At a conference with the SFO:
Pattiserie Valerie collapsed in 2018, they charged them in 2023, the first court date was 2026, this was then delayed by the defence requesting more time, so they now won't see court until 2028.
10 years.
For context, SBF was prosecuted for FTX within 12 months.
Big news from the Constitution Unit! Meg has been an outstanding Director; I have learned a huge amount from her over the past six years.
We're also very lucky to have a fantastic incoming Director in @alanrenwick.bsky.social - the Unit is in very good hands.
And which suggests that the summary sacking of Robbins was, at the very least, premature
The key point from Olly Robbins is that, in his view, Mandelson did *not* technically fail vetting - the vetting outcome was the FCDO decision on whether to grant, not any UKSV recommendation as part of that process...
Ah, thnak you - well that must have been one of my good days
📉 "So the fall in immigration risks being a very well-kept secret. There is a time-lag in the data but a bigger lag in the political discourse."
✍️ Sunder Katwala (sundersays) reflects on Labour's immigration policy overhaul
🔗 https://ow.ly/qbqn50YJ35S
It's true, though. Ppl sometimes kindly say I should have more media presence but esp. 2018-2020 I did have the opportunity, but not only was I not much good at it (so rarely got invited back) I also didn't make the most of it e.g. turning down invitations. Partly busy-ness, but also my own fault.
Thanks, Phil, though the odd bits of TV and radio I've done show that I am quite useless at it - far too much umming and erring and, on TV, gurning
Good piece but, tho' it's true Labour are edging to seeking something like 'Chequers', it's misleading to call that the "Chequers deal" - it was a proposal, most of which was rejected by the EU (e.g. Tusk statement after Salzburg summit 09/18).
Screenshot of a tweet: God Save Great Britain & @GSGB01 WOW: The NHS has ordered staff not to use the phrase 'It's raining cats & dogs' in fear of upsetting people from other cultures and religion. Britain has gone absolutely
Screenshot of a tweet: @Jenny_1884 The NHS has ordered staff not to use the term "It's raining cats & dogs" as it may offend foreigners. Tough If you don't like it jog on is what I think The NHS needs to get back to concentrating on making people better & not being more concerned about offending
For the love of God, could the "common sense" brigade PLEASE develop some actual COMMON SENSE?!
No, the NHS has not ordered staff not to use the term "it's raining cats and dogs" for fear of either upsetting or offending anyone...
Please engage your brains for a minute🙏
🧵1/15
In case you missed it 👇
NEW: Richard Tice failed to pay almost £100,000 in corporation tax, benefiting his investment company which made large donations to Reform UK.
First time Reform's deputy leader's tax affairs can be directly linked to finances of Nigel Farage's party.
In case you missed it 👇
New times, same old arguments. New post on my Brexit & Brexitism blog discussing the latest developments in the rapidly changing international order and how post-Brexit Britain is stuck in delusions of greatness and cries of Brexit betrayal: chrisgreybrexitblog.blogspot.com/2026/04/new-...
BBC today correct Nigel Farage's false claim to Nick Robinson on Political Thinking (13th February 2026) that net migration was only down due to an "exodus" of people leaving the UK since 90% of net migration fall was a fall in immigration. After my 3rd complaint!
www.bbc.co.uk/helpandfeedb...
The significant year on year fall on boat arrivals is broadly unreported by BBC or other media. It has less to do with imminent government changes currently going through than a fall in "push factors" that is Europe-wide
New times, same old arguments. New post on my Brexit & Brexitism blog discussing the latest developments in the rapidly changing international order and how post-Brexit Britain is stuck in delusions of greatness and cries of Brexit betrayal: chrisgreybrexitblog.blogspot.com/2026/04/new-...
I wrote this piece after someone told me I needed to be “less emotional” and “more analytical” about Trump - as if we’re still living in a rational world, where reason and logic guide this administration, and its actions aren’t harming millions across the world. I disagree. We need to be angrier.
The third rail of British politics: social care
The utter failure of successive govs to act is a stain on our political class
The most recent 'consensus', Dilnot, hasn't been implemented because its the not the answer - its not affordable & fails to address fairness
🧵
Trump threatens to leave NATO if European countries don’t join the US war on Iran, but it isn’t working because he has no credibility.
Who trusts that he’ll honor NATO commitments? Who buys that Europe joining the war would make him back NATO? Who believes he’d even tell the truth if they did help?
This is right, but I'd go further: winning the domestic argument on the free movement of people is what's needed to unlock anything further than the reset. That means Starmer has to repudiate many of his own arguments on migration.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
NEW Hungary’s new PM has described Viktor Orbán’s funding of propaganda bodies as criminal and vowed to investigate.
Bad news for ultraconservatives in the UK!
Alice McCool's deep dive into Orban, his propaganda college MCC – and its links to the British right ⏬
www.thenerve.news/p/viktor-orb...
A salutary reminder to those making capital from Trump's attacks on Starmer/UK that he will, and does, attack literally anyone for any perceived slight.
The Strategic Defence Review, which Robertson spearheaded, came out in September 2025, as I was writing the last chapter of my book, which is focused on foreign policy and strategy. I read that entire document and interviewed a number of experts about it. A few thoughts. 🧵
@isaacstanleybecker.bsky.social: “Trump has a way of distancing himself from people who disappoint him ... But having tied himself so tightly to Orbán, he may find it unusually difficult to dissociate himself from the prime minister’s downfall.”
Calling out these far right networks’ sponsorship of historical propaganda is one reason why The Critic and The Spectator published falsified personal attacks on me:
alanlester.co.uk/blog/smearin...
And alanlester.co.uk/blog/a-lesse...
In absolutely chef’s kiss timing, Matthew Goodwin is due to speak at Orbán’s in-house propaganda group MCC *today*
Badloss strikes again.
A number of British academics and ex-academics just lost a potential pay cheque.
