Well well. After PM’s Dispatch Box public destruction, denunciation and humiliation of the head of the FCO the man comes back saying intense No 10 rush to get Mandy installed led to his arriving in DC without proper ckearance. Don’t think PM comes out of this too well
Good God! No 10 presumably McSweeney ordered Olly Robbins to find an ambassador’s post for Matthew Doyle to get him out of Downing Street. Everyone likes Matt but he does not have a single qualification to be a U.K. ambassador. Did Starmer approve this?
Who carried out poll ? Confirms what other big polls are saying that on 10th anniversary of Brexit plebiscite Britain now sees the damage it has done is doing. Q is how long will Kemi Badenoch provide cover for Farage with her pretence Brexit is a success? @robertshrimsley.bsky.social
Do let us know how your solar panels work - installation costs, reduced energy bills etc
Green idea of industrial scale aircraft production to defeat Hitler would be to upscale annual production of Tiger Moths from 6 to 12
Makes a change from daily reports of racists, Hitler fans who are Farage endorsed candidates. Has he or Tice said anything of late about Reform hero Trump?
Trevor Phillips said on Sky News this morning that "everybody in the country who could read a newspaper" knew in advance of the Mandelson appointment that he was problematic
is this the same Phillips who interviewed Mandelson on October 08 2023 and didn't ask any questions about Epstein friendship?
Exclusive? Opposition Party leader calls PM to go?
Not a single new point, fact, on BBC1 on Mandelson. Repetitious beyond belief.
Quelle surprise. Out door knocking for elections an elderly woman said: “I have voted Conservative in past but Kemi Badenoch is always whining isn’t she. We English don’t like whiners”
names for president of France (election in 12 months time). Jordan Bardella, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, François Hollande, Christine Lagarde, François Villeroy de Galhau (Gov of Bank of France). But since Mitterrand no-one named as likely prez 12 months before went on to win @jonhenley.bsky.social
Poor old Nigel. This morning D Mirror reveals that one of his candidates in Wales - Emma Clatworth branded the late Queen a “fraud” who should be overthrown. Reform now the home from home for every nutter racist, Hitler admirer, anti-semite in Britain
But surely point is/was that PM was tad more than “washed up old spinner”. Blair and Brown couldn’t live without the acuity of his political insights, analysis of where politics is going. Many sneered at him and PLP didn’t like him but PM at heart of Blair-Brown project to keep Labour in office
Odd package by Amol Rajan
on Today about man sent to prison for years for sex crime he did not commit. Why doesn’t BBC give name of senior police officer(s), CPS QCs judge responsible for this shameful dishonest policing/prosecution that destroyed innocent man’s life?
President Aoun of Lebanon said no talks with Israel until Netanyahu stopped attacks on people of Lebanon. Trump told Netanyahu to accept offer. Israelis furious as they believed Netanyahu had Trump under control
Having proclaimed himself Christ is Trump now modern Stalin as his warships prevent food arriving in Iran in manner of Stalin’s holomodor policy of starving Ukrainians into submission 1932-33 by denying them food
economic commentator on Today on IMF assessment that U.K. has had 10 years of sluggish growth so in bad place to deal with Trump world economy chaos. He is not allowed to mention what U.K. did to itself a decade ago which might have brought us to our current plight @mrjamesob.bsky.social
I thought Starmer had announced ban on giving Putin fav currency crypto/BitCoin to political parties?
Packed St Margaret’s church Westminster for funeral of Phil Woolas key player in saving Labour after Militant infiltration and 1983 Brexit GE. Blair, Brown, Phil’s son spoke movingly. Applause for @johnhealey.bsky.social who reminded of slimeball LibDems who found anti-Labour judge to ban Phil as MP
Not quite surely? Rightest papers - DTel/Mail/Sun/bits of Times/Express/Speccie cannot accept anyone can find European partnership worthwhile. Contempt for Europe deeply embedded in current generation of top editors, journos. No win-win UK-EU relationship likely with today’s editors in charge
Odd on R4 Today. Report on 100 passengers left behind as result of Brexit passport controls because HMG rejects partnership in Europe. But no mention of where this happened. Fleeting reference at end to Milan by travel agent but unclear if that was airport concerned.
🔴 Matt Goodwin’s Lucrative Hungarian Fellowship Could Be in Line for the Chop Following Orbán’s Defeat
The Orbán-controlled body for which the Reform UK and GB News commentator is a ‘visiting fellow’ is facing investigation over alleged misuse of public funds
bylinetimes.com/2026/04/13/m...
The abysmal judgement of the man who worshipped Orban, Trump, Putin, Brexit …
Come on. It’s dear old George R. Starmer slashed aid spending to increase defence budget
Glad to report that very soon after I posted my appeal to Starmer to congratulate Magyar and offer U.K. support and cooperation Starmer posted on X a statement of congrats and pledge of support and cooperation
Orban defeat in Hungary is huge blow for Trump who issued eve Also for Putin, Farage, Le Pen far right and anti Europeans everywhere.
Here Labour seems incapable of showing much interest in Europe. No 10 or FCO should congratulate new PM Peter Magyar and state U.K. willingness to work with him
Big early turn out in Hungarian election. Fingers crossed
On BBC1 @wesstreeting.bsky.social
impressive, organised words. There are of course other replacements for No 10 but I was struck by Streeting’s very clear criticism of T Blair backing Trump. Blair era now history not actualité
We keep talking about need for more money for defence. Maybe Tice can help out
Keep at it Paul
The corruption of external financing of U.K. party politics is the cancer that eats into democracy