🧵1/ Kemi Badenoch’s characterisation of Bridget Phillipson as having “acted like a Gestapo officer” over private school VAT fees are contemptible, unbecoming of any parliamentarian and demonstrate - yet again - that Badenoch is completely unfit for public office.

People in Makerfield pay twice the council tax Westminster residents pay in same band. Momentum's growing, with @jonathanbrashmp.bsky.social, @afzalkhanmcr.bsky.social, @ianbyrnemp.bsky.social, @patrickhurley.bsky.social + more backing change. Great to work with @fairershare.bsky.social on this.

Social media ban for under-16s backed by Southport MP as ‘children should be protected from online harm’ standupforsouthport.com/social-media...

Fun Awaits at the Wesley Street Festival. A Summer Festival is coming to Southport town centre next week and everyone is invited! Wesley Street will host the event on Saturday 20th June 2026. www.yoursouthport.com/blog/wesley-...

An arts venue says it will play a key role in the fight to keep traditional seaside entertainment alive. Southport's Atkinson has been given £248k by the National Lottery Heritage Fund towards an "ambitious" project to protect heritage at risk. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Next step for children's hub in Southport in memory of Bebe King www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpo...

Crackdown on Fly-Tipping: Fines, Fencing and Prosecution for Offenders. Sefton Council is further cracking down on fly-tipping with a combination of strong enforcement and preventative action. www.sefton.gov.uk/mysefton-new...

The highest temperature recorded in the 1976 heatwave was 35.9 degrees, on 3 July.

I’ve only just become aware of this glorious Basil / Clash creation by @sirpaintalot.bsky.social - magnificent work jimll.co.uk/products/bas...

🔥 Westminster's First Past the Post system is broken and unfair. 🌹 Today, 66 Labour MPs have signed an amendment, led by @alexsobel.co.uk, to mend it. 👇 Let’s make sure the “Representation or the People Bill” does what it says on the tin. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Why do all radio stations have to visualise their guests now? Part of the joy of radio is that you get to relax and say what you want on the phone, rather than deal with the horrors of Zoom.

Better than lovely in fact, truly excellent

Here's Nigel Farage's "Tiktok guru" and adviser, Jack Anderton, telling GB News that he would be "worried" if the Jewish population was growing in the UK. When do we start seeing all the coverage about the antisemitism crisis in Reform UK?

Broken train and lost bus add to Northern Rail woes open.substack.com/pub/thesouth...

The “Dirty Hands Brigade” - a Defence of Labour in Power open.substack.com/pub/patrickh...

Jinnie Payne from Churchtown Primary School shortlisted for Headteacher of the Year at TES Schools Awards standupforsouthport.com/jinnie-payne...

Car park attendant who saved grandad’s life in Southport wins Sefton Courage Award sponsored by EFT Group standupforsouthport.com/car-park-att...

Lovely to see the reveal of the Southport Memory Quilt earlier. No matter where you’re from in the town, there’ll be a memory for you.

Southport dads: 'Running for our girls has made us like brothers' www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Holocaust denial and 9/11 theories: The vile views of this Reform UK candidate for Sefton Council. www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpo...

Horrendous - but neccessary - understanding of the impact bad temporary accomodation can have on our children. Linked to the deaths of 104 children over the past 6 years, 76 of them babies. www.theguardian.com/society/2026...

New Arts Venue is set to open in Southport this Summer www.yoursouthport.com/blog/new-art...

The rules are there – so why aren’t councils using them? Social enterprises, councillors, corporate supporters and legal experts recently met with MPs to discuss why existing procurement legislation fails and what needs to change. www.socialenterprise.org.uk/news-and-vie...

Doing this twice a year does seem like an utter waste of everyone’s time, tbqhwy.

Malcolm Offord says this is "the opposite of shambolic"

British suppliers will be prioritised for public contracts in shipbuilding, steel, AI and energy infrastructure under new guidance marking them out as sectors vital to national security. www.theguardian.com/business/202...

Merseyside schools to create nurseries to help cut childcare costs www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpo...

Social media bans and digital curfews to be trialled on UK teenagers www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

We're really excited about our public meeting on Friday featuring @robfordmancs.bsky.social & @patrickhurley.bsky.social Very few tickets left - grab via QR code below & be at the #BijouCinema #Southport by 7pm - doors (and cafe bar) will be open from 6 for friendly chat & networking beforehand 🤗

Southport Pier has seen whole community united behind £20m restoration says Silcock Leisure Group standupforsouthport.com/southport-pi...

Care leavers who were given a one-off, no strings attached £2,000 grant were less likely to become homeless or spend time in hospital or prison, according to a new study. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

With apologies to Hemingway - Cameron, May and Johnson were the gradually, but Truss was the suddenly. She's got less self-reflection than Dracula.

Gaffe-prone Kemi Badenoch denies calling for the UK to join Donald Trump’s war on Iran. This is a bizarre denial, as I was about 20ft away from her last week when she did exactly that. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Liverpool City Region launches £2bn Investment Fund to accelerate growth, jobs and housebuilding. www.liverpoolcityregion-ca.gov.uk/news/liverpo...

A perceptive piece here by @philtinline.bsky.social. Tackling the concentration of corporate power is one of the big tasks of our age. www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/world/united...

I think there is a vg case for the Alternative Vote (pluralist majoritarianism) UK's evolving party system - not least as of balanced use for voters on different sides of political spectrum. It allows sincere voting by every voter + strategic choices by those who care www.ft.com/content/38d8...

Striking that Reform have now overtaken Labour as the party people would most like to vote against - very much matches what we heard in Gorton with many voters primary concern less merits of Lab/Green but who could best stop Reform.

📜 The House of Commons just debated the Representation of the People Bill 💥 Great to see more Labour MPs joining the call for a National Commission on Electoral Reform 📺 @patrickhurley.bsky.social @catsmithmp.bsky.social @chriscurtis94.bsky.social & @jamesnaish.bsky.social 🌹 #Labour4PR

Patrick Hurley MP on why Labour lost in Gorton and Denton: voters are fed up with stagnant living standards and want things to be different @patrickhurley.bsky.social leftfootforward.org/2026/03/a-le...

Councils to get exceptional financial support to balance books www.gov.uk/government/n...

MPs are offered extra security on their homes due to death threats. They are recommended to have guards at public meetings. And they are given geo-tagged fobs to carry in case of abduction. And it’s all because of idiots like this Reform councillor saying we should be shot.

Reform UK deputy leader shares social media post calling for Labour MP to be shot. open.substack.com/pub/thelanca...

‘The need for support is everywhere’: working-class arts group expands to north of England. www.theguardian.com/artanddesign...

‘The coastal towns where young people have been left behind by Whitehall’ labourlist.org/2026/02/coas... – via LabourList

The first official night of #Lightport. Thousands have descended on #Southport to enjoy. On until Monday. Come along and bring the family.

Oesophageal cancer is difficult to diagnose and treat at the moment. But that could have been said for other cancers a couple of decades ago that have shown remarkable improvements, writes Labour MP @patrickhurley.bsky.social

People struggling to access work are not unwilling, they need support that understands local realities and treats them as individuals parliamentnews.co.uk/people-strug...

‘Treasury ‘Green Book’ reform is a game-changer for left-behind coastal towns’ labourlist.org/2026/02/trea...

I have today been informed that, despite personal assurances to the contrary, the Green party have once again used my image and misrepresented my words on a second leaflet circulated in Gorton and Denton ahead of the by-election. I have now lodged an official complaint with the returning officer.

It’s £5.50 per year.