Restore campaigning about the curry mile in Manchester (which has been the exact same for close to 50 years, and began about 80 years ago). Who are they appealing to? You can’t do ‘who remembers’ when it isn’t even in anyone’s living memory.

🚨Exclusive🚨 Two ministers filmed a video for a child-protection software firm that lost £17m in three years, made just *£112* in the UK in 2024 and gets 90%+ of its income from overseas subsidiaries that haven't cooperated with auditors for three years. 1/ theuglygame.wordpress.com/2026/07/15/p...

Prophets without profits

The government’s favourite provider of child protection software, SafeToNet – a perpetually loss-making firm run by recently born-again Christians – has finally filed its long-delayed accounts. The…

theuglygame.wordpress.com

For the House magazine, I interviewed legendary documentarian Norma Percy about Brexit, Britain and a life covering politics: www.politicshome.com/news/article...

Documentary Filmmaker Norma Percy On Boris Johnson, Mikhail Gorbachev And Slobodan Milosevic

To document the story of Brexit a decade after the result, the BBC turned to an 84-year-old American. Ben Gartside meets Norma Percy, a battle-hard...

politicshome.com

@jolyon.goodlawproject.org hi Jolyon — can you DM about a story I’m working on? Thanks! If email is easier I’m on bengartsidewriter via gmail.

This thread is really worth your time if you enjoy reading the takes of some of the most humourless people in the world

Peter Walker@peterwalker99.bsky.social · last mo.

Fair play to education minister Olivia Blake, on the morning broadcast round, whose advice to knackered school kids was basically: there will be plenty of days when you have a job and are really not up to it but have to struggle in, so consider today training for that.

Final bump for our investigation here!

Ben Gartside@bengartside.bsky.social · last mo.

Scoop by @matildamartin.bsky.social and I: pro-Restore Britain Facebook pages with tens of thousands of members are being run from Bangladesh and Pakistan, creating anti-Muslim memes before being flipped into ‘tech support’ and firestick sellers.

Tens of thousands have joined pro-Restore Britain Facebook groups run out of Bangladesh & Pakistan They drive clicks through posts about UK politics, including hateful content, and also post about 'nostalgic' subjects like Woolworths, report @matildamartin.bsky.social & @bengartside.bsky.social

A curious tale from yours truly & @bengartside.bsky.social Tens of thousands have joined pro-Restore Britain FB groups being run by people who appear to be based in Pakistan & Bangladesh Some of these groups are later turned into vessels for selling firesticks, download codes & tech support

Thousands Join Pro-Restore Britain Facebook Groups Run From Pakistan And Bangladesh

Tens of thousands have joined pro-Restore Britain Facebook groups being run by people who appear to be based in Pakistan and Bangladesh, an investi...

politicshome.com

Scoop by @matildamartin.bsky.social and I: pro-Restore Britain Facebook pages with tens of thousands of members are being run from Bangladesh and Pakistan, creating anti-Muslim memes before being flipped into ‘tech support’ and firestick sellers.

"There is obviously a particular irony that groups producing anti-Muslim content are run by Muslims themselves, but we are seeing these groups being run globally." www.politicshome.com/news/article...

Thousands Join Pro-Restore Britain Facebook Groups Run From Pakistan And Bangladesh

Tens of thousands have joined pro-Restore Britain Facebook groups being run by people who appear to be based in Pakistan and Bangladesh, an investi...

politicshome.com

Cracking reporting from Tilda who is a great reporter and well worth a follow!

Matilda Martin@matildamartin.bsky.social · last mo.

A curious tale from yours truly & @bengartside.bsky.social Tens of thousands have joined pro-Restore Britain FB groups being run by people who appear to be based in Pakistan & Bangladesh Some of these groups are later turned into vessels for selling firesticks, download codes & tech support

New from me: Are you struggling to stay cool in a hot London flat today? Here's my story about how we've spent the past two decades building heat traps for people to live in. Gift link 🎁

Londoners Complain of ‘Unbearable Heat’ in City’s Modern Housing

In Britain’s capital city, an architectural trend that started about two decades ago is now being linked to unbearable levels of indoor heat.

bloomberg.com

Really interesting chart to track generational changes politically. Gen X defined by political uncertainty (I feel like I now understand the love of Gen-X editors for 'winter of discontent' stories), Millenials defined by Thatcher and Gen Z by Blair.

Georgina Lee@georginalee.bsky.social · last mo.

How many prime ministers have there been in your lifetime? I’ve made a handy chart for those born since 1926…

ITV discussing Côte d’Ivoire’s tactical changes extensively but not discussing WHY the changes have happened, eg, Elye Wahi’s refusal of a Visa to Canada following an arrest for match fixing.

For the latest edition of The House I’ve profiled Quibble, the political campaign hoping to make a big deal out of small irritations. www.politicshome.com/news/article...

'The Ministry Of Detail': The Quibble Campaigners Focused On Life's Little Frustrations

Most political campaigns try to bring about major change. Now, two political insiders are trying to make life better by focusing on the small thing...

politicshome.com

New for @josimarfootball.bsky.social - as Portugal is about to play its first game at the WC, Bruno Fernandes is the very first victim of a deepfake video presenting him as the "ambassador" of an illegal Asian betting company.

F for fake - josimarfootball.com

Portuguese international Bruno Fernandes is the new official brand ambassador of Vietnamese illegal casino QH88 - except he isn't: the "Bruno Fernandes" featured in the operator's promotional video is...

josimarfootball.com

I see we’re now at the noble savage/taking some of the most anodyne tales from doorsteppers and making it a long read stage of the by-election

The UK government is introducing a ban on social media for children and a minimum age for some chatbots in an attempt to shield young people from dangerous corners of the web. www.wired.com/story/uk-soc...

The UK Places a Sweeping Ban on Social Media for Kids Under 16

The UK government is introducing a ban on social media for children and a minimum age for some chatbots in an attempt to shield young people from dangerous corners of the web.

wired.com

Great to be helping Wired with their coverage of the UK. Read our story on the social media ban and the moves behind it here: www.wired.com/story/uk-soc...

The UK Places a Sweeping Ban on Social Media for Kids Under 16

The UK government is introducing a ban on social media for children and a minimum age for some chatbots in an attempt to shield young people from dangerous corners of the web.

wired.com

📩 I'm launching a newsletter! Every month I'll be sharing what I've written and some of the best things I've read. Here's an explanation why. First proper edition in a couple days time, please subscribe! open.substack.com/pub/bengarts...

Why I'm launching this newsletter

The music hasn't stopped, it's just slowing.

open.substack.com

Great to have a short piece in London Centric about the capital's latest rogue landlord...Pizza Pilgrims. Have a read of the latest edition here: www.londoncentric.media/p/asif-aziz-...

Asif Aziz's hotel and a "mystery" fire test

Plus: Self-driving taxis with a human in the driver's seat • Pizza Pilgrims' HMO failings • Labour sued by one of its own ex-councillors

londoncentric.media

I’m in the New Statesman with @morganj0nes.bsky.social reporting on the remnants of the UK’s XL bully movement Read about vigilante actions against animal abuse, support for Tommy Robinson and the general vibe of a hen party. www.newstatesman.com/the-weekend-...

The women standing by their XL Bullies

Thousands are rallying against the ban, and the government that passed it

newstatesman.com

“I’m not very political”, one woman in a Marshall and Millions shirt told us. “Apart from the Tommy marches”. @bengartside.bsky.social and I dip into the world of pro-dog activists for @newstatesman1913.bsky.social: www.newstatesman.com/the-weekend-...

The women standing by their XL Bullies

Thousands are rallying against the ban, and the government that passed it

newstatesman.com

I’ve written a feature on the collapse of Labour’s soft power council and what it means for the latest edition of The House magazine: www.politicshome.com/news/article...

The Much-Vaunted Soft Power Council Is Drifting Towards Oblivion

Launched with fanfare but sinking without trace, the Soft Power Council appears to be an object lesson in how the UK fails to leverage its cultural...

politicshome.com

Here’s our story about the failure of the Soft Power Council, from last week’s House magazine. www.politicshome.com/news/article...

The Much-Vaunted Soft Power Council Is Drifting Towards Oblivion

Launched with fanfare but sinking without trace, the Soft Power Council appears to be an object lesson in how the UK fails to leverage its cultural...

politicshome.com

Launched with fanfare but sinking without trace, the Soft Power Council appears to be a lesson in how the UK fails to leverage its cultural, sporting and educational assets 🏅 https://www.politicshome.com/news/article/less-18-months-old-socalled-soft-power-council-drifting-towards-oblivion-fail

view

Politics Home Website

politicshome.com

I’ve got a piece in this edition on Labour, lobbying and lewd texts. Available not online!

Private Eye Magazine@privateeyenews.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Farage picks plumber to fight by-election The new Private Eye is out now.

I’ve written a feature on the collapse of Labour’s soft power council and what it means for the latest edition of The House magazine: www.politicshome.com/news/article...

The Much-Vaunted Soft Power Council Is Drifting Towards Oblivion

Launched with fanfare but sinking without trace, the Soft Power Council appears to be an object lesson in how the UK fails to leverage its cultural...

politicshome.com

Unlikely social media star Hiroshi Suzuki, Japan’s ambassador to the UK, talks his love of the UK and travels with his stuffed toy 🧸 www.politicshome.com/news/article...

In the US, data centres and tech are providing a huge political schism. For the latest magazine I profiled whether the split will come to the UK, and those on either side of the divide www.politicshome.com/news/article...

Rage Against The Machine: How Long Before The US 'Techlash' Spreads?

Ruining childhoods, increasing energy and water costs and now, increasingly, destroying jobs – voters’ resentment against big tech is growing. Ben ...

politicshome.com