I grew up believing I was closely related to disgraced Liberal leader Jeremy Thorpe But digging into the truth revealed a very different story, and a glimpse into a post-war Britain wrestling with class, identity and aspiration

Really enjoyed this week's episode of The Rundown on the 'dark arts' of political whipping with @alaintolhurst.bsky.social @sebwhale.bsky.social & former Govt Chief Whip, Lord Harper. Straight onto the Reading List for #PIED2706 Week 2: Who's Who in Parliament open.spotify.com/episode/1zAe...

😱 'Your Party' In Chaos As Sultana Is Accused Of Unilaterally Launching It Again

🎙️ Is Keir committed to cleaning up politics? Our Chief Executive @danieljbruce.bsky.social joined @alaintolhurst.bsky.social, @suehawley.bsky.social, @petergeoghegan.bsky.social and Lloyd Hatton MP on this week's The Rundown podcast to answer this question. podfollow.com/politicshome...

🎙️ How can we clean up politics? Our Executive Director @suehawley.bsky.social joined @alaintolhurst.bsky.social, host of @politicshome.bsky.social’s podcast The Rundown, alongside Lloyd Hatton MP, @danieljbruce.bsky.social & @petergeoghegan.bsky.social to discuss potential answers.

👇 Keir Starmer doesn’t like it when the departments bring him their disputes to adjudicate, but in a modern state, loads of disputes don’t have a “right“ answer, they just have a trade off that the prime minister has to rule on.

🚨 OUT NOW 🚨 Is Keir committed to cleaning up politics? 🔎 MP Lloyd Hatton, anti-corruption experts Susan Hawley & Daniel Bruce, & journalist @petergeoghegan.bsky.social join @alaintolhurst.bsky.social to discuss whether the UK remains vulnerable to illicit wealth and cronyism 🎧: pod.fo/e/329460

The Labour government's response to a summer of open racism, including physical attacks and the demonisation of some of its own Cabinet, has been to hide. 'Anti-racism' is something you actually have to do, not something you are. Seriously, why can't people like this hear themselves?

Long suspected but never proved - @direthoughts.com and team have evidence that suggests £££s listed as coming from Rosemary Said actually came from her husband Wafic - who is not allowed to make UK donations

This is a really interesting explanation of why some infrastructure projects work, and others flounder

Building political capital by appointing Peter Mandelson to a public office

Hello, I didn’t check the delivery address when I ordered some Chipotle delivery just now so if you are in Chicago and would like a chicken burrito go to: The Chicago Hotel Ambassador 1301 N State Pkwy Chicago, IL 60610 It’s at the front desk. Enjoy!

Two trials will be repeated endlessly despite always producing the same results: 1) Does UBI work? (yes) 2) Does AI improve productivity? (no)

Such a great piece by a top colleague

Inside the founding of Jeremy Corbyn's new party – how it started, the factions forming, the debates raging Can they unite? What challenges lie ahead? How big a threat is the project to Keir Starmer? @siennarodgers.bsky.social reports

🚨 OUT NOW 🚨 Labour's Autumn of discontent 🌹 Labour MPs Antonia Bance & @jessasatomp.bsky.social & Savanta's @chrishopkins92.bsky.social join @alaintolhurst.bsky.social & @adampayne26.bsky.social to discuss the potential pitfalls coming up for Keir Starmer 🎧 Listen now: podfollow.com/politicshome

Here's something a bit different. We've been reporting from Edinburgh to try to get to the bottom of a mystery in London. Princes Street is the Scottish capital's most famous shopping street — and it's gaining the *exact same* tatty gift shops as London. www.londoncentric.media/p/edinburgh-...

How 1975 is the movie Night Moves (1975)? There is post-coital fondue

He’s quite good at this isn’t he

From no reshuffle to a No10 reshuffle to losing the DPM and a potential cabinet reshuffle - what a first week back

BREAKING: Angela Rayner has resigned as deputy prime minister, deputy Labour leader and housing secretary over failing to pay enough stamp duty on a flat

Rayner’s resignation letter

My favourite bit of ‘In Our Time’ every week happens in the first eight seconds, when Bragg barks ‘HELLO’ from nowhere - and then immediately launches into the show all in one breath, as explained here by Louis and Justin Theroux

When I was at Anglia TV about 25 yrs ago, a girl in our office sent out a team email that said, “It’s been a crap Monday, who wants to come to my flat for a smoke?” Sadly she sent it to everyone in ITV. Melvyn was one of the first to reply with “That sounds lovely but sadly I’m filming in Newcastle”

Just got round to listening to episode 100 of Screen Rot, and 4 minutes in it’s going about as well as expected…

This week’s episode of The Rundown is the last in our summer series looking at Labour’s performance one year into government, featuring @helenmiller.bsky.social from the @theifs.bsky.social discussing the economy, and it’s a good one. Listen here:

🚨 OUT NOW🚨 Labour's economic record 📊 ‪‪Institute for Fiscal Studies head @helenmiller.bsky.social talks to @alaintolhurst.bsky.social about the Starmer government's handling of the public finances so far, as Rachel Reeves prepares a tricky Autumn Budget 🎧 Listen: podfollow.com/politicshome...

🚨 OUT NOW 🚨 Labour's workers' rights record ✊ TUC general secretary @paulnowaktuc.bsky.social joins @alaintolhurst.bsky.social to discuss Labour's attempts to improve workers' rights and repair the government's relationship with public services 🎧 Listen now: pod.fo/e/31a0b2

I often find myself saying "what a time to be alive" but friends, today, defector.com/it-took-many...

I’ve written about Compass and its relationship with Labour - and Momentum: www.newstatesman.com/the-weekend-...

🚨OUT NOW🚨 Labour's bill of health one year on 🏥 King's Fund Director Siva Anandaciva and the Health Foundation's @jenniferthf.bsky.social join host @alaintolhurst.bsky.social to look at Labour's progress in fixing the NHS 🎧 Listen: podfollow.com/politicshome...

After a year in office, how has the Labour government performed on health and social care? Our Chief Executive @jenniferthf.bsky.social joins @alaintolhurst.bsky.social on @politicshome.bsky.social's The Rundown to discuss. Listen now 🎧 bit.ly/41JBw3D

🚨 OUT NOW 🚨 Chris Skidmore on Labour's green record ⚡ Former Tory MP and ex-energy minister Chris Skidmore sits down with host @alaintolhurst.bsky.social to rate Labour's progress on net zero 🎧 Listen now: pod.fo/e/30cf9b

Ah, time once more for the best email of the week...

"they said have you tried turning her off and turning her back on again, i said, how about i meet you halfway"

let me sum this piece up for you: “hey, it’s me zaid jilani! you might remember me from my credulous profile of josh hawley, published the literal day before january 6. well now i have another credulous take, the time on another far-right maniac. i am definitely not an idiot.”

EXC: No10 is hosting a reception with influencers for the first time ever A No10 source said: “We’ve long known that we’ve got to go where people are. That means working more closely with creators, influencers and smaller platforms to tell our story."

🚨OUT NOW🚨 Justine Greening on Labour's social mobility record The former Conservative Cabinet minister sits down with @alaintolhurst.bsky.social to discuss tackling social barriers, Labour's progress in doing so, and where her old Tory party failed 🎧 Listen here: podfollow.com/politicshome...

Listen to my full interview with Justine Greening here: pod.fo/e/3020ae

The Treasury doesn't understand social mobility and must be reformed, according to ex-education sec Justine Greening Speaking on The Rundown, the former Cabinet minister said it contains "too many people who started broadly at the top in society" Her chat with @alaintolhurst.bsky.social is out now

He's one of Britain's richest men. So why does Asif Aziz's property company keep leasing London gift shops to overseas students based in abandoned offices or flytipped car parks — before vanishing without paying millions of pounds in taxes? www.londoncentric.media/p/asf-aziz-l...

An anatomy of the doping story that has the Tour de France press room buzzing: defector.com/an-anatomy-o...

this website is insane

Terrific piece about bus garage cricket in C20 London. observer.co.uk/news/sport/a...

I've written about how the party went from tightly controlling selections to tightly controlling the whip, and the limits of that strategy when you a) win huge numbers of seats b) do things your base doesn't like and c) have famous MPs like Abbott. www.newstatesman.com/uncategorize...

Amid the conspiracy theories, the totality of Epstein’s crimes—and how he made his fortune—is still a disturbing mystery. bit.ly/4117Cre

Never go full Oates

for this week's Lunch with the FT, I met a humanitarian hero: war doctor David Nott www.ft.com/content/e5fa...

wow the full copy of the note is actually even weirder than I expected: