Police to investigate Peter Mandelson for misconduct in public office: “Following the further release of millions of court documents in relation to Jeffrey Epstein...the Met received a number of reports into alleged misconduct in public office including a referral from the UK Government"

Lord Hampton, believed to be the only serving teacher in Parliament, speaks to @matildamartin.bsky.social about life in the classroom & the Lords He says continuing to work in a school keeps him grounded “I used to do boys’ toilet duty. That was, remember, ‘Caesar, thou art, but mortal’.”

For Lord Hampton, believed to be the only serving teacher in Parliament, the worst moment in his career so far was when a student of his was stabbed and killed “Hearing a kid had been stabbed...then suddenly, shit, it’s Pharrell" A sobering story and one I'm sure other teachers can sadly relate to

Good to see pick up in Tele, Mail, Sun etc of my iv with Daniel Kebede “Year on year, we’re seeing an increase in racism...that is creating a hostile environment for Black, minority & migrant children who are accessing education" including teachers & staff

London schools face losing £45m in funding over the next 4 years as a result of falling pupil numbers, analysis shared exclusively with @politicshome.bsky.social suggests

Djokovic's is into the Aus Open final at 38 Players' ages when they won their last grand slam title: Rosewall: 37 Federer: 36 Nadal: 36 Agassi: 32 Laver: 31 Sampras: 31 Newcombe: 30 Connors: 30 Murray: 29 Becker: 28 Lendl: 27 Edberg: 26 McEnroe: 25 Borg: 24 Wilander: 24 Courier: 22 Hewitt: 21

The government is looking at introducing tougher porn laws as part of its push to make the internet safer, PolHome understands The MoJ, Home Office and DSIT are in discussions about how far new restrictions should go and who should be responsible for enforcement @zoecrowther.bsky.social reports

There's been a lot of chatter about how damaging May elections could be for Labour But London is one area where party sources believe the scale of the electoral threat is going underappreciated Especially the case given number of Cabinet Ministers who are London MPs (& of course the PM himself!)

My interview with @danielkebedeneu.bsky.social 💥Schools are the frontline in the fight against Reform 💥Teachers should get time off for Glastonbury 💥He doesn't "entirely trust" the government not to renege on its promise to revoke minimum strike regulations

“Schools have become a bit of a battleground for Reform in terms of the narrative that they’re pushing” Daniel Kebede, General Secretary of education union NEU, tells @matildamartin.bsky.social schools are the frontline in the fight against Reform and teachers should get time off for Glastonbury

Angela Rayner reportedly eyeing up SEND reforms as her next focus, according to @pronouncedalva.bsky.social - an area that could potentially be a huge headache for the Labour govt Worries over a repeat of the welfare rebellion forced govt to look again at its initial proposals last year

Exceptional work by FT commentators here - h/t Niki Blasina, the author of this piece on millennial cringe and her pilgrimage to see the Backstreet Boys in concert www.ft.com/content/d50d...

“Michael [Gove] gets a lot of things wrong. He thought banning plastic straws was a good idea and replacing them with paper." Senior Conservative Gavin Williamson told PoliticsHome it was "news to him" when asked about Gove's claim that he would be the next Conservative MP to switch to Reform

New polling suggests that public opinion of digital ID has not shifted after the government decided to remove the mandatory element of the policy It comes after we revealed govt was planning to scrap the mandatory element of its digital ID scheme

New polling suggests that public opinion of digital ID has not shifted after the government decided to remove the mandatory element of the policy It comes after we revealed govt was planning to scrap the mandatory element of its digital ID scheme

Initial Conservative Party response to Braverman's defection: “It was always a matter of when, not if, Suella would defect. The Conservatives did all we could to look after Suella’s mental health, but she was clearly very unhappy." That part now deleted- claim that draft was "sent out in error"👇

The first paragraph of the Conservative Party response to Suella Braverman's defection: “It was always a matter of when, not if, Suella would defect. The Conservatives did all we could to look after Suella’s mental health, but she was clearly very unhappy."

Conservative councillors across the country claim they are receiving offers to defect to Reform UK👀 Alleged offers include: 🔻Senior roles on the council 🔻Parliamentary selection 🔻Funding

With Suella Braverman's defection to Reform UK, Nigel Farage's party now has 8 MPs ➡️4 elected (Nigel Farage, Richard Tice, Lee Anderson, Sarah Pochin) ➡️4 defections (Danny Kruger, Robert Jenrick, Andrew Rosindell, Suella Braverman) 🧮Net gain of 3 MPs in total since July 2024

UPDATE🚨 Keir Starmer has said that Donald Trump's claim that Nato troops "stayed a little off the front lines" during the war in Afghanistan is "insulting and frankly, appalling"

Winning the argument that any reforms to the SEND system will benefit children and young people will be key for govt But given how febrile the atmosphere is at the moment + recent U-turns due to strong MP pushback, it is unclear how any reforms will land Interesting from @amberdellar.bsky.social 👇

Keir Starmer allies have told PolHome that Andy Burnham won't be allowed to stand as Labour's candidate in the by-election in a newly vacated Greater Manchester seat Sources have suggested to Sienna Rodgers that the party NEC could draw up a list of female candidates only, or an all-BAME shortlist

Donald Trump's claim that Nato troops "stayed a little off the front lines" during the war in Afghanistan has sparked cross-party criticism in Westminster Social care minister Stephen Kinnock branded the remarks "deeply disappointing" and Kemi Badenoch said Trump's claim "is flat-out nonsense"