“Come spy with us.” www.theguardian.com/world/2025/s...

This is a ridiculously good read

A final little bit from me in today's edition: the south London flagger who told the BBC he was one of many “hardworking business people” hanging British flags -- and his £98,000 false injury claim When I called him, he gave this gem of a quote

Really great story!

According to my local parent WhatsApp group, the new school playground insult is: "Your dad paints roundabouts"

This is an insane caper (emailing Mi5 from the Apple Store! A fake bomb hoax! Dead-drops in poo bags!). Make time to read it.

When Daniel Khalife, a British soldier accused of spying for Iran, escaped from Wandsworth Prison, he became a social media celebrity... Was he a threat to national security? Or just a mixed up kid? My latest for GQ, a story of angst and espionage... www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/dani...

Was in rural Ireland last week. Even in tiny villages you could see the Palestinian colours flapping in the wind. Get home to find people have scribbled red crosses on the zebra crossing. Flags!

the juxtaposition of 'let's enjoy Paddington bear!' and 'let's deport human migrants to the Taliban!' is too perfect

The Labour response to Farage policy of leaving the Refugee & Humam Rights Convention should not be “he won’t deliver”. It should be “this is not morally right” (not “British values” even). Voters want to see authentic consistent leadership. Not debate the workability of cruelty.

Daily Telegraph today refers to A Rayner’s property “empire”. Whatever you think of her housing arrangements, I don’t think constituency house (bought for 375k in 2016), house in Hove, plus use of ministerial flat in London is an “empire”. Duke of Westminster wont fear a rival!

Weird, this Margeux Blanchard AI journalism thing... Freelance rates for writers are pretty poor, so seems like a fairly high-labour, low-reward scam if it's just about the money... pressgazette.co.uk/publishers/d...

you rarely encounter a perfect intro..........but when you do

“If I said I was wearing a Palestine Action T-shirt would you get here quicker?” From the new Private Eye, in shops now.

"Twamley was also filmed slapping a woman in Piccadilly Gardens following the Britain First event, at which speakers had repeatedly invoked the supposed threat that illegal immigrants pose to women." hopenothate.org.uk/2025/08/19/e...

Bari Weiss’s Free Press Wants You to Know Some Kids Being Starved by Israel Were Already Sick theintercept.com/2025/08/19/b...

Perhaps, one day, schoolkids will study this squalid little chapter in British terror-panic history. When they do, I hope these two headlines from today are printed side by side, with clear annotation of which individual faced more outrage and condemnation.

"Ahead of publication, we asked each of the Reform councillors pictured how they came to be photographed alongside a man displaying overt neo-Nazi symbolism. None responded." Excellent work from the Kent Current that deserves pickup from the national press.

Billionaire developer Asif Aziz is one of London's most powerful and influential landowners. In my latest investigation for @londonermag.bsky.social I found out how he has brought and shut down dozens of London pubs for redevelopment. www.the-londoner.co.uk/exclusive-th...

Lots of fascinating resonance between these two eras...particularly arond gender. I touched on similar themes researching this piece about the legendary Eugene Sandow www.economist.com/1843/2021/03...

£1 to narc on a shoplifter is a pretty depressing proposition

Please dm me if you can help.

It's both, though, right? Wanting it isn't the same as enjoying it...!

Great to hear that the Prince Charles Cinema is looking to expand –especially since the future of the original site has been on shaky ground. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

No journalist (or anyone for that matter) should endure what people are going through in Gaza right now - singing this in solidarity of all those working to ensure Israel's war crimes don't go unreported freedomtoreport.org

Incredibly powerful, meticulous and thought-provoking reporting on the trial of Constance Marten – I highly recommend taking the time to read it www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...

Letter of the day (in the Times)

He had the kind of body that would shame Adonis... 🎶

18 years of short term fixes failed to tackle deep-seated problems across the system on.ft.com/46BWsgp

Perception Vs reality of crime consistently makes my brain melt 🫠

“It couldn’t happen without the support of the western world.” www.theguardian.com/world/2025/j...

Staring into the abyss, France calls for the recognition of Palestine and Britain says it’s really really bad to spray-paint planes.

Stunning, haunting photos from the West Bank. Brings to mind the work of Leticia Battaglia www.newyorker.com/culture/phot...

Good to know that Labour is sympathetic to vigilante hate mobs www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

A Palestinian mother in Gaza: “My children have become skeletal, skin and bone. Even the slightest effort makes them dizzy. They are asking for food, and I have nothing to give. I can’t lie and say I’ll bring them something when I know I won’t be able to.” www.theguardian.com/world/2025/j...

Are Private Eye jokes now... criminal? PALESTINE Solidarity campaigner Jon Farley was arrested during a silent march in Leeds last weekend. What egregious act had prompted the police to act? He was, er, carrying a Private Eye joke piece as a placard! (1/2)

9. work should only be your no1 life priority if you're like, president or king, or maybe some high level CEO - everyone else should be able to have a life where work occupies as much space as family, friends, hobbies, etc, enough with this work obsession

V interesting report, worth reading. Council Tax reform is definitely long overdue

Excellent investigative reporting and big questions to be asked of one of London's biggest landlords 👏

The imagined color of life under communism, gray has revealed itself to be the actual hue of globalized capital. www.nplusonemag.com/issue-44/the...

The Dial is a super mag, which I've had the pleasure of contributing to a couple of times. For its summer reading list I recommended one book I can't stop thinking about – Dirty Work by @epress.bsky.social Check out the full list and donate to support unique and independent journalism :)

After Keir Starmer proscribed Palestine Action as a terrorist group, even some of his own backbenchers are concluding the former human rights lawyer believes in nothing, writes @arusbridger.bsky.social. www.prospectmagazine...

It is absolutely sickening that stories like have become almost completely inconsequential in political terms www.theguardian.com/world/2025/j...

"Last week I was not a terrorist. This week I am" Ronan Bennet on the absurd, dystopian attacks on civil liberties www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/politics/fre...

Shame I need to run across the track and add the missing apostrophe.

Anyone else watching the Rehearsal? www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...

Armed officers, frequent use of force and people grabbed on the street or at their places of work. Working with @evidentmedia.org and @calmatters.org we have monitored the LA raids, discovering recurring trends and tactics used by officers. www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/07...

Fascinating www.theguardian.com/education/20...

Seriously depressing talk from Yvette Cooper on #r4today this morn. We showed how dangerous these practices are last year www.lighthousereports.com/investigatio... Hard to believe this is the same Yvette Cooper who used to do a great job at grilling Tory ministers about these sort of stupid ideas

The BBC has confirmed it won’t air its documentary on Gaza’s medics. I know some of the journalists involved and they’re absolutely excellent. This statement is mealy-mouthed; you can’t “both sides” the facts on the ground of a genocide, and there’s a clear public interest in documenting those facts