Don’t think I’ve ever fundamentally disagreed with James O’Brien on any point of political substance but Mason, like Kuenssberg, is dreadful. I miss the authoritative, proudly independent voices that used to characterize BBC current affairs journalism.

If the Reform Party plan to abolish indefinite leave to remain also abolishes settled status for EU citizens, that would be a breach of the withdrawal agreement, liable to lead to the EU retaliating by removing trade preferences.

Who will Reform blame when the NHS collapses? Or care for the elderly? Or hospitality? www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/poli...

Who will Reform blame when the NHS collapses? Or care for the elderly? Or hospitality? www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/poli...

Where will the UK electorate go next if they vote Reform in and Reform fails in office, which, as an outfit premised on perpetual grievance not responsible government, it will?

Where will the UK electorate go next if they vote Reform in and Reform fails in office, which, as an outfit premised on perpetual grievance not responsible government, it will?

Rebuild as what? The Conservatives’ problem is that since the 2016 referendum they’ve become ideologically indistinguishable from Reform, with neither the current leader nor her heir apparent seeking to change that. When Johnson got rid of the sensibles in his party, he got rid of the Tories’ USP.

From one of the people who claim to be waging war on the costs of government administration. www.bbc.com/news/article...

Rebuild as what? The Conservatives’ problem is that since the 2016 referendum they’ve become ideologically indistinguishable from Reform, with neither the current leader nor her heir apparent seeking to change that. When Johnson got rid of the sensibles in his party, he got rid of the Tories’ USP.

From one of the people who claim to be waging war on the costs of government administration. www.bbc.com/news/article...

It wasn’t just the way Starmer patted Trump’s shoulder and beamed about two leaders who “genuinely liked each other”. It was his supplicant portrayal of the UK as America’s eager little brother - good but not quite as good. Surely the most craven,distasteful spiel since the days of Boris Johnson.

No other country has yet given Trump a state visit. We’ve given him two. And this one seems to have been geared even more to the brittle, childish ego of one man, with no thought given to the effect of Starmer’s pitch on those of our allies in Europe and beyond whom he’s insulted and mistreated.

It wasn’t just the way Starmer patted Trump’s shoulder and beamed about two leaders who “genuinely liked each other”. It was his supplicant portrayal of the UK as America’s eager little brother - good but not quite as good. Surely the most craven,distasteful spiel since the days of Boris Johnson.

To even allow the appearance of this — Starmer’s No 10 adopting Trumpian media management policies — seems extraordinary to me. Very depressing.

Yeah, that’s kind of my drift. Turning the Conservatives into a populist tribute act to Farage hasn’t neutered the tiger as intended, it’s merely hollowed out the identity and USP of the party and weakened its support base. It’s hard to know now how it’s meaningfully different from Farage.

The departure of these Tory whack-jobs to Reform would ordinarily clear the decks and give moderates a fighting chance. But the Conservatives don’t seem to have many moderates any more. Their leader and her heir apparent are both hardliners, so what’s left of the party? www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

The departure of these Tory whack-jobs to Reform would ordinarily clear the decks and give moderates a fighting chance. But the Conservatives don’t seem to have many moderates any more. Their leader and her heir apparent are both hardliners, so what’s left of the party? www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Israel complains it is held to a higher standard than other murdering régimes. Really? Its government doesn’t seem to behave like a normal member of the West with Western values and it’s time we stopped indulging the sense of victimhood it uses to justify what it does. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Israel complains it is held to a higher standard than other murdering régimes. Really? Its government doesn’t seem to behave like a normal member of the West with Western values and it’s time we stopped indulging the sense of victimhood it uses to justify what it does. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

These defections to Reform - Jenkyns, Dorries, Kruger - make Johnson’s decision to marginalize the sensibles in his party - Grieve, Gauke, Soubry - even more unwise, leaving it bereft of the moderation and intellectual heft that once made the Tories formidable and stable. They’re now without a core.

These defections to Reform - Jenkyns, Dorries, Kruger - make Johnson’s decision to marginalize the sensibles in his party - Grieve, Gauke, Soubry - even more unwise, leaving it bereft of the moderation and intellectual heft that once made the Tories formidable and stable. They’re now without a core.

What it shows is that the far Right knows it can keep dripping its poison into the body politic of this country and a member of a nominally progressive but supine government will say, “Free speech, innit?” Dismal stuff. www.theguardian.com/politics/liv...

What it shows is that the far Right knows it can keep dripping its poison into the body politic of this country and a member of a nominally progressive but supine government will say, “Free speech, innit?” Dismal stuff. www.theguardian.com/politics/liv...

Yes, there are wider geopolitical and demographic factors at play across the Western world but one reason thugs such as Robinson feel even more emboldened now is that the Tories started with the Brexit referendum to dignify the populist Right and Labour hasn’t done enough to challenge that since.

100,000 march with Robinson and of course there’s trouble. Six years ago, ten times that number demonstrated to stop us walking blindly into a Brexit with consequences none of its advocates had been honest about. And of course there was no trouble. www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-poli...

100,000 march with Robinson and of course there’s trouble. Six years ago, ten times that number demonstrated to stop us walking blindly into a Brexit with consequences none of its advocates had been honest about. And of course there was no trouble. www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-poli...

BREAKING: At least 59 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks across Gaza since dawn today, medical sources have told Al Jazeera. 🔴 LIVE updates: aje.io/kz2du2

A reminder that, for all the fluff and flummery surrounding the reset with the EU, Labour, like the Tories and Reform, upholds hard Brexit. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

A reminder that, for all the fluff and flummery surrounding the reset with the EU, Labour, like the Tories and Reform, upholds hard Brexit. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Newly released emails from Mandelson to Epstein - “I think the world of you and I feel hopeless and furious about what has happened. "It just could not happen in Britain... fight for early release and be philosophical about it as much as you can." www.thesun.co.uk/news/3665359...

Any other Londoners finding it hard to be wholly sympathetic to a union which is paralysing the tube network for most of the working week over pay and conditions but vocally backed Brexit, which is depriving the Exchequer of £40 billion a year every year?

Worth keeping in mind that if Russia continues to escalate against Poland, Sweden and Lithuania these EU states have the capacity to severely constrain Russian land and sea access to Russia's Kaliningrad exclave

Peter Mandelson called Jeffrey Epstein ‘my best pal’ in 50th birthday letter

The BBC are constantly fawning over Farage's every move despite Reform only having four MPs. Our national broadcaster should reflect the whole country, not just one man’s ego.

Sky News reports on Peter Mandelsons friendship with Jeffrey Epstein (Mandelson even stayed at Epsteins townhouse in Manhattan while the financier was in prison for soliciting prostitution from a minor) A reminder that Keir Starmer appointed Mandelson our ambassador to the US.

Here's part of Peter Mandelson's birthday message to "my best pal" Jeffrey Epstein.

I mean, why wouldn’t you commission the thoughts of pretty much the only economist on the planet who thought Brexit would be brilliant?

Many of Reform’s policies are unpopular as well as garbage. These people don’t do sensible, real-world, costed proposals. They do anger and grievance and sniping. That can work in opposition. In government, where stuff has to get done, it would prove disastrous. www.theguardian.com/business/202...

Many of Reform’s policies are unpopular as well as garbage. These people don’t do sensible, real-world, costed proposals. They do anger and grievance and sniping. That can work in opposition. In government, where stuff has to get done, it would prove disastrous. www.theguardian.com/business/202...

The people who advocated and delivered Brexit didn’t accept the enormity of what they’d done. They still can’t. Neither can this government. So we waltz on in that denialist English way, pretending that the problem doesn’t exist or lies elsewhere. Meanwhile we continue to sink into the quicksand.

As my granny used to say: "To be a good liar, you need a good memory".

“This Framework is not legally binding and does not give rise to any rights or obligations under domestic or international law.” + Spain is in the EU, its single market and customs union. The UK is not. That is the main point however much this agreement is fluffed up. www.gov.uk/government/n...

Unsure how Labour thinks this will win it votes. It merely tells Farage his basic premise is correct and deserves support. The UK is showing similarities with Weimar Germany. Rather than trying to seize control of the narrative, Labour and the Tories are running scared of the far Right.

It takes an extraordinary genius to have made the Labour Party after one year in government look like the Tory Party after a decade and a half on the job. The genius of McSweeney.

Who is Farage’s girlfriend in whose name the Clacton house was bought, avoiding him £40,000 tax? She met him when waitressing in Strasbourg. She became his parliamentary assistant, then head of public relations for UKIP MEPs, then ran a think tank accused of illegally diverting public money to UKIP

Reform: where cranks, outliers, charlatans and contrarians find a warm welcome. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...