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Keir Starmer’s stated preference in today’s big BBC interview for greater EU single market alignment - and access - rather than a customs union deal is a significant choice which, in terms of economic growth, would probably do more good. ukandeu.ac.uk/thinking-swi...

For those who prefer seriousness and substance to three word slogans and sound bites, that long-form interview of Keir Starmer by Laura Kuenssberg was a whole lot more interesting than watching politicians defend themselves against the “gotcha” nonsense we often get from broadcasters.

Keir Starmer’s stated preference in today’s big BBC interview for greater EU single market alignment - and access - rather than a customs union deal is a significant choice which, in terms of economic growth, would probably do more good. ukandeu.ac.uk/thinking-swi...

Your regular dose of hypocrisy from Farage who, unlike apparently Abd El Fattah, has made neither a full nor a sincere apology for all the hateful racism he spewed out as a young man.

There are quotes from a “well-placed government source” in this piece of Daily Mail “journalism”’ which read like they were written by, well, a Daily Mail “journalist”. I’m sure that’s merely a coincidence in an article which must’ve taken its author fully 5 mins to research.

A bit weird that FT tags this piece, repeating the lame excuses Brexiters make for the abject failure of their project, as being by the “chair of Marshall Wace”. Surely it would be more accurate to say “by the owner of the Spectator, Unherd and v right wing GB News channel”?

My piece for The Guardian today on why it mignt be a good idea for Keir Starmer to recall his own history on Europe. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

The big, big self-delusion at the heart of almost everything Labour is doing wrong is that through some old-time Labour economics you can avoid having an electoral coalition that looks a lot like 'Labour in 2024, Australian Labor in 2025, the Canadian Liberals in 2025' or indeed 'Harris in 2024'.

Plus self-regard - the 2024 campaign was all about targeting a group of voters who in the end did not actually come back and there is a huge amount of 'must not admit that it did not work' motivated reasoning going on.

Right now, even as the latest rows smoulder away, Starmer is still better placed than anyone else to take some of the heat out of our politics ✏️ @tombaldwin66.bsky.social

Maybe it’s pure coincidence that Nigel Farage recently promised to “bring crypto in from the cold” after being handed a £9m donation from Christopher Harborne, a Thai-based investor in, er, crypto. Maybe…https://www.globalgovernmentfintech.com/nigel-farage-crypto-in-from-cold/

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Maybe it’s pure coincidence that Nigel Farage recently promised to “bring crypto in from the cold” after being handed a £9m donation from Christopher Harborne, a Thai-based investor in, er, crypto. Maybe…https://www.globalgovernmentfintech.com/nigel-farage-crypto-in-from-cold/

In the aftermath of the budget, Starmer and Reeves have faced a wall of right wing rage ✏️ @tombaldwin66.bsky.social

Great piece by @tombaldwin66.bsky.social in @theobserveruk.bsky.social on the rise of the superadviser and why they dominate British politics observer.co.uk/news/nationa...

My piece for @observer.bsky.social on “super-advisers” from the past and why the current one has wisely decided to stop talking to the media. observer.co.uk/news/nationa...

The sheer scale of media outrage this week about plans to lift hundreds of thousands children out of poverty, by taxing millionaire homeowners, tells you everything you need to know about the real priorities of the British press www.adambienkov.co.uk/p/the-real-b...

My piece for @observer.bsky.social on “super-advisers” from the past and why the current one has wisely decided to stop talking to the media. observer.co.uk/news/nationa...

Brace yourselves for some predictable howls of outrage in the media over new taxes on Britain’s most expensive homes. Suspect this will be a better reflection of the financial circumstances of newspaper editors and broadcast execs than those of their readers and viewers.

The repeated references by Rachel Reeves to submissions from backbench Labour MPs is more significant than it may seem. After a lot of idle damaging chatter over recent weeks, this is part of a big effort to bind them into this budget, telling them to own it and defend it.

FWIW, I do know Robbie Gibb, having met him almost 30 years ago when he was working for the Tories & always quite liked him. But the claim by this self-identifying “Thatcherite” to be a completely impartial BBC arbiter is as ludicrous as me claiming I’m not partial towards Labour.

As an admirer of The Economist, sad to see it recycling garbage about chicken nuggets and the ECHR. The former wasn’t why a man’s deportation was halted. The latter worked well in the upper tribunal that decided he should be deported, after all.

Allowing the Daily Mail to strengthen its terrible grip on our media would be bad for democracy & bad for Britain. Neither the Mail nor the Telegraph covers this government with even a modicum of fairness, but I hope Lisa Nandy - very fairly - decides to block this deal. www.bbc.com/news/article...

The role of two parents in the life of Rachel Reeves, from my interview with the chancellor in The Times today.

A defiant Rachel Reeves talked to me about pressure, unpopularity, and why’s sick of “mansplaining”commentators. www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/...

I’m at a loss to understand why anyone would think briefing this sort of thing will help KeirStarmer, the government or even themselves. Some people can’t resist, I guess, but it all a bit nuts.

The BBC has long since been tying itself up in knots appeasing a right wing agenda. Davie and Turness have now quit in the face of a new onslaught from Trump, the Daily Mail and the rest of them. None of this bodes well for a public broadcaster which we need now more than ever.

BBC News bulletins leading on the story of an Algerian man being mistakenly released by the prison service. Funnily enough I don't remember these cases ever leading the bulletins when an average of ten prisoners were mistakenly released a month in the final year of the last Government

BBC Radio 4 this morning joined Trump in describing Zohran Mamdani as a "radical leftist".

Totally untrue garbage from @thetimes.com & @dailymail.co.uk today - smear dressed up as journalism. Some facts: - There is no “£900 desk” - my constituency office has Ikea desks/chairs - we significantly underspent the new MPs allowance to set up an office www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/...

Good to see @dailymail.co.uk @thetimes.com and @telegraphnews.bsky.social all delete their articles - sad the lies went up in the first place

Farage: epic grifter

Attacking Farage for the damage he has already done through Brexit - is one way - perhaps - Starmer can win back some of the votes Labour is losing to progressive parties. This is what I wrote for @thenewworldmag.bsky.social this week.

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If you want to understand the true depths of Labour’s electoral challenge, pay a visit to Hampstead ✏️ @tombaldwin66.bsky.social

Some really decent in depth and fact-based reporting from BBC which runs counter to a narrative swallowed whole by much of the media and politicians of all stripes (some of whom should know better). www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

My piece for @thenewworldmag.bsky.social on how Labour can still be a coalition which stretches from Hampstead to Hull. app.thenewworld.co.uk/story/143155...

The former political editor's YouTube show is struggling to pull in the viewers ✏️ Rats in a Sack 🐀

David Gauke is just one of the many thoughtful, principled and decent Tories eviscerated from our politics by Johnson (and their mad old constituency parties) in what may well be the most damaging legacy of Brexit (the same happened to Labour under Corbyn).

At least one Conservative still upholds his party’s traditional respect for human rights and the rule of law. He even still believes in evidence-based arguments. This week he will be the exception, not the rule. www.thetimes.com/comment/colu...

Just heard Chris Philp on BBC’s Today programme explaining why the Tories want to leave the ECHR. He claimed ECHR isn’t mentioned in Belfast Agreement - which is simply untrue. The UK govt agreed to incorporate it into NI law & give direct access to the courts (Strand 3). Why no BBC fact-check?

Presumably Nigel Farage wants the UK to join Russia and Belarus as the only European countries outside the ECHR because he admires Putin so much. I guess Kemi Badenoch wants to leave only because Farage has already promised to do it.

Starmer’s aides have been worrying all week about his sore throat and whether he might lose his voice. But, as he took Farage on over division and racism, he found it.

The media is obsessing over the PM using the word “racist” to describe Farage’s policy. That doesn’t mean anyone who supports Reform is racist. Nor is it patronising to tell them straight this plan is racist, immoral and unpatriotic because it will tear Britain apart.

Keir Starmer’s clarity today about a “very different fight” against Reform shows he’s resolved one dilemma - they’re not the “same old Tories”. But the next one is harder because the best proof of the harm Farage would do is Trump, with whom the UK cannot afford to fall out.

Farage has gone strangely quiet today. Probably makes sense to keep his head down after Reform’s boss in the last set of Welsh elections admitted taking bribes to peddle Russian propaganda. Especially awkward because Nige once said he admires Putin above all other world leaders.

No 10 contradicted by No 11 - "simplistic" is a more accurate critique than plain "wrong" - because of a repeat of the White Paper comms mistakes. There are social democratic (authentic) arguments for much of govt policy in the white paper but it is inauthentic & inaccurate to exaggerate this