Josh Self
@josh.politics.co.uk
📤 21468
📥 1580
📝 1315
Editor of Politics.co.uk ✍️ Subscribe to my free newsletter 👇
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pinned post!
“ In the moments of stillness between his calamities, Sunak found little time for actual governing.” Long-read on the demise of Rishi Sunak's govt, which one former Conservative MP has described to me as 'so good it almost invokes PTSD' 👀
www.politics.co.uk/year-in-revi...
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Year-in-Review: How the sun finally set on Rishi Sunak
Rishi Sunak wasn’t merely “bad” at politics — he was mind-bendingly, excruciatingly, captivatingly hopeless at it.
https://www.politics.co.uk/year-in-review/2024/12/21/how-the-sun-finally-set-on-rishi-sunak-and-conservative-rule/
11 months ago
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Josh Self
Politics.co.uk
about 19 hours ago
“This responsibility demands a strong financial pledge: stepping back now, even slightly, sends the wrong signal at a moment when decisive leadership is needed”, writes Labour MP
@drbeccycoopermp.bsky.social
🗣️ The UK’s Global Fund pledge is a missed opportunity
www.politics.co.uk/mp-comment/2...
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Beccy Cooper MP: ‘The UK’s Global Fund pledge is a missed opportunity’ - Politics.co.uk
I’ll admit, I haven’t always been the Global Fund’s biggest fan. As a public health consultant working in international development, I used to worry it was too narrowly focused on individual diseases....
https://www.politics.co.uk/mp-comment/2025/11/17/beccy-cooper-mp-the-uks-global-fund-pledge-is-a-missed-opportunity/
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Stark language from this Labour MP speaking in opposition to the government’s asylum proposals “The Prime Minister said in September that we are at a fork in the road. These asylum proposals suggest we have taken the wrong turning.”
add a skeleton here at some point
1 day ago
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Politics.co.uk
7 days ago
“Britain helped build the Global Fund because we understood that a healthier world makes for a safer world. This truth has not changed”, writes Dr Saliha Mahmood Ahmed 🗣️ UK government must back the Global Fund at critical time
www.politics.co.uk/comment/2025...
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UK government must back the Global Fund at critical time - Politics.co.uk
In public health, complacency is the most dangerous pathogen of all. It creeps in quietly, just as progress starts to look permanent. We think a threat has been contained, a disease defeated, and we t...
https://www.politics.co.uk/comment/2025/11/11/uk-government-must-back-the-global-fund-at-critical-time/
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Miriam Cates continues to slow roll her defection to Reform UK
15 days ago
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Nigel Farage asks Enoch Powell for his support ahead of the 1994 Eastleigh by-election From this 2014 Telegraph article -
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politic...
15 days ago
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Politics.co.uk
21 days ago
“Britain can once again set the global standard and prove that great science and the welfare of animals are not mutually exclusive”, writes Conservative MP Dame Caroline Dinenage 🗣️ The future of science is animal-free – Britain must not be left behind
www.politics.co.uk/mp-comment/2...
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Caroline Dinenage: ‘The future of science is animal-free – Britain must not be left behind’ - Politics.co.uk
Last week, the Home Office published its annual statistics detailing the number of scientific experiments involving animals which took place in 2024. As a longtime advocate of animal welfare, it is di...
https://www.politics.co.uk/mp-comment/2025/10/28/caroline-dinenage-the-future-of-science-is-animal-free-britain-must-not-be-left-behind
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Josh Self
Politics.co.uk
26 days ago
“Politics once moved at the pace of persuasion. A leader would make a case, tour the country, take questions, debate opponents – and then wait weeks or months to see whether the argument had landed. “That rhythm is gone”, writes ex-No 10 special adviser Mario Creatura
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Starmer is governed by polls, not principles – voters can sense it - Politics.co.uk
Politics once moved at the pace of persuasion. A leader would make a case, tour the country, take questions, debate opponents – and then wait weeks or months to see whether the argument had landed. Th...
https://www.politics.co.uk/comment/2025/10/22/starmer-is-governed-by-polls-not-principles-voters-can-sense-it/
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Josh Self
Politics.co.uk
about 1 month ago
“It’s official. The Conservative Party leadership has joined the ranks of climate deniers, in a race to the bottom with Nigel Farage and Donald Trump”, writes Labour MP Olivia Blake 🗣️ Why cross-party leadership on climate policy is essential
www.politics.co.uk/mp-comment/2...
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Olivia Blake: 'Why cross-party leadership on climate policy is essential' - Politics.co.uk
It’s official. The Conservative Party leadership has joined the ranks of climate deniers, in a race to the bottom with Nigel Farage and Donald Trump to see whose head can sink deepest into the sand. K...
https://www.politics.co.uk/mp-comment/2025/10/17/olivia-blake-why-cross-party-leadership-on-climate-policy-is-essential/
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Josh Self
Politics.co.uk
about 1 month ago
“Rewarding failure tells the public that accountability is optional, and that consequences are negotiable”, write Lord Clement-Jones and Lord Arbuthnot 🗣️ Fujitsu must be barred from new government contracts
www.politics.co.uk/comment/2025...
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Justice delayed is justice denied: Fujitsu must be barred from new government contracts - Politics.co.uk
In a week when the UK government responds to the Horizon inquiry report recommendations, it is important to take stock of where we are. The Post Office Horizon scandal destroyed lives. Over 1,000 sub-...
https://www.politics.co.uk/comment/2025/10/12/justice-delayed-is-justice-denied-fujitsu-must-be-barred-from-new-government-contracts/
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“It’s been a poor conference season for those who would be king.”
www.politics.co.uk/week-in-revi...
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Week-in-Review: Starmer and Badenoch repel their pretenders – for now - Politics.co.uk
It took the power of Andy Burnham’s example to tame Robert Jenrick. Expectations heading into the Conservative Party’s annual conference suggested the shadow justice secretary would continue to strut ...
https://www.politics.co.uk/week-in-review/2025/10/11/starmer-and-badenoch-repel-their-pretenders/
about 1 month ago
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Josh Self
Jonathan Calder
about 1 month ago
"Jenrick’s own podium contribution was seriously underpowered – echoing his sermon at the Conservative Party’s 2024 fête. (The shadow justice secretary’s rise has been powered by a canny social media strategy; it’s noteworthy that he has not risen to the set-piece opportunities afforded to him)."
add a skeleton here at some point
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Starmer and Badenoch repel their pretenders – for now It’s been a poor conference season for those who would be king. Some observations on the political landscape ahead of parliament's return next week Latest long-read for
@politics.co.uk
👇
www.politics.co.uk/week-in-revi...
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Week-in-Review: Starmer and Badenoch repel their pretenders – for now - Politics.co.uk
It took the power of Andy Burnham’s example to tame Robert Jenrick. Expectations heading into the Conservative Party’s annual conference suggested the shadow justice secretary would continue to strut ...
https://www.politics.co.uk/week-in-review/2025/10/11/starmer-and-badenoch-repel-their-pretenders/
about 1 month ago
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Not seeing the strategic sense in this line. Phillipson is likely to lose, she will know that, so what’s with the hostility? It just reads like No 10 rounding on Powell, who will be invited to return fire. It’s not just the contest at stake here, but the kind of deputy leader Powell will be
about 1 month ago
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Josh Self
Politics.co.uk
about 1 month ago
“Obama’s London speech was a welcome reminder of politics’ oldest truth – people need stories. Starmer has one, of patriotic renewal after national decline, about fairness after years of drift”, writes
@plmr.co.uk
CEO
@kevincraig.co.uk
www.politics.co.uk/comment/2025...
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Obama in London: Have Starmer and Labour already shown they were listening? - Politics.co.uk
They say never meet your heroes, but I have to disagree. Last week in London I met president Barack Obama. He radiated charisma, charm and patience to all the many people he encountered. I especially ...
https://www.politics.co.uk/comment/2025/10/06/obama-in-london-have-starmer-and-labour-already-shown-they-were-listening/
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“Starmer’s story about Britain’s moral character, and threats to it, should not relegate concerns about its material condition.”
www.politics.co.uk/week-in-revi...
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Week-in-Review: The calling of Keir Starmer - Politics.co.uk
“Now, the Tories – do you remember them?” Keir Starmer had spoken for a full 50 minutes before acknowledging the existence of Labour’s historic rival. The line was met with laughter – a fleeting momen...
https://www.politics.co.uk/week-in-review/2025/10/04/the-calling-of-keir-starmer/
about 1 month ago
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“Political narratives matter, especially in a fractured and highly competitive political landscape, because they dictate the battles a party picks. “Managed conflicts are a means by which parties project their values to voters.”
www.politics.co.uk/week-in-revi...
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Week-in-Review: The calling of Keir Starmer - Politics.co.uk
“Now, the Tories – do you remember them?” Keir Starmer had spoken for a full 50 minutes before acknowledging the existence of Labour’s historic rival. The line was met with laughter – a fleeting momen...
https://www.politics.co.uk/week-in-review/2025/10/04/the-calling-of-keir-starmer/
about 1 month ago
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“Starmer positioned Labour as Reform’s antithesis and antidote. He defined the nature of the populist threat, and presented a theory to explain its moral failings. In other words: Starmer told a story.”
www.politics.co.uk/week-in-revi...
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Week-in-Review: The calling of Keir Starmer - Politics.co.uk
“Now, the Tories – do you remember them?” Keir Starmer had spoken for a full 50 minutes before acknowledging the existence of Labour’s historic rival. The line was met with laughter – a fleeting momen...
https://www.politics.co.uk/week-in-review/2025/10/04/the-calling-of-keir-starmer/
about 1 month ago
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“Starmer’s conference address was an analysis of the political landscape, its recent redevelopment, its faultlines – and a statement of where Labour under his leadership would stand within it.”
www.politics.co.uk/week-in-revi...
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Week-in-Review: The calling of Keir Starmer - Politics.co.uk
“Now, the Tories – do you remember them?” Keir Starmer had spoken for a full 50 minutes before acknowledging the existence of Labour’s historic rival. The line was met with laughter – a fleeting momen...
https://www.politics.co.uk/week-in-review/2025/10/04/the-calling-of-keir-starmer/
about 1 month ago
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The calling of Keir Starmer ‘Pledges’, ‘milestones’, ‘first steps’, ‘missions’, ‘foundations’ and ‘phases’ are no substitute for singular purpose. Starmer’s conference speech was a reminder of the power of narrative Latest long-read for
@politics.co.uk
👇
www.politics.co.uk/week-in-revi...
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Week-in-Review: The calling of Keir Starmer - Politics.co.uk
“Now, the Tories – do you remember them?” Keir Starmer had spoken for a full 50 minutes before acknowledging the existence of Labour’s historic rival. The line was met with laughter – a fleeting momen...
https://www.politics.co.uk/week-in-review/2025/10/04/the-calling-of-keir-starmer/
about 1 month ago
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Josh Self
On Starmer's popular front strategy – the opportunities and risks (from my newsletter:
www.politics.co.uk/subscribe/
)
about 2 months ago
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Starmer: “The Tories, do you remember them conference?” The Conservative Party gets its first mention
about 2 months ago
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Josh Self
Expect a 'no time for novices'-esque message from Starmer tomorrow. That was Brown's retort to an upstart David Cameron, which had the happy consequence of catching David Miliband in the crossfire PM probably won't go for inexperience (not a big enough distinction between him, Burnham and Farage)…
about 2 months ago
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Already seen quite a lot of this so far
add a skeleton here at some point
about 2 months ago
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Bridget Phillipson is the first cabinet minister to receive a shoutout in Starmer’s conference speech. Definitely not the No 10 candidate…
about 2 months ago
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On Starmer's popular front strategy – the opportunities and risks (from my newsletter:
www.politics.co.uk/subscribe/
)
about 2 months ago
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@richardburgon.bsky.social
tells
@moreincommonuk.bsky.social
fringe it’s “politically inevitable” that Keir Starmer “will no longer be prime minister” if the polls hold up to and into the May 2026 Holyrood, Senedd and local elections
about 2 months ago
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Anneliese Dodds
@moreincommonuk.bsky.social
fringe: “Ultimately we have to be better at telling a story about what we're doing… “But the story's got to be an authentic one and this is where I think actually picking the right fights is important…”
about 2 months ago
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From deputy prime minister David Lammy’s conference speech:
about 2 months ago
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The 'King of the North' holds court On Burnham's surreal appearance at the electoral reform conference fringe event yesterday. To receive this newsletter:
www.politics.co.uk/subscribe/
about 2 months ago
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Expect a 'no time for novices'-esque message from Starmer tomorrow. That was Brown's retort to an upstart David Cameron, which had the happy consequence of catching David Miliband in the crossfire PM probably won't go for inexperience (not a big enough distinction between him, Burnham and Farage)…
about 2 months ago
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Treasury minister Torsten Bell at Labour conference: “What Britain needs to tackle Farage is a vision, and the vision they need is not a fat bloke in a wetsuit, which is what the Lib Dems have got to offer Britain in the 21st century.”
www.politics.co.uk/news/2025/09...
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Labour labelled ‘nasty party’ after minister calls Ed Davey ‘fat bloke in wetsuit’ - Politics.co.uk
A senior minister has referred to the Liberal Democrat leader, Ed Davey, as a “fat bloke in a wetsuit”. Torsten Bell, who serves jointly as a pensions and Treasury minister, delivered the remarks whil...
https://www.politics.co.uk/news/2025/09/29/labour-labelled-nasty-party-after-minister-calls-ed-davey-fat-bloke-in-wetsuit/
about 2 months ago
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Josh Self
Politics.co.uk
about 2 months ago
“Today dissent is pathologised, selections are stitched up, members treated as irritants. Labour’s pluralism, once its superpower, has been replaced by a culture of control”, writes
@labourlewis.bsky.social
🗣️ Robin Cook showed us politics at its most serious. Labour has lost that balance
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Robin Cook showed us politics at its most serious. Labour has lost that balance
Delivering the Robin Cook memorial lecture was one of the greatest privileges of my time in Parliament. But it wasn’t just a privilege – it was a burden too. The name Robin Cook still carries a weight...
https://www.politics.co.uk/mp-comment/2025/09/29/clive-lewis-robin-cook-showed-us-politics-at-its-most-serious-labour-has-lost-that-balance/
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Josh Self
Politics.co.uk
about 2 months ago
🚨 NEW: Back electoral reform to embed ‘progressive majority’ and thwart Farage, Starmer urged Without electoral reform, the country could face a “horrendous scenario” leading to the “extinction of the United Kingdom”,
@paulsweeney.bsky.social
has warned Story ⤵️
www.politics.co.uk/news/2025/09...
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Back electoral reform to embed ‘progressive majority’ and thwart Farage, Starmer urged - Politics.co.uk
Keir Starmer has been urged to throw his support behind some form of proportional representation (PR) in order to embed Britain’s “progressive majority”. Paul Sweeney, member of the Scottish parliamen...
https://www.politics.co.uk/news/2025/09/29/back-electoral-reform-to-embed-progressive-majority-and-thwart-farage-starmer-urged/
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🚨 NEW: Andy Burnham criticises ‘climate of fear’ in Labour with vow to continue ‘debate’ “To those making calls for simplistic statements of loyalty, well... I think that’s at risk of underestimating the peril the party is in”, he said Full story👇
www.politics.co.uk/news/2025/09...
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Andy Burnham criticises ‘climate of fear’ in Labour with vow to continue ‘debate’ - Politics.co.uk
Andy Burnham has vowed to continue the debate he has instigated over the direction of the Labour Party under Keir Starmer’s leadership, in a direct response to his internal critics. In his first inter...
https://www.politics.co.uk/news/2025/09/28/andy-burnham-criticises-climate-of-fear-in-labour-with-vow-to-continue-debate
about 2 months ago
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🚨 NEW: Andy Burnham criticises ‘climate of fear’ in Labour with vow to continue ‘debate’ “To those making calls for simplistic statements of loyalty, well... I think that’s at risk of underestimating the peril the party is in”, he said Full story👇
www.politics.co.uk/news/2025/09...
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Andy Burnham criticises ‘climate of fear’ in Labour with vow to continue ‘debate’ - Politics.co.uk
Andy Burnham has vowed to continue the debate he has instigated over the direction of the Labour Party under Keir Starmer’s leadership, in a direct response to his internal critics. In his first inter...
https://www.politics.co.uk/news/2025/09/28/andy-burnham-criticises-climate-of-fear-in-labour-with-vow-to-continue-debate
about 2 months ago
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Burnham not backing down: “I've launched a debate on our direction because I think we need it at this moment, because I want this government to be a success… “I think we need to go further, and we do need to have a debate about our direction, and and I, for one, won't be shying away from that.”
about 2 months ago
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@andyburnham.bsky.social
calls for a more “collaborative politics” at Labour conference electoral reform rally He says: “This is an idea whose time has come. Because the world we are in now demands a new politics — it demands a new approach.”
about 2 months ago
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Labour MSP
@paulsweeney.bsky.social
at electoral reform conference fringe: “We need to be aware of the long term prospects for our nation, and build a system of politics in this country that reflects the structural, progressive majority that truly exists in this country.”
@labour4pr.bsky.social
about 2 months ago
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Landed at Labour conference. If you’re around, do give me a shout :)
about 2 months ago
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To whom will Labour conference flock, Starmer or Burnham?
about 2 months ago
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Keir Starmer: “I love and have pride in my country, and I want to serve the whole of my country — our beautiful, tolerant, diverse country... Reform do not believe in that country, they want to tear that country apart. “[Reform’s ILR plan] would tear our country apart…”
about 2 months ago
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NEW: Lib Dems demand paracetamol public information campaign to counter Farage and Trump “fake news” Lib Dem health spokesperson
@helenmorganlibdem.bsky.social
comments:
about 2 months ago
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The world’s worst double date: Mark Francois and Lembit Öpik + the Cheeky Girls From an interview Francois did about his memoirs, ‘Spartan Victory’, with the Bruges Group (which I had the misfortune of stumbling across a few months back)
www.brugesgroup.com/blog/spartan...
add a skeleton here at some point
about 2 months ago
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There are political journeys, and then there’s whatever Lembit Opik has been up to since 2010
about 2 months ago
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Clive Lewis backs Andy Burnham? Remarks delivered at the 2025 Robin Cook Memorial Lecture
about 2 months ago
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reposted by
Josh Self
Politics.co.uk
about 2 months ago
“Reform UK have spotted what you could call a ‘gap in the market’, and it's not a good one”, writes Labour MP Dr
@simonforstroud.bsky.social
🗣️ Reform UK’s vaccine crankery is a dangerous threat to our national security
www.politics.co.uk/mp-comment/2...
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Reform UK’s vaccine crankery is a dangerous threat to our national security
Vaccinations were first trialled in 1796 by Edward Jenner, a rural country doctor in Berkeley, in my constituency. He published the results of his work in 1798. Since their introduction, it is estimat...
https://www.politics.co.uk/mp-comment/2025/09/19/dr-simon-opher-reform-uks-vaccine-crankery-is-a-dangerous-threat-to-our-national-security/
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reposted by
Josh Self
Politics.co.uk
about 2 months ago
“I absolutely will insist that you are not discarded as collateral damage in a rush to worship the god of unfettered autonomy for an articulate few”, writes
@timfarron.bsky.social
🗣️ My opposition to assisted dying is rooted in liberalism and Christianity
www.politics.co.uk/mp-comment/2...
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My opposition to assisted dying is rooted in liberalism and Christianity
The Terminally Ill Adults Bill has its second reading in the House of Lords today. I was devastated when it was passed by the House of Commons earlier this year. I’m not ashamed to say that my reactio...
https://www.politics.co.uk/mp-comment/2025/09/19/tim-farron-my-opposition-to-assisted-dying-is-rooted-in-liberalism-and-christianity/
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🚨 Zarah Sultana confirms she has been frozen out of ‘Your Party’ — Hits out at “sexist boys’ club” — Accuses Corbyn statement of having “misrepresented the situation” — Calls for a meeting with Corbyn — Party is “more important than any one person”
add a skeleton here at some point
2 months ago
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All is not well in ‘Your Party’. Note the absence of Zarah Sultana’s name at the bottom of this statement
2 months ago
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From YouGov: Seven in ten Britons (71%) now hold an unfavourable opinion of Keir Starmer
2 months ago
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