The Palantir concerns and why you should care The US tech firm is increasingly hooked into NHS, defence and education in the UK

Palantir manifesto described as ramblings of a supervillain - but we should all be concerned

national.thelead.uk/p/palantir-u...

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Metropole Hotel one of five Serco sites which will close in coming months Serco begins redundancy process after hotel confirmed for closure

And, in Blackpool, it was relief all round this week when it was confirmed that the notorious Metropole Hotel, which has been sued to house asylum seekers, will close in July @lukebeardsworth.bsky.social

blackpool.thelead.uk/p/metropole-...

Potholes blamed on 'one of the wettest winters' - but it rained less than usual Data provided by the Met Office shows the standard response from Lancashire County Council doesn't stand up to much scrutiny

In Lancashire, the perennial pothole problem has been blamed on 'one of the wettest winters' - but data provided by the Met Office shows the standard response from Lancashire County Council doesn't stand up to much scrutiny @lukebeardsworth.bsky.social

lancashire.thelead.uk/p/potholes-l...

Southport Hospital doctor hit with £30,000 HMRC fine after claiming to work nine days a week When queried, the doctor accused HMRC of bias and prejudice

Updates from our northern titles:

For the Southport Lead, @jamielopez.bsky.social reports on the doctor who worked in A&E during the Covid crisis who must pay £30,000 of penalties to HMRC after deliberately submitting false information on his tax returns

southport.thelead.uk/p/southport-...

Deadly delays and treatment in chains: How prisons are failing women with cancer Months after the Bronzefield cancer scandal, the UK’s prison health system is still falling below NHS standards and putting the lives of female prisoners at risk.

Women and prison continue to be failed by a fragmented health system. Campaigners are calling for concrete change, including clearer safeguarding thresholds, automatic early release pathways and mandatory continuity of cancer care.

national.thelead.uk/p/hmp-bronze...

The Lead | The Lead Editors | Substack An independent, proudly progressive publication committed to covering the UK beyond the Westminster bubble. Our journalism starts with people and place, and follows the thread to the policies that…

If you care about real, local journalism, support The Lead's mission of delivering original, agenda-setting reporting all across the country by becoming a paid subscriber

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Calder Valley MP calls on Government to 'better recognise' peat as carbon store amid windfarm plans Company behind the proposed site has opened 'statutory consultation'

In Calderdale, MP Josh Fenton-Glynn has written to Ed Miliband about how plans to build a wind farm on local moorlands could actually harm net zero ambitions

calderdale.thelead.uk/p/calder-val...

No clarity over whether Metropole will be in first wave of asylum hotel closures No definitive answer yet on whether the Metropole will be in the first wave of asylum hotel closures

In Blackpool, MPs are sure that closing the Metropole asylum hotel is a priority - but it's still not clear whether it is including in the first list of 11 hotels marked for closure by the Government @lukebeardsworth.sky.social

blackpool.thelead.uk/p/metropole-...

What could Lancashire County Council have done differently before Southport murders? The publication of the first of two reports from the national public inquiry set up in the wake of the murders means learnings for Lancashire County Council

In Lancashire @lukebeardsworth.sky.social combed through the report and shares what Lancashire County Council should have done better lancashire.thelead.uk/p/what-could...

Moral and systemic failures allowed Southport murders: There must be a turning point “It could have been, and it should have been, prevented.”

The words fail, failed, failing and failure appear almost 300 times in the 700-page report from the Southport Inquiry. @jamielopez.bsky.social looks forward to what needs to happen next

southport.thelead.uk/p/moral-and-...

Yesterday, The Lead's local correspondents published their first wave of reporting for the week, with a focus on the Southport Inquiry, asylum hotel closures and a wind farm in Yorkshire ⬇️

Across Europe, the far-right is no longer inevitable The breakthroughs are less decisive, the contradictions harder to ignore, and the coalition more fragile. Are we seeing the beginning of the end of the populist right?

Viktor Orban is out. Is this the beginning of the end for Europe's right wing populists?

national.thelead.uk/p/europe-far...

Tax is the answer – why won't Labour take the shot? Britain needs to raise more money to meet the moment. The question is why Labour still won’t say so.

Britain needs to raise more money to meet the moment. The question is why Labour still won’t say so @zoe.grunewald.bsky.social

national.thelead.uk/p/keir-starm...

Labour has just moved the dial on workers’ rights – now it must go further After years of decline, workers’ rights are finally improving. The question is whether the Government is willing to enforce deeper structural change.

After years of decline, workers’ rights are finally improving. The question is whether the Government is willing to enforce deeper structural change. @zoegrunewald.bsky.social

national.thelead.uk/p/labour-mov...

The Lead Untangles: Is shared ownership a 'trap'? Marketed as affordable home ownership, critics say the government-backed housing scheme can trap buyers in rising costs. We dig into the detail.

What is the deal with shared ownership?

Marketed as affordable home ownership, critics say the government-backed housing scheme can trap buyers in rising costs. We dug into the details.

national.thelead.uk/p/the-lead-u...

Starmer needed one good fight, now he has two From Iran to Silicon Valley, two moments are forcing political clarity. Keir Starmer finally has a chance to define what his government stands for.

From Iran to Silicon Valley, two moments are forcing political clarity. Keir Starmer finally has a chance to define what his government stands for

national.thelead.uk/p/keir-starm...

The fourth emergency service: How teachers became the last line of defence Exclusive: Schools are increasingly compensating for rising levels of poverty experienced by children at home, according to stark new findings shared with The Lead.

Teachers are becoming the the last line of defence against child poverty.

A new report by @nea.org.uk found that schools are absorbing responsibilities previously held by social care, local authorities, health services, and family support services.

national.thelead.uk/p/fourth-eme...

Good speaking to @theleaduk.bsky.social about our research into how teachers are on the frontline protecting pupils from growing up cold & hungry. We hope it’s a wake up call ⏰ 2 🚨 urgently 🚨 prioritise the needs of our nation’s future
See: national.thelead.uk/p/fourth-eme... #fuelpoverty #poverty

The fourth emergency service: How teachers became the last line of defence Exclusive: Schools are increasingly compensating for rising levels of poverty experienced by children at home, according to stark new findings shared with The Lead.

Exclusive: Schools are increasingly compensating for rising levels of poverty experienced by children at home, according to stark new findings shared with The Lead. @nmozz.bsky.social reports.

Reform Watch: Nigel Farage's smoking gun Plus: Matt Goodwin's latest blunder, Farage's football folly in Ipswich, and a PMQs pity party.

Nigel Farage wants to repeal the generational smoking ban. We wonder why 🤔

We are back with an new edition of Reform Watch, looking at Reform's tobacco links, Matt Goodwin's impeccable use of fake quotes and more

national.thelead.uk/p/reform-wat...

Reform Watch: Nigel Farage's smoking gun Plus: Matt Goodwin's latest blunder, Farage's football folly in Ipswich, and a PMQs pity party.

Nigel Farage wants to repeal the generational smoking ban. We wonder why 🤔

We are back with an new edition of Reform Watch, looking at Reform's tobacco links, Matt Goodwin's impeccable use of fake quotes and more

national.thelead.uk/p/reform-wat...

Help our local journalism to keep setting the agenda Subscribe to support our original reporting at The Lead and across our growing regional network of journalists.

Our award-winning local journalism and growing team of regional reporters are cutting through the noise, sparking the kinds of conversations that shape this country.

Subscribe to The Lead to support our original, local reporting.

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£100m of Tees Valley transport spending to be given to Teesworks regeneration A report will be given to TVCA’s cabinet at their next meeting in June and it is expected the plans will be approved.

And, in Teesside @leighsus.bsky.social was the first to report that that TVCA intends to funnel £100m of government money awarded to improve transport across the region to the development corporation which is overseeing the Teesworks project. teesside.thelead.uk/p/100m-of-te...

"We're tired of fighting Welsh Water." Residents in Merthyr Tydfil are campaigning against new Welsh Water plans. And they're exhausted.

In the Valleys, we've got a feature on the group of residents in Merthyr Tydfil who have massive environmental and economic concerns about Welsh Water’s plans to build a new water treatment centre.

thevalleys.thelead.uk/p/were-tired...

Reform UK accused of misleading public and disgraceful smears in Southport campaign The party's latest stunt involved

In Southport, Reform UK has been accused of misleading the public on made up savings and smearing other council members with claims of corruption southport.thelead.uk/p/reform-uk-...

Calderdale Council and Yorkshire Water team up to improve River Calder The two organisations have signed a new agreement to improve health of the river

A new agreement has been signed in Calderdale to improve health of the River Calder. It's a landmark agreement between the council and Yorkshire Water. Details inside ⬇️

calderdale.thelead.uk/p/calderdale...

Businesses used to run Blackpool's piers rapped for failing to pay minimum wage The owners of the businesses did not respond to requests to set out how the failures happened

In Blackpool, two subsidiaries of the parent company that runs Blackpool piers, who have been rapped by the government for failing to pay the minimum wage blackpool.thelead.uk/p/blackpool-...

Which council does what? Knowing who to blame or praise when things happen in Lancashire You may be directing your pothole anger to the wrong people

Our local editions dropped into the inboxes of thousands of readers around the country this Sunday. In case you missed it, we'll start with Lancashire, where we unpicked the confusing web of Lancashire’s political
network - so people know who to blame for what

lancashire.thelead.uk/p/lancashire...

Across Europe, the far-right is no longer inevitable The breakthroughs are less decisive, the contradictions harder to ignore, and the coalition more fragile. Are we seeing the beginning of the end of the populist right?

I wrote about why - with a million caveats - we might feel optimistic that Europe’s populist right is no longer advancing everywhere, all at once

For @theleaduk.bsky.social

open.substack.com/pub/theleadu...