Labour: third in a ‘two horse race’ open.substack.com/pub/modernle...

I now have a public Instagram, maybe see you over there too: www.instagram.com/p/DUla5Y-DFp...

Important thread ... 👇

Insightful insider perspective from @fletchersimon.bsky.social on the close relationship between Starmer's office and Mandelson modernleft.substack.com/p/the-mandel...

A distinctive and informed insight into the Mandelson scandal by @fletchersimon.bsky.social

Labour’s leadership brought Mandelson in and clung to him because of a shared political project. The Mandelson crisis is a crisis of that project. By me: modernleft.substack.com/p/the-mandel...

Bruce Springsteen’s song responding to the murders of Renée Good and Alex Pretti was the highest-selling song in the USA last week. www.billboard.com/music/chart-...

I wrote this song on Saturday, recorded it yesterday and released it to you today in response to the state terror being visited on the city of Minneapolis. It’s dedicated to the people of Minneapolis, our innocent immigrant neighbors and in memory of Alex Pretti and Renee Good. Stay free

Late sharing it, but this by @jemgilbert.bsky.social from just before Christmas is good on the mismatch between the scale of the economic and social challenges in Britain, and the policy programme of the Labour leadership. www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk-...

Excellent by @fisherandrew79.bsky.social on Wes Streeting and BMA - a very welcome corrective to all the boneheaded denunciations of resident doctors. bsky.app/profile/fish...

British and European militarism is out of control: “To serve. And if necessary, to fight. And more families will know what sacrifice for our nation means." news.sky.com/story/uks-so...

MPs of all parties should be pressed to sign this motion tabled by @johnmcdonnellmp.bsky.social calling on the Justice Secretary to intervene urgently to ensure the Palestine hunger strikers’ treatment is humane and their human rights are upheld. edm.parliament.uk/early-day-mo...

I went to see Emma-Jean Thackray at the Glasshouse tonight and it was outstanding.

The election of Lucy Powell as deputy leader is a rebuke by party members to Labour’s course under the leadership of Keir Starmer. Her opponents argued that a vote for Powell would destabilise Labour - but Labour was already destabilised (and worse) modernleft.substack.com/p/who-destab...

I am putting myself forward to stand as Deputy Leader of the Labour Party. I look forward to explaining why, over the three short and undemocratic days we have to do so.

From a story in the current edition of The Beano

The Labour leadership has not only failed to challenge the anti-migrant, anti-multicultural narrative that’s been unleashed, it’s fed it. Its responses here to Farage’s extremely right wing speech compound that and leave the goal totally wide open for the far right. Disgraceful.

I’m away for a few days and not keeping up with everything but this by @adambienkov.bsky.social from a couple of days ago contains much to agree with. open.substack.com/pub/bylinesu...

Very interesting on the impact of Labour’s political direction on the party’s youth and student structures www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk-...

No nukes. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Best seat on the bus #gateshead #newcastle

This is wide-ranging piece that discusses in depth Keir Starmer’s approach as PM to human rights, and how that is reflected in the policies of the Labour government. Strong recommend. bsky.app/profile/tril...

Excellent article by Andrew Fisher on the need for publicly-owned water utilities bsky.app/profile/fish...

Tonight.

Beautiful day for the Gala

Spare some time today to remember all those killed, injured and traumatised on this day twenty years ago in the London bombings, and recall the public service workers who responded to those horrific attacks with such bravery and dedication.

A few reflections on the anniversary of the 7 July bombings, which is tomorrow open.substack.com/pub/modernle...

Pathetic stuff from ‘senior government sources’.

Good article: bsky.app/profile/fish...

The problem with this government line is that there is no moral case for it either, quite the opposite www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Correct position bsky.app/profile/andy...

A 'bomber-clad nation.' Dreary and dreadful. Militarism drags society down, sets the sights so low. Join CND. www.theguardian.com/politics/liv...

Fare evasion has been falling on London's transport network for years. A reminder that one of the times evasion actually did rise in recent years was when the last Conservative mayor spent hundreds of millions of pounds building a fleet of new buses with entirely open backs

Ridiculous that it even needs saying: “new data reveals bats and newts are not the main reason planning is delayed in England” www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

“Party staff will no longer be reporting its membership data to the NEC, the governing body of the Party, which is completely unprecedented” Covering up the consequences of bad political decisions doesn’t make the bad politics go away. via @labour-hub.bsky.social labourhub.org.uk/2025/05/22/b...

Why trying to out-Farage Farage is just never going to work for Labour. The most hardline, anti-migrant set of policies from any UK Government in recent years and the Daily Mail still portrays it as a betrayal

Today it is 25 years since Ken Livingstone was confirmed as the winner of the first London Mayor election, beginning a new era of devolution and city-wide govt for London and two terms of ground-breaking delivery and improvement for Londoners.

Sometimes a problem isn’t a comms problem, it’s a problem problem.

Latest for Byline Times, after last night's elections. Going further and faster down the wrong road is the height of political wrong-headedness. @bylinetimes.bsky.social bylinetimes.com/2025/05/02/l...

Craven www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/a...

NEW: Thousands of people with cancer, cardiovascular diseases and respiratory diseases, and more than 200,000 people with arthritis are among the 1.3 million whose disability benefits are at risk from planned cuts, according to FOI data By me, for @bigissue.com www.bigissue.com/news/social-...

Last night massively defeated by Reform in Tameside and the Greens in Haringey, the Labour right’s choices are the wrong ones for the majority of the population and causing a backlash in all directions.

Spirit-lifting, mind-blowing, superb Kamasi Washington at the Glasshouse tonight

Fascinating reading, this. www.survation.com/labour-membe...

Rejecting this accounting trick allows us to gain a clearer picture of the scale of cuts to benefits for ill & disabled people Taking the impact of the two key cuts & offsetting the increase to the basic rate of UC, we believe the true scale will be £6.7bn a year by 2029-30 5/8

Following the govt's own impact assessment predicting that their policies will push 50,000 children into poverty, we have new research out (conducted by JL Partners) showing that Labour voters are starting to lose faith with Ministers on this issue. www.mirror.co.uk/news/politic...

Can't remember a statement by a Chancellor that has gone down as badly, as quickly, and with almost all parts of the political spectrum, as this one

Every member of the front bench who knows this is wrong but thinks they can keep their heads down needs to think again. This is not a case of living to fight another day. The fight is now. It’s necessary to resign from the govt and oppose this attack on welfare. bsky.app/profile/kevm...

'Bloody disgusting and unfair' inews.co.uk/news/politic...

Best and worst Labour Chancellors? And why? From: Philip Snowden Hugh Dalton Stafford Cripps Hugh Gaitskell James Callaghan Denis Healey Gordon Brown Alistair Darling Rachel Reeves