Critical comms expert Rutherford Hall is now advising the Enhanced Games (aka steroid Olympics) - his first recommendations have leaked www.ft.com/content/1031...

🚨Elon Musk has boosted the public profile of Restore Britain leader Rupert Lowe on X, pulling Britain’s political discourse towards extreme content and amplifying his influence ahead of a knife-edge election in Makerfield More @FT: as.ft.com/r/80f4639f-0...

"It would be funny, if it weren't so troubling." - terrific column on the rise of Nigel Farage's own Eric Zemmour by @robertshrimsley.bsky.social:

"The last thing an already polarised nation needs is a new bidding war on the anti-immigrant right" On the wider impact of Rupert Lowe's Restore Britain and wh it is not just Nigel farage who should be worried (plus anothr great illustration from Ewan White) www.ft.com/content/7312...

"I grieve for the Israel I once admied so much". Don't agree with every word of this, but I agree with a hell of a lot. www.thetimes.com/article/1879...

Listening to Alan Milburn is a reminder of what it was like when serious politicians did the policy work and made an argument

The problem with the Blair essay, which I think is serious and excellent, is that Labour and its supporters don't want this agenda. The crash gave them the excuse they wanted to reject Blairism But Badenoch should grab it because it is exactly where the Conservatives should be.

"she spoke to the part of my family tree that rode horses out on the steppes of Eurasia" .... She was "big in the way of women who never apologise to furniture" Spot the human author. Really enjoyed this piece by @stephenkb.bsky.social on AI novels www.ft.com/content/2d08...

First Arsenal game - he’s 26 now. First title

And in an effort to summon some expert witnesses 🔽

The book Soccernomics agrees with you, FWIW (noting, among other things, their long career which gives more opportunity to benefit from the transfer).

I will never understand the pricing of goalkeepers compared to outfield players. If Arsenal do win the Prem David Raya will have been an absolutely crucial contributing factor - Arsenal got him for £27m plus the £3m loan fee. City paid something similar for Donnarumma.

Arsenal are running out of opportunities to lose the premiership. Really in last chance saloon now.

Manchesterism hasn’t been the end of trickle down economics. Notwithstanding that, I bet that video burnham put out last night was really easy to shoot - still think some people who last experienced him in SW1 struggle to understand the level of popularity

Not actually sure Burnham should want the Greens to stand aside. He'd squeeze their vote to nothing anyway and if they back him, Reform can tar him with their policies by association.

If Andy going for his run is going to be a daily picture any chance of a Go Fund Me for some new shorts

I know the local elections were seven hundred years ago in Labour-time but I thought I'd share a little app I made that lets you look at the English ward results on a map and compared to various Census demographics. Warning the map takes a while to load. 1/n benwansell.github.io/local-electi...

After that, I head into the office and work until lunchtime, when I set off to the National Gallery and spend a good 30 minutes pounding the hell out of the van Goghs. My culture exercise routine www.ft.com/content/64d9...

Following the exciting news that reading an museums can be as good for you as a workout - I'm publishing my culture diet. www.ft.com/content/64d9...

This is going to be a very hard by-election for journalists to cover. The best hotels are all outside the constituency.

This will be a great and wise book

Excited to read about this, courtesy of Spybrary

No, Britain is not ungovernable. It's just been very badly governed. My latest.

By-election will be a fight between two Starmer Out candidates. Although Burnham has a better claim to the mantle as he can do the job within weeks of the by-election.

One more thought. If Burnham agets over the hurdles and wins Makerfield then the decision to block him in Gorton and Denton looks even worse. Its only lasting consequence was to give real momentum to the Greens they might otherwise have been denied.

Makerfield is a fitting seat. If Burnham really is the guy to stop Reform he will be able to stop them in Makerfield. If he can't then he probably isn't

So this is quite a cute way out. He does the brave thing but positions it as a move for the whole party by a) delaying the collection of names (which he may not have) and b) saying the contest must wait for Andy.

The damage Wes is doing himself is incalculable. If he doesn't go for it now he looks weak, inept & is way more sackable. If he wasn't sure he should have reined in his outriders ydy. It's not foolish to retreat in the face of overwhelming odds but it's smarter to have done the maths in advance

No, Britain is not ungovernable. It's just been very badly governed. My latest.

Where's Wessy?

Better than lovely in fact, truly excellent

lovely speech from Naz Shah

My favourite fake rule of politics - is "its always the cover-up, never the crime that gets you". a) if there was no crime there'd be no cover up b) yes sometimes its the cover-up which unravels first but c) actually it's still normally the crime.

Secondary issue I know but today is massive for Bademoch. She speaks before Starmer in the KS debate. It's a huge chance. A killer performance can undercut him before he even speaks, cement Labour views that they can't go on like this, and capture bulletins. But it is also easy to misfire.

Not sure Burnham can hold off much longer if he really does have a seat ready to go for.

‘How long can the gilt market act as the UK’s political police?’ ft.trib.al/OeQCwLH

smart thread from Gaby

Meanwhile at Manchester Piccadilly Glad tiding my friends. I have identified a winnable by-election in the north-west area which I shall soon be revealing. (Irony alert: am not actually comparing Andy Burnham to Lenin. For one thing Lenin had far better advace organistion)

My government will get back to you shortly. Thank you for holding

Slightly unfair. I think it's more "you want the crown. stad up and take it, I'm not just handing it over"

We'll see how the day plays out but Starmer exploiting the split between the we need to wait for Andy faction and the Wes caucus. Got to respect the "You want me out - come out the shadows, stand up and force me out". Shows a certain grit. It works sometimes (Wilson) not sure about this time

The two coded phrases in the resignation demands. Orderly timetable for transition =leave time for Andy. Rapid process = move fast for Wes

V good from Wiliam Hague www.thetimes.com/comment/colu...

Can't fault this

Things Can Only Get Better is a campaign song, not a reliable political forecast as.ft.com/r/52a8d478-9...

When was the last time a speech changed everything? Geore Osborne - 2007 inheritance tax speech to party conference is that first that comes to my mind?

People who want Andy Burnham to be leader are in danger of creating a momentum which ensures a contest before he can stand

100 per cent this. It’s really not that difficult.

Even this call is muted and nuanced.