'As with anything iconic, The Groucho Club’s death has been foretold nearly as long as it’s been open. But is the Dean Street grand dame finally on her last legs?' Fonie Mitsopoulou investigates the-fence.com/dean-street-...

Extraordinary intervention by the Intelligence and Security Committee, accusing the government of withholding files from them and making further redactions "far too broadly". And the ISC made a critique of the decision to grant Mandelson clearance against the advice of security officials.

The amount of time I have spent on the Wikipedia page for the Sentinelese people…

🚨 OUT NOW 🚨 Starmer on the brink after May 7 mauling 🌹 Labour MP @joshfg.bsky.social, Persuasion UK's @steveakehurst.bsky.social & Tony Blair Institute's Ryan Wain join @alaintolhurst.bsky.social & @siennarodgers.bsky.social to discuss Keir Starmer's leadership crisis 🎧 Listen now: pod.fo/e/416405

🚨 New pod: Starmer on the brink 🚨 I was joined by Labour MP @joshfg.bsky.social and @steveakehurst.bsky.social from @persuasionuk.bsky.social as well as top colleague @siennarodgers.bsky.social and Ryan Wain from the TBI to look at how Labour got here, how it might recover, and with who as PM

Always fun to review the comments on the podcast you host

Two things; honestly how far down the wish list must Makerfield have been for team Burnham, and it will now be fascinating to see who Reform select to run (having got it badly wrong in Gorton & Denton)

Exclusive: A junior minister called for Keir Starmer to step down as Prime Minister and set out a departure timetable in a private meeting on Wednesday afternoon, PoliticsHome understands. www.politicshome.com/news/article...

🚨 Ed Miliband has the numbers to stand in a leadership contest if Andy Burnham is unable, his allies say www.politicshome.com/news/article...

Andy Burnham Meets MPs In London As Manchester Mayor Sets Sights On Number 10 www.politicshome.com/news/article...

Top colleague @nadinebh.bsky.social reports Andy Burnham meeting with MPs in London today - could we see an announcement about somebody stepping side for him this afternoon?

With a potential seventh PM in 10 years the line after the 'when the herd moves' bit which is the one I keep coming back to - "our brilliant and Darwinian system will produce another leader" - because it puts me in mind more of Soviet generals at Stalingrad than MPs at Westminster

Her rendition of "Precious Lord, take my hand" - the last extant footage of her - which closes this beautiful documentary is just sublime, and the way she introduces it to her Copenhagen audience will wrench your heart. It's not for nothing that these songs are called "spirituals". A giant.

Those of us who have worked in room 18 of the press gallery will tell you that is a long-held sentiment

I fear Labour people risk falling into an ecological fallacy visible from space when reacting to these results. Here is what is very clear in results so far: Labour are losing *seats* to Reform, but... Labour are losing *votes* to the Greens Greens split the vote, Ref comes thru middle

I’m almost entirely unafflicted by fomo but seeing everyone at polling stations today while I don’t get to vote is really tweaking me

People in this No10 reading about “Operation Save Big Dog”

Much of Britain heads to the polls tomorrow in what could be a seismic set of elections - so to make sense of it all I assembled a top panel of experts to guide you through the key races, when to expect the results, how to interpret them, and discuss what might happen next…

🚨 OUT NOW 🚨 What to look out for at the local elections 📝 📊 @adampayne26.bsky.social, @siennarodgers.bsky.social, More in Common's @luketryl.bsky.social & Exeter Uni's @hannahbunting.bsky.social discuss the key results on 7 May Hosted by @alaintolhurst.bsky.social podfollow.com/politicshome...

This time next week there's going to be a lot of hot takes and spin knocking around, especially re: Reform. I've written a short primer for @politicshome.bsky.social on how to stay sane and navigate the immediate post-election chaos. Thread here too. 🧵 www.politicshome.com/opinion/arti...

🚨 OUT NOW 🚨 A Tory revival or one final nail on May 7? 🔵 Tory MP Jack Rankin, former minister @davidgauke.bsky.social, and ConservativeHome's Tali Fraser join @alaintolhurst.bsky.social and @matildamartin.bsky.social to discuss whether the Conservative Party can recover 🎧 Listen: pod.fo/e/40b39b

David Dinsmore, head of government digital communications, has today emailed civil servants confirming this story by @adampayne26.bsky.social and I The new govt comms machine will be centralised in a new Government Media Unit, "building on the lessons and evidence" from No10's New Media Unit

The UK now has a curious talent: we're living longer, but not better A woman in Richmond upon Thames can expect around 70 healthy yrs. In Hartlepool, she might be lucky to get 51 The case for prevention is no longer just moral, it is economic, writes @healthfoundation.bsky.social's Jennifer Dixon

Men are class

Really interesting pod this week - looking at relations between Downing St and Whitehall reaching new lows

🚨 OUT NOW 🚨 The Mandelson crisis exposes No 10's civil service rift Former Cabinet Secretary Lord Robin Butler, the IfG's @hannahkeenan.bsky.social, FDA's Dave Penman, and CSW's @suzannahb.bsky.social discuss the damaging sacking of Olly Robbins and its fallout Listen now: pod.fo/e/40598c

Trump envoy seeks to replace Iran with Italy in upcoming World Cup ft.trib.al/3HAGfpw

🚨 OUT NOW 🚨 Is this Andy Burnham's moment? 👑 MP Karl Turner and @profjanegreen.bsky.social join @alaintolhurst.bsky.social, @siennarodgers.bsky.social and @tomscotson.bsky.social to discuss whether the so-called ‘king of the north’ will make it back down to Westminster 🎧 Listen: pod.fo/e/400299

If only there was a definitive long-form documentary series exploring his life and legacy like never before, directed by an Oscar-winning filmmaker, that we could watch….

I remember watching this when the Mandelson appointment was first mooted, if only there had been clues as to how this might end…

With the Peter Mandelson appointment as UK ambassador to the US back in the headlines, it's worth understanding how the UK government's national security vetting system actually works. Our explainer sets out the process: www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/explainer/go...

fascinated that the PM found out on Tuesday but told neither Cooper nor Jones, who both only found out yesterday it seems? what were no10 doing with the information, if not discussing it with the ministers who oversee the vetting process and the department in question?

Olly Robbins is leaving his role as the most senior civil servant in the Foreign Office over the Lord Mandelson vetting row Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper have lost confidence in Robbins, PolHome understands

Ugh - the Royal Marsden helped to save my wife’s life, and they’re trying to do so for many, many more people. And NIMBYs are trying to stop it because the lifesaving building is taller than they’d like?? Give me strength. (Via Looking For Growth)

I remember very patiently trying to explain the concept of ‘binary search’ to a BTP officer after my bike was nicked outside the station and they were refusing to review 12hrs of CCTV. Unsurprisingly I didn’t get very far

The meanest girl I ever fancied (but pretty sure I never actually talked to) is how I got into The Distillers, Pretty Girls Make Graves and Sleater-Kinney

(at the router conference pulling my cloak to the side to reveal the belkin insignia on my tunic) i represent belkin. let me pass.

EXC w/ @adampayne26.bsky.social The government is carrying out a consultation on whether to implement tougher laws on the public sale of fireworks MPs, including @sarahowen.org.uk and Simon Hoare, have welcomed the news, with Owen calling it a "huge step forward"

🚨 OUT NOW 🚨 The big May elections preview Holyrood Mag's Louise Wilson, journalist Will Hayward, politics lecturer Dr Stephanie Luke and Liberal Democrat MP Will Forster join host @alaintolhurst.bsky.social to discuss next month's local elections 🎧 Listen now: podfollow.com/politicshome

To be fair, he was only told about this by the Wallet Inspector who stopped him in Leicester Square

🚨 OUT NOW 🚨 New towns on the horizon 🏘️ Housing minister @matthewpennycookmp.bsky.social, MP @seanlwoodcock.bsky.social, @susanparham.bsky.social, Rico Wojtulewicz, and @vickyspratt.bsky.social join @alaintolhurst.bsky.social to discuss the plan for new towns in England 🎧 Listen: pod.fo/e/3c3869

Speaking to PolHome's @alaintolhurst.bsky.social on the latest episode of The Rundown podcast, housing minister Matthew Pennycook says building "exemplary" new towns will help reduce nimby sentiment “We have a chance here to show that we can do really good development in a different way"

The words ‘third places’ are absolute catnip to me, no way I’m scrolling past

lmao

Here we argue that predictions of local ‘chaos’ as a result of fragmentation may be misleading - given the current incentives of FPTP under bloc politics … We may instead be in the middle of a restructuring towards national fragmentation, local two-partyism.

“Worst she can say is no” Bro, she said I look like someone tried to draw President Taft from memory

Division is on the rise in the UK, former cabinet minister Sajid Javid has warned Speaking on PolHome podcast The Rundown, the former Conservative MP said recent debates about whether non-white politicians like him and ex-PM Rishi Sunak are British were not happening "even a decade ago"

🚨 OUT NOW🚨 Former Conservative MP and minister Sajid Javid joins @alaintolhurst.bsky.social to discuss what he learned writing his memoir, the state of race relations and social cohesion in 2026, and the travails of the Tory party now it’s out of office 🎧 Listen now: pod.fo/e/3b3c77

“I’m a big believer in pride from excellence, pride from high performance": Exclusive interview with cab sec Antonia Romeo www.civilserviceworld.com/in-depth/art...

I had this thought when I heard Theroux talk about trying to get the Tates for his doc - like what do you gain by putting those guys on TV; literally everybody knows who they are already, and there is a separate Wikipedia page dedicated to their crimes