You know you’ve spent too long outside your home city when you start reading a guide book for things to do there.

#touristinlondon

'Tom Belger column: ‘Starmerism’s officially empty. It’s why he won but may be why he's done’ - LabourList An empty taxi drew up, and out stepped Keir Starmer. The old gag about Clement Attlee is far…

Column for @labourlist.bsky.social : labourlist.org/2026/03/tom-...

Tough on profiteering, tough on borders.

I’ve written on why the latest version of Starmerism, MiliMoodism, would be the most popular one yet if Keir weren’t damaged goods.

And why Burnham would be most likely to sustain it.

Full story below 🔗

'Tom Belger column: ‘Starmerism’s officially empty. It’s why he won but may be why he's done’ - LabourList An empty taxi drew up, and out stepped Keir Starmer. The old gag about Clement Attlee is far…

An empty taxi drew up, and out stepped Keir Starmer.

I’ve written about how the old gag about Attlee is far more apt for our PM than the man behind the welfare state.

Starmerism’s emptiness helped him become leader then PM, but it’s sabotaged his time in office.

labourlist.org/2026/03/tom-...

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You’ve got a friend in LabourList – LabourList I have now been Editor of LabourList for six months. It's been an incredibly exciting time. In my first week we had a cabinet reshuffle…

❓️What’s the idea behind LabourList Friends?

🔴 Our wonderful Editor Emma Burnell explains why we’re launching it — and why it matters.

👇 Read her piece explaining all here...👇

labourlist.org/2026/03/youv...

Amused to see more Labour MPs follow, or at least historically followed, @labourlist.bsky.social on X (330) than the official Labour press account (304).

Also interesting which cabinet members have the most follows...

March 2026 - LabourList Requested size:'+d+"x"+e+"

‼️ EXCLUSIVE: LabourList has seen a letter addressed to the Prime Minister, written by General Secretary of Labour affiliated union Usdaw Joanne Thomas, that demonstrates concerns the government is 'set to fail to fulfil its manifesto commitment on guaranteed hours'. 👀

Read here 👇
buff.ly/KzbBxb3

Yeah you know that body charged with enforcing and advising employers and workers the biggest overhaul in workers' rights in a generation from April?

I can reveal its precursor body is struggling to even cover its existing costs, so much so it had to cut spending last year.

Doesn't bode well!

If it's an issue you know or have heard more about you want to share, do get in touch in case I can write about it in future.

e.g. This woman's story via the @workrights.bsky.social is a truly eye-opening insight into what the government's own immigration advisers call the 'inherent imbalance of power' involved in many sponsored visas.

Full report here by @eviebreese.bsky.social:

www.workrightscentre.org/publications...

Tom Belger column: ‘Why is Labour making migrant exploitation easier?’ - LabourList Anyone talking about immigration should admit and debate the trade-offs between prices and immigrant and other workers' rights.

Thanks to @labourlist.bsky.social, @emmaburnell.bsky.social, @jtibbittsjourno.bsky.social, @dangreenjourno.bsky.social for running it, and @alanmanning4.bsky.social and @workrights.bsky.social for making such a compelling case on the dangers of sponsored visas.

labourlist.org/2026/03/why-...

Why is the party of labour fuelling labour exploitation?

Immigration reform means workers face up to 10 yrs more tied to employers on sponsored visas before they can seek settled status.

Experts are clear - that dependency stops workers challenging poor conditions.

Link below for my column👇

With my colleague Tom Wilson at WPI Strategy, Scarlett Maguire of Merlin Strategy, and @anooshc.bsky.social Chakelian of the @newstatesman1913.bsky.social.

Sign up by email to rsvp@wpi-strategy.com.

GORTON AND DENTON UNPACKED - ONLINE PANEL TODAY at 11AM:

Really looking forward to this discussion of the by-election - not just locally but nationally, and not just now but for the coming years in British politics and policy.

Join to share what you're thinking and wondering about it all...

Is Donald Trump a foreign policy dove? If only | Mehdi Hasan Trump is surrounding himself with hawks so you can be assured that his will be a very hawkish administration

I think this piece of mine from November 2024 sadly aged well:

‘Diversionary war’: Trump wants to distract Americans from scandals at home | Christopher S Chivvis Iran strikes are attempt to hijack the global narrative and drown out Epstein and tariffs with the thunder of cruise missiles

“The outcome of the war is less important to Trump than…the performative use of US power.”

Everything Trump does is about showing he’s top dog on any given day. That’s it.

Everything else is collateral damage, and it’s for everyone else to pick up pieces.

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Starmer wouldn’t be in the seat if senior figures didn’t think Labour has a serious chance of winning.

Is victory possible from the jaws of defeat?

Hats off to the 100s of activists braving rain today…and @jtibbittsjourno.bsky.social and colleagues covering it all for @labourlist.bsky.social

🌹 Bolsover MP Natalie Fleet has been out on the doorstep in Gorton and Denton – there is still time to volunteer to help secure a Labour win

Starmer's approval ratings are the highest in six months...still very, very low but public opinion as ever more complex than you might think!

1m+ workers lose pay when sick.

Labour's fixing that in April.

11m renters live at risk of eviction for no reason.

@teamlabouruk.bsky.social ends that in May.

Great to highlight on #BBCNews how transformative Labour's agenda is - but how it's drowned out by controversy, challenges, caution.

1m+ workers lose pay when sick.

Labour's fixing that in April.

11m renters live at risk of eviction for no reason.

@teamlabouruk.bsky.social ends that in May.

Great to highlight on #BBCNews how transformative Labour's agenda is - but how it's drowned out by controversy, challenges, caution.

Thanks to @ecasalicchio.bsky.social and @politico.eu for covering today.

I should say they are still planning to beef up existing law to force firms to do genuine consultation with staff.

Big Q is how and whether that works in practice…

NEW: @unitetheunion.bsky.social has forced Labour to withdraw “grossly offensive” comments about restaurant, bar and cafe workers.

Govt had said giving them direct control of tips could see staff discriminate against each other under a ‘tyranny of the majority’.

labourlist.org/2026/01/unit...

A really great piece - well worth a read.

How has your local high street changed since 2019? Check your postcode The makeup of Great Britain’s high streets has changed dramatically. See what the data says about where you live

I've found it baffling for years the state of high streets isn't a bigger national political issue.

When I was a local reporter, it came up again and again and again.

Hats off to @theguardian.com's Anna Leach @michaelgoodier.bsky.social for top journalism:

www.theguardian.com/business/ng-...

Tom Belger column: 'Union revolt as U-turn revealed on workers’ tips' - LabourList A quiet U-turn on workers’ tips has ignited a union revolt. Tom Belger reveals what changed, who’s angry, and why it matters now.

NEW: Labour pledged pre-election to let “workers decide how tips are allocated”, via the employment rights act.

But I've just discovered it's quietly decided workers can’t be trusted to decide how tips are allocated.

More in my first @labourlist.bsky.social column:

labourlist.org/2026/01/utur...

Worth flagging - Labour is still proposing reforms to boost genuine consultation which are still a big step forward for workers.

And government’s right to note there are some potential challenges around fully democratic decision-making within workforces, whether you back it or not.

@unitetheunion.bsky.social GS @unitesharon.bsky.social attacked the government's criticism of direct worker control (DBT said it enables the 'tyranny of the majority').

She warns it's “wrong-headed and offensive”.

Unite's now issued a full statement too:

www.unitetheunion.org/news-events/...