🚨 OUT NOW 🚨 Lifting the lid on the Whips Office 🔐 Former Conservative Chief Whip Lord Simon Hart speaks to @alaintolhurst.bsky.social about the secrets of the whips office and his new political life in the House of Lords 🎧 Listen now: pod.fo/e/369ab7

He’s too good at this, these bluesky goombas don’t stand a chance

This entire article on airport lounges is incredible both as a piece of economic and consumer journalism "The thing about lounging is that it’s impossible to lounge without worrying that someone, somewhere, is lounging better." www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...

🚨 OUT NOW 🚨 It's 'Your Party' now, but for how long? ⬅️ Former Director of Policy for Labour Andrew Fisher joins @siennarodgers.bsky.social, @tomscotson.bsky.social and @alaintolhurst.bsky.social to discuss what comes next for Britain's newest left-wing party 🎧 Listen now: pod.fo/e/3607b9

“It’s Baz bollocks” - hitting peak Jim Maxwell on TMS

Excl: Dozens of Labour MPs have written to the government calling for Housing First to be rolled out nationwide as part of the upcoming homelessness strategy. www.politicshome.com/news/article...

A scene from American Canto. Olivia Nuzzi tries to visit the WWE Hall of Fame, only to discover that it is not a physical building.

An absolutely ecstatic example of the genre, this is truly what the ‘breaking silence’ trope was made for CC @bryancurtis.bsky.social @thepressbox.bsky.social @joelanderson.bsky.social

New by me: "The only person in this story with real power is RFK Jr., and he is—I cannot believe I am typing this sentence—maintaining a dignified silence. He doesn’t need to 'reclaim the narrative' because he’s too busy helping kids catch measles." www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...

Feel like I'm going mad. The Budget's 'headroom' is based on frankly irresponsible and wildly optimistic claims about what Labour will do in the final year of the forecast, and on ignoring a bunch of upward pressures on spending, and the claim is that she was being exaggeratedly *pessimistic*?

Only if the guests are allowed to smoke on set too

me: do you have any black friday deals? doctor: you’re losing a lot of blood

🚨OUT NOW🚨 The Budget: 2025 📊💷 Treasury minister Lucy Rigby, shadow chancellor Mel Stride and Labour MP Yuan Yang, plus economists James Smith and Carsten Jung, join host @alaintolhurst.bsky.social to discuss whether Rachel Reeves' big moment delivered 🎧 Listen here: podfollow.com/politicshome...

Well done Ruben this is your worst one yet, and I didn’t even think that was still possible. You really are the Mozart of terrible Manchester United performances

I can’t bring myself to read this, but one day I hope there is as much time and energy devoted to the problem of the online radicalisation of vulnerable pregnant people and parents, as there is to the online radicalisation of young white men.

Rassie’s mind games win again - how on god’s green earth is not at least a yellow?

I discuss the findings with @thinksinsight.bsky.social's Jennings, @psurridge.bsky.social and colleague PolHome's @alaintolhurst.bsky.social in this week's episode of The Rundown podfollow.com/politicshome...

OUT NOW🚨🤔 Can Farage convert Reform-curious voters? PolHome Editor @adampayne26.bsky.social, UK in a Changing Europe's @psurridge.bsky.social & @thinksinsight.bsky.social's Allie Jennings join @alaintolhurst.bsky.social to discuss exclusive new data on Reform support podfollow.com/politicshome...

Tomorrow we're dropping interesting research on Reform curious voters — what attracts them, & what puts them off I discuss on this week's pod w/ @thinksinsight.bsky.social, @psurridge.bsky.social, @alaintolhurst.bsky.social & unplanned guest: Alain's chicken, Judy! podfollow.com/politicshome...

Booooo!

SAAAANNNN MARIIIINOOOO!

European political scientists are blue in the face from constantly pointing out that accommodating the far right does not help centre-left parties win, and contributes to the rise of far-right parties. There's a mountain of data to support that. But no, the galaxy-brained strategists must be right.

to be clear, i also do not think it is necessarily true that adopting a laundry list of progressive positions is an instant win either. i think you have to do the work of discovering what it is that voters want in a direct and engaged way. and i think that voters want moral leadership.

So if Olivia is 32 now, broke up with Lizza last year, was together with him for a decade, and then was living with you for 4+ years before that, how old was she when you moved her out of her (presumably parents’) house in the suburbs to live with you?

You got wormfished by a guy who eats roadkill and looks like fucking Krang. A guy you were tasked with covering neutrally, for half a milly a year, while he ran for fucking president on an "every disabled person should die" ticket. Well, now your career is back, and so is measles. Well done.

oh my god you have to read this until the end www.telos.news/p/part-1-how...

Great pod this week - looking at one of those thorny issues every government sticks in the ‘too hard’ pile; council tax 🎧 here: pod.fo/e/3529c3

🚨 OUT NOW 🚨 Why won't anyone reform council tax? 🏘️ Labour MPs @jonathanbrashmp.bsky.social & @catherinewestmp.bsky.social, Tory MP Harriett Baldwin & tax lawyer @danneidle.bsky.social join @alaintolhurst.bsky.social to discuss why council tax seems politically untouchable 🎧 Listen: pod.fo/e/3529c3

The dilemma of being one of Kim Kardashian’s psychics and knowing she’s paying you to say “you’re going to pass the bar exam!” meanwhile all the ghosts and spirits in the room are hollering “SHE DOESNT EVEN KNOW WHAT TORTS ARE”

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

Well, you're in your little room And you're working on something good But if it's really good You're gonna need a bigger room And when you're in the bigger room You might not know what to do You might have to think of how you got started Sitting in your little room - The White Stripes

Loving today's news that the mysterious "fedora man" outside the Louvre heist was actually a 15-year-old museum visitor who dresses like a 1940s French detective all the time, just because. apnews.com/article/louv...

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...

Classic Kennedy move, you never lose it

Tax policy on the British left is pure "anti-bedtime left". Bizarre idea that you can have a big social democratic welfare state without everyone contributing properly www.economist.com/britain/2025...

good morning specifically to the FBI agent who introduced Mamdani’s dad to Marx

I’m going to need the name of the fried fish sandwich place please

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

I sat down with perhaps the most level-headed man in rock music, Jon Bon Jovi, to talk about Trump, tennis and his return to touring after an atrophying vocal chord put his career at risk. this week's Lunch with the FT: www.ft.com/content/25f2...

🚨 OUT NOW 🚨 Does the OBR really run Britain? 💼 Former chancellor Jeremy Hunt, Labour MP @jeevunsandher.bsky.social, and the IFS's @benzaranko.bsky.social join @alaintolhurst.bsky.social to discuss whether the Office for Budget Responsibility is too powerful 🎧 Listen now: pod.fo/e/347deb

Oh god, it’s getting worse - time to start googling biggest ever World Cup defeats? I don’t know where they go from here…

So much for a new era under Edwards, this could get ugly for England - absolutely brutal start from Kapp

This really is liquid Chotiner, I had to stop and take a short walk about three times before getting to the end

financially entangling myself with isaac chotiner until it becomes unethical for him to interview me

CHOTINER: So you asked for a Birkin bag? KOKO: Yes. Possession Bag. CHOTINER: And you had the funds to acquire this? KOKO: No, Professor Purchase Koko Gorilla CHOTINER: That doesn't sound like the funds were justifiable. KOKO: Hostility Interviewer

"The other day I text Andy Reid," Bradshaw said. "And I got a text back, and I thought it was Andy Reid, but it was some guy selling pigs." defector.com/terry-bradsh...

Orlando Bloom Spotted At Dinner With Angela Merkel

Exclusive: The Attorney General is a defendant in a torture claim from a Libyan military commander and sanctioned ‘terrorist’ that he represented until weeks before the 2024 election www.politicshome.com/news/article...