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

Tonight’s Guardian leader on Reeves’s economic programme: www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

On the Chancellor’s autumn figures, general government investment was projected to go into decline at -1.4% in 2029. On today’s it is -1.3% in 2029. ie general govt investment continues to be forecast to go down.

On the Chancellor’s autumn figures, general government investment was projected to go into decline, being at -1.4% in 2029. On today’s it is -1.3% in 2029, ie general govt investment continues to be forecast to go down.

Don’t be in denial about the cuts modernleft.substack.com/p/dont-be-in...

Labour is turning to substantial and more open conflict with the interests of working class people and its own electorate. It is a decisive phase in the course of the govt. As with previous Labour govts that chose such a disastrous course it has to be opposed www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Very welcome from Ian Lavery bsky.app/profile/lave...

Labour is running this campaign ad in the Runcorn & Helsby by-election. The Labour party should be pressed to withdraw it immediately. www.facebook.com/share/1YZPY2...

"Under-22s with long-term illnesses or disabilities will no longer be able to claim a health top-up on universal credit under government plans" www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Excellent by @jontrickett.bsky.social www.mirror.co.uk/news/politic...

Less a u-turn than a swerve: government manoeuvres over the welfare cuts should not fool us into thinking they’ve done enough. The scale of the planned cuts is savage. modernleft.substack.com/p/less-a-u-t...

“There is no moral case for propelling even more people into poverty by cutting benefit levels” - John McDonnell for the Guardian www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

I’ve written here about the fight over the government’s planned cuts to welfare spending, the latest collision with its own base, flowing the Labour right’s economic framework. modernleft.substack.com/p/welfare-cu...