Given most of my landscape shots consist of grey skies, rather pleased with these snaps of the last day and sunset of the year. May 2026 involve plenty more aesthetically pleasing photos, bright & crisp weather and, possibly, a return to some culinary escapades.

Keen for a political trip down memory lane? Then, in-between the mince pies and remaining leftovers, do scroll through my @politico.eu rundown of 67 (yes, 67) odd words and phrases that entered SW1’s lexicon in 2025. www.politico.eu/article/67-w...

Marking Betwixmas in a peaceful, cloudy Cambridge with, of course, some charity shop book purchases.

Feeling bereft after finishing Elizabeth Day’s utterly sublime ‘One of Us.’ Thrilling to rediscover the array of compelling, intoxicating characters five years after reading ‘The Party.’ Meticulous plotting, pacy narrative and beautiful prose. The perfect festive tome.

Cambridge is always enchanting and majestic, but especially so at Christmas.

Essential Christmas tradition = complete.

NEW: The New Year's Eve celebration on the Commons Terrace has been cancelled after parliamentary security staff in the PCS union announced strike action on December 31. Last month, I reported this was very likely due to inadequate working conditions. 👇 www.politico.eu/article/uk-h...

Final @politico.eu #PMQs scorecard of 2025 by yours truly where Starmer and Badenoch traded festive barbs. The Tory leader claimed all Labour MPs want for Christmas "is a new leader" while Starmer said Badenoch would be "left Home Alone" by defections. www.politico.eu/article/uk-p...

Green Party leader Zack Polanski is open to forming a discrete non-aggression pact with Labour in order to stop right-winger Nigel Farage from ever entering Downing Street, according to two senior Green officials.

EXC: Operation stop Farage: Polanski would work with Labour to keep Reform out of No 10 - if Starmer is ousted inews.co.uk/news/politic...

Required Christmas reading!

In 2020, Keir Starmer pledged to abolish the House of Lords. But now he's filled the unelected chamber with his allies. My @politico.eu listicle remembers five times Labour ripped into the upper house ... before learning to love the red benches. www.politico.eu/article/5-ti...

My penultimate @politico.eu #PMQs scorecard of 2025 highlighted how Kemi Badenoch focused on the records of Keir Starmer's leadership rivals in their respective government departments — lambasting *both* their policy delivery and the internal political divisions. www.politico.eu/article/pmqs...

UK-EU customs union vote in the Commons results in a tie (100 votes each!). Deputy Speaker Caroline Nokes makes a casting vote *in favour* to allow for further debate.

I interviewed Electoral Commission Chief Executive Vijay Rangarajan in this week's @politico.eu London Influence. He told me mis/disinformation were primary forms of overseas election interference which left them worried going into next May's polls. www.politico.eu/newsletter/p...

My first @politico.eu #PMQs scorecard of December after helping with morning Playbook gave Kemi Badenoch victory. The Tory leader clearly poked holes in the turbulent budget aftermath — while Starmer had some emotive rhetoric, he was on the back foot. www.politico.eu/article/pmqs...

⚖️ IN LONDON PLAYBOOK PM TONIGHT ... ⚖️ Labour must convince its own MPs on proposed court reforms ⚖️ Vote looms tonight on farm tax — what will Labour dissenters do? ⚖️ Lords Speaker manifestos, via @noahkeate.bsky.social ⚖️ Read and subscribe (free) here: www.politico.eu/newsletter/l...

This afternoon, I interviewed Gurpreet Singh Johal, the brother of Jagtar Singh Johal, who’s been imprisoned in India since 2017. He told me his meeting with Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper today was a “backwards step” that felt like talking to a brick wall.

Resisted the temptation to say ‘Love Four Weddings and a Funeral’ while in the same Tube carriage as, er, Hugh Grant. Fellow passengers very polite, am sure lots recognised him but allowed the great actor to complete his journey in peace.

Helping with London Playbook for some of this week after admiring the landscape in Ravenscourt Park and by the Thames. The hours of daylight may be getting shorter but the sky is particularly majestic and serene at this time of year.

Your Party, Our Party, Popular Alliance and For the Many are the four prospective names 50,000 members of ‘Your Party’ will choose between at their inaugural conference in Liverpool. Jeremy Corbyn will announce the result on Sunday afternoon.

After my scoop announcing parliament's security guards were likely to strike on New Year's Eve, do read my longer @politico.eu piece about why the people responsible for protecting Britain's democracy are so fed up with their working conditions. www.politico.eu/article/uk-h...

Stardust. The Israeli-U.S. company with a strange and totally real plan to block out the sun and reverse global warming. Reporting this story involved a complete relearning of what I thought I knew about the climate future. w/@corbinhiar.bsky.social www.politico.com/news/magazin...

Wow. Labour MPs are starting super-early on a strategy that some Tory MPs told us (#BGEbook) had saved their bacon in 2024! 'A Labour MP [says] that while their approach is “local, local, local” they will “only mention the PM or chancellor if I develop a desire to find out what losing feels like.”'

SCOOP: Parliamentary Security Department employees in the PCS union are likely to strike on New Year's Eve if their long running dispute with the house authorities isn't resolved after walking out today. Many passholders & guests watch the New Year fireworks from the Terrace.👇

The Chancellor announced a plethora of policies at the budget. But what are people going to remember? The OBR's analysis, which included the key policies, being published online *before* she started speaking. Our writeup of the leak and key policies here. www.politico.eu/article/uk-b...

Must say Nus Ghani is doing an excellent job chairing the budget. A good audition for the next Commons Speaker election?

NEW: Crossbench peer Deborah Bull is expected to go up against Association of Conservative Peers Chair Michael Forsyth to replace John McFall as Lord Speaker. One Tory peer admitted Forsyth was a “political animal” … but some Labour peers admire his reverence for tradition.

NEW: Crossbench peer Deborah Bull is expected to go up against Association of Conservative Peers Chair Michael Forsyth to replace John McFall as Lord Speaker. One Tory peer admitted Forsyth was a “political animal” … but some Labour peers admire his reverence for tradition.

NEW: Crossbench peer Deborah Bull is expected to go up against Association of Conservative Peers Chair Michael Forsyth to replace John McFall as Lord Speaker. One Tory peer admitted Forsyth was a “political animal” … but some Labour peers admire his reverence for tradition.

Do read this week’s London Influence for my interview with Jonathan Brown, who’s CEO of the brand new Centre for a Better Britain think tank. Though independent from Reform UK, there’s plenty of overlap in their diagnosis on what’s wrong with the UK. www.politico.eu/newsletter/p...

If you missed #PMQs this week, don't worry. There was nothing to write home about ... but I had a go anyway in our @politico.eu scorecard. Do have a read so you can vicariously experience the largely unremarkable shenanigans for yourself. www.politico.eu/article/pmqs...

The New Statesman (www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk-...) and Spectator (www.spectator.co.uk/article/full...) both have lists tracking all the Labour MPs who've criticised the government's immigration plans ... and this is *before* Shabana Mahmood speaks in the Commons.

Yours truly was flying the Sunday Crunch plane this weekend while the mighty @masonboyowen.bsky.social had a well-earned rest. Do read to see the government's immigration plans, Labour leadership rumblings, budget speculation part 94 and Auntie's war with the Donald. www.politico.eu/newsletter/s...

🚨 IN LONDON PLAYBOOK PM TONIGHT ... 🚨 SCOOP: Labour MPs reckon Starmer/Reeves "bottled" the budget 🚨 One said the pair “put short-term survival before national interest. Which is pretty unforgivable.” 🚨 One left fuming after businesses hold investment over flip-flopping

Peers across parties were frustrated about the insufficient time to scrutinize the assisted dying bill. Chief Whip Roy Kennedy said no government time would be allocated — restricting it to five hours on Fridays. My analysis in this arvo's Playbook PM 👇 www.politico.eu/newsletter/l...

Big scoop by my colleagues, this:

Confused about Donald Trump's row with the BBC? The US president has given the corporation until 10pm UK time tomorrow to retract, apologize and pay compensation for editing his January 6 speech on Panorama. Yours truly and @joshgerstein.bsky.social tried to provide some answers. 👇

Donald Trump wants a huge sum of money for *that* Panorama edit. But has he got a chance of getting anything from the U.K.'s public service broadcaster? Read the latest analysis answering that question and more from @joshgerstein.bsky.social and yours truly. 👇 www.politico.eu/article/us-d...

Do read my @politico.eu long read about what is (or isn't) happening with the Lords on your commute. Proposals to shake up life for Britain's unelected lawmakers have been shunted into a committee — where reforms have gone, never to be seen again, many times before. 👇

Well, what a 24 hours. My @politico.eu #PMQs scorecard assesses Keir Starmer's attempts to project a picture of unity inside Labour. The statement so jarred with reality that it only reinforced the claim the PM has no political instinct. www.politico.eu/article/pmqs...

Forget leadership threats briefed by Keir Starmer's 'allies' (the phrase self-fulfilling prophecy springs to mind): read my @politico.eu piece about Labour's slight retreat on Lords reforms. Despite bold promises, changes will be debated ... by a committee. Sound familiar?👇

My latest @politico.eu #PMQs scorecard covered the duel of the deputies. James Cartlidge probed David Lammy repeatedly on whether another asylum seeker had been mistakenly freed since Hadush Kebatu. Lammy wouldn't say — but the answer was yes. www.politico.eu/article/uk-p...

During your evening commute home, do have a read of my analysis delving into why Zack Polanski has channeled Nigel Farage's comms strategy ... and how Britain's eco-warriors are reaping the rewards.👇

My latest @politico.eu piece: Zack Polanski couldn't be further away from Nigel Farage politically. But they've more in common than either cares to admit — articulate communicators with punchy messages, surging membership numbers & rising poll ratings. www.politico.eu/article/zack...

Goodness gracious me. *That* Alan Carr laugh may have been one laugh too many ... and now there's a whole week to wait. #CelebrityTraitors

Alan’s Shakespeare quote reminds me to rewatch ShakespeaRe-Told, a brilliant set of BBC films taking the Bard’s tales to the modern age. James McAvoy was Macbeth in a Michelin star restaurant while Shirley Henderson was a politician in The Taming of the Shrew. #CelebrityTraitors

Very clever idea from Cat to distract Faithfuls from the unusual quote by making it something Stephen Fry said to Alan. Question will be whether the wording is dismissed as an Carr eccentricity or suspicions are raised. A cracking episode ahead regardless. #CelebrityTraitors

As someone who almost always predicts all matters TV incorrectly, I was rather pleased my prediction about who would be murdered face to face on the #CelebrityTraitors was right. A little win for the day … and a spoiler free tweet.

The Netherlands is going to the polls today — and, guys, this could become a nail-biter @evahartog.bsky.social www.politico.eu/article/how-...