Seems to be some assumption among journos that Burnham would be better than Starmer, I guess it wouldn't be hard, but I'd like to see an actual analysis of Burnham's delivery as mayor. Pretty disappointing IMV, and without much effective scrutiny.

“One notable MIT study found that 95 percent of companies that integrated AI saw zero meaningful growth in revenue. For coding tasks, one of AI’s most widely hyped applications, another study showed that programmers who used AI coding tools actually became slower at their jobs.”

"Prostate cancer is now the most commonly diagnosed form of cancer across the UK, surpassing breast cancer" www.theguardian.com/society/2026...

Who could possibly have predicted that making university funding dependent on student satisfaction would lead to grade inflation...

Great news! Tour de France Femme Grand Depart will visit Stockport at the end of July 2027 on the Manchester to Sheffield leg.

This confirms our worst fears. Labour want to divert taxpayers money from our public services to pay for their mandatory Digital ID scheme. The Lib Dems fought against Labour’s ID plans before and won, and we can do it again.

The robotaxis are coming ... but do we really want them? Or will they simply make city roads more congested and less safe? Read the story with #FTEdit 👉 ft.trib.al/rRSLdYH Then take today's #FTEdit poll 🗳️ ft.trib.al/oWktweN

Video appearing to show MP’s question in Commons about capture of Maduro is AI

19: Plant a tree in your front yard, and fight for street trees on your street, in your neighborhood, and across your city. There are literally dozens of ways they make life better on streets and in cities. It’s one of the best investments a city can make.

Stockport is worse off under the Labour Government's funding settlement, despite containing the most deprived part of GM. We appear to have missed out on the recovery grant by 0.01%. I want the Gov't to ensure the most vulnerable people won't be affected by their decision.

Very sad that I felt I had no choice but to resign from The Infinite Monkey Cage - a victory for the transphobes and other bigots - I did it because so much of the media has chosen to believe the kind and empathetic people are a fiction - they are real and so often unrepresented.

Actually a good idea.

What if I told you that only 3 metropolitan borough councils in the country aren’t getting the Recovery Grant (again)? That two of them are in Greater Manchester? And that one of those has the most deprived community (by super-output area) in Greater Manchester. I’d laugh if it wasn’t so tragic.

The Christmas Season is about to start… our tree and decorations are going up this weekend. For those of us who are able, let’s do the season of giving right by donating gifts for kids in families facing tough times, and helping your local food bank. Thanks, and Happy Holidays.

once more I am begging everyone to do policy based on evidence, not on vibes from the loudest-shouting pressure groups. What the NHS is leaning towards - targeted screening for those most at risk - is the right way to do this. Blanket screening with an unreliable test causes harm.

I think it’s as simple as “I don’t want to admit that my election strategy was flawed” and everything else is working backwards from that.

Loosening licensing rules will increase alcohol harm and means fewer protections for communities – especially in already‑vulnerable areas. We encourage other organisations and individuals to share responses too. Don’t let industry influence outweigh the needs of the public.

It really is astonishing that government have given only 3 weeks for a response to their licensing proposals which include setting "economic growth" as a licensing objective. Their top down micromanaging is fundamentally incompatible with public heath and protection from harm.

Asked whether council elections next year will all go ahead and not be delayed, the Minister says the Government wants that to happen. Is that a yes? I'm not sure.

Steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal’s energy joint venture in India purchased Russian oil transported on sanctions-listed vessels, according to an analysis of satellite imagery, shipping data and customs records by the FT on.ft.com/3WZkFHh

🚨 🪪 The Government seems to have magically pulled £2 BILLION out of the hat to force through their dangerous digital ID plans... Meanwhile, thousands of @waspicampaign.bsky.social campaigners are fighting tooth-and-nail for the compensation they are rightly owe

🎶 There’s a hole in my budget, Ed Davey, Ed Davey, There’s a hole in my budget, ED Davey, a hole…

The thing everyone said would happen has happened. Well done to the government for its complete ignorance of all things tech.

Does the 2024 Lib Dem formula still work?

We're here in Bournemouth at the Liberal Democrats conference. Whilst some parties are turning their back on climate action, the Lib Dems are launching new climate policy and we're looking forward to hearing more. #climateaction

Elon Musk’s dangerous rhetoric is an attack on our democracy. No one—no matter how wealthy or powerful—should get away with using their platform to incite violence or inflame division.

This on the back of MSD walking away from £1B project in London and an almost completed building is pretty disastrous for UK Biomedical science.

Can't believe what nonsense Amol Rajan is talking on Today about AI "being close to obtaining the *skills* to make biological weapons". The theory is very different from the skills. Computers can't do CRIPR. Not the first time I've heard this hype either.

Who out there is a fun guy? Can I eat these? They're growing in my planter.

Abolition of stamp duty would be good for mobility, but surely floating the idea as a long term goal is another way to stifle growth in the short term as people put off purchases in the hope of saving £10,000s. Someone needs to get a grip of the government's messaging.

This week I wrote to the Home Secretary and the Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation to challenge the Terrorism Act 2000. Peaceful protest is a fundamental pillar of any liberal democracy, and this legislation is denying people that right.

Akiko Iwasaki opening this #longcovid meeting

Highly sceptical of a government which u-turned on taking a few hundred pounds of winter fuel allowance from wealthy pensioners will be willing to take their cars away. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/a...

Needing some help from all the mouse doctors around! Does anyone know who might keep a B10.D2 mouse colony in the UK (or even mainland Europe)?

🧊New episode out🧊 ICE - How Trump built an American Gestapo. Masked men bundling people into unmarked cars is now a state-sponsored activity in the US. @iandunt.bsky.social and @dorianlynskey.bsky.social ask how we got here. 🎥Video available on Spotify! Listen / watch: linktr.ee/originstoryp...

Happy #YorkshireDay however you celebrate.

Two things happened today... 1) The UK brought in draconian new laws requiring adults to identify themselves online (or at a minimum prove their age) 2) The IDs of millions of women who used the Tea app leaked. If you can't see why 1) is bad when given the evidence of 2), there's no helping you.

Strong vibes the authors gave up when addressing Northern England becuase this map doesn't reflect "economic coherence" Key transport links and TWAs excluded from "Urban Strategic Authority". Wigan but not Warrington? Southport but not Glossop?

I feel seen...

We welcome their belated decision to stop multiple foreign states each owning substantial stakes in our British papers – a move that could have seen malevolent actors club together to undermine our historic press freedoms. www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/202...

Reach local news sites are one of the main routes for misleading news to reach UK audiences. Due to idea these outlets have standards they’re included in aggregators and seen by millions. When will DCMS ministers stop listening to news industry lobbyists and open their eyes? bsky.app/profile/jim....

⚠️URGENT ADVICE WANTED⚠️ I have two refugee families in my ward who are being moved involuntarily hundreds of miles away. If anyone knows any immigration lawyer who may be able to give advice, please pass this message on. Email at [email protected]

The disconnect between what voters think local govt is for (doing things they care about like roads and bin collections or things they enjoy like parks and leisure centres) and what local govt actually does (social care, invisible to most residents, poorly provided to those using) is not healthy

Phage people: Rich Losick and I are combing the world looking for T4 rIIB mutant FC0 (also known as P13). FC0 was the starting point for Francis Crick's beautiful 1961 paper on the triplet nature of the genetic code. We want to sequence it. Anyone have it in an ancient stock collection?

Or to put it another way, overseas students now subsidise the cost of teaching each UK undergraduate by an average of £2,500 each. Take them away and you've got an absolutely existential crisis for universities. www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/politics/pol...

Labour's vote shares put them in fifth place in the wards with the most graduates. Average figures in grads over 40% wards: Lib Dem: 28.6 Con 25.9 Ref 19.8 Grn 13.4 Lab 12.7

Great to see Llew elected in Winslow and that the ex-tory "independent" didn't fool too many people.