Also given Burnham's commitment to PR, surely a short sighted move by the Greens. Could they not use the campaign to push him on his electoral reform chops instead

In the same way that many jobs have an extra London salary allowance to account for the added expense of living in London, surely the child benefit taper and free childcare limits should take London weighting into account

NEW: Ex-Sky News editor at large, @adamboulton.bsky.social, says he thinks GB News should have its broadcasting licence revoked. Five years after bringing a partisan approach to British TV, GB News still causing a big debate. GB News/Ofcom dispute his view: www.theguardian.com/media/2026/m...

BREAKING: Reform UK leader Nigel Farage bought a £1.4 million property in cash shortly after receiving a £5m personal gift from billionaire donor Christopher Harborne, according to property records seen by Sky News.

NEW: On the £5mn Harborne gift (which Farage says he didn’t have to declare because it was to cover his security before he became an MP) Farage did declare a donation from George Cottrell in mid-April 2024, which covered his accommodation and travel and “security provision”.

On a structural level, the government is not taking this stuff seriously enough This content is a threat to public order and is driving a disintegration of the social fabric. An administration with its finger on the pulse would understand that a lot of issues run downstream of this

This is so brilliant. Thank you @stephenkb.bsky.social for articulating what I've been feeling but unable to word. Antisemitism (racism) is weakened when people feel ashamed to express racist statements in public - algorithmic social media incentivises and feeds exactly the opposite behaviours

I trust Nigel Farage about as much as I would trust an irate cobra.

Extremely pleased to hear this from Mark Rowley, much needed clarity when a community which has been repeatedly gaslit by senior figures about its own safety

Any TV News interviewer who wants to ask Zack Polanski whether this is a "perception of unsafety or actual unsafety", be my fucking guest.

If you honestly believe the only reason problems haven’t been solved is because you weren’t in charge, you need a therapist, not a job in Downing Street. Thoughts on civil service reform. howtorunacountry.substack.com/p/going-for-...

@robfordmancs.bsky.social's May reset prediction looking good. www.ft.com/content/2c50...

@adampayne26.bsky.social Is it possible to follow back so I can DM you about a story

Reforming ‘broken’ student loans ‘not front of queue’, says Rachel Reeves.. Millions on less than median income pay marginal rate of income tax of 20%, 8% NIC, 9% loan repayment, 5% in pension auto enrolment. Little left for life. Inertia is unacceptable.

Childcare cliff edge to be addressed by end of parliament

Ministers are looking at changing the interest rate or repayment threshold on student loans to defuse graduates’ growing anger over spiralling student debts inews.co.uk/news/politic...

If a Labour councillor in the Corbyn era had done this, it would (correctly) be all over the Tele, Times, etc. 3rd or 4th of these stories in the past few weeks broken by the Jewish News or JC and not one of them has been picked up...

A lot of self congratulations from the Times in this article and no mention of the Rethink Repayment campaign... Regardless, as long as we get the right outcome

Government of maximum pain for minimal gain back at it again

@robfordmancs.bsky.social are we ahead of schedule on Government resets for 2026

🚨Student loan repayments scandal Chancellor Rachel Reeves has said the student loans system is "fair & reasonable" following criticism of last year's decision to freeze repayment thresholds for some borrowers. BBC Dan Whitworth looks at the growing debate over student loan repayments scandal

£99987 and counting: graduates trapped by student loans. Govt froze repayment threshold. By 2030, be at minimum wage. At the margin grads pay 20% inc tax + 8%NIC +9% repayment. Insane. Loan increases, if not repaid. Grads can't buy home, start family/business. Abolish Uni fees. Write-off debt.

“The combined tuition fees of the entire Question Time panel would not cover my cost for 1 year of uni. Is that fair?” Oli Dugmore It’s absolutely NOT fair. This outrageous scandal must end

For every additional £100 a Plan 2 graduate earns they repay an extra £9 - but their debt also accrues an additional £7.20 in interest, due to the rising interest rate. www.edrith.co.uk/p/rage-rage-...

At last, the issue of student loans is properly hitting national politics.

“I do not think this is a moral thing for you to do...” Martin Lewis shares his message to Chancellor Rachel Reeves on her decision to freeze the threshold at which graduates begin to repay their student loans. #Newsnight

ATTENTION NO.10 STRATEGISTS FOR THE LOVE OF GOD

This is absolutely shocking. Something has to be done about this appalling situation in which so many now find themselves. The government needs to act

I really hope this is sincere and not just I have an album coming out on Friday please buy/stream it

Times commenters really are a miserable bunch

This country's ability to rinse the young and then berate them as lazy avocado addicts is ridiculous. They're so up against it, it's madness. - as.ft.com/r/094f3968-1...

Conservatives get 14 years of rope, Labour get 1.5 for having been "tried". Voters are entitled to feel how they feel of course, but has the electorate ever been this impatient? A social media era phenomenon?

Can't believe it's been around 10 years since we were a good team

"Those 18-year-olds – the first guinea pigs, the class who matriculated in 2012 – are now turning 31. And belatedly, the impact of the loans they were assured were a rock-solid investment in their futures is becoming apparent." Some thoughts on student loans www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk-...

“Martin angrily challenges Sir Keir Starmer to clear up social media scam adverts cess pit” Courtesy of @thismorningitv.bsky.social

on the one hand, it's the right thing to do, but also on the other, it would annoy the most irritating, obnoxious, awful people on the planet. So it's a tough one

Banning X would have loads of upsides and really not many downsides for the government. The argument for shutting it down (distribution of CSAM) is incontrovertible, the people who are its most avid users hate the government anyway, and it would address threats to social cohesion and public order.

I call on my party and my government to remove themselves entirely from X and communicate with the public where they actually participate online and can be protected from such illegality.

Small sample but a notable improvement in Government comms to start the year. Making the case for an important policy that should positively define the Government rather whispering about it as to not alienate potential but unlikely voters (as has been the previous approach)

"Due to these misperceptions, even willing politicians who want to do more felt their hands were tied.”

Social media is boiling people's brains example #11203

If two terrorist attacks in the last three months weren't enough to illustrate it, the comments to Rachel's incredibly reasonable take show that anti-semitism is alive and thriving

We are devastated to hear reports of a shooting attack at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, with multiple fatalities at a Jewish Hanukkah event. The scourges of terrorism and antisemitism are shared, international challenges and need concerted and determined action to defeat them.

There has been a strong reaction to the antisemitism allegations levelled at Nigel Farage - except from those you might have expected to condemn it most loudly. My piece for @jewishnews.bsky.social on a strange silence www.jewishnews.co.uk/jonathan-fre...

We don’t do court reports, especially when it comes to violent crime, but there’s always an exception.

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