Tree of the year contender

Big scoop by my colleagues, this:

Starmer and Reeves ditch Budget plan to increase income tax rates

Chancellor explores alternative ways to raise revenue to fill fiscal hole estimated at up to £30bn

ft.com

📣 Very excited to say that I’m joining The Independent’s brilliant Lobby team next week I can’t wait to get started!

Exhausting, loud, a DJ blasting ‘Things Can Only Get Better’ at full volume But enough about my Sunday, how’s Labour conference?

A pun in the top line and a sheep called Kevin www.stalbansreview.co.uk/news/nationa...

Shear delight for teenager who took sheep to collect GCSE results

Milly Johnson, 16, brought her ‘best friend’ Kevin with her to Tarleton Academy in Lancashire on Thursday.

stalbansreview.co.uk

Good evening from The Oval

The explosion in support for women’s football has been one of my greatest joys in the last five years I love this team and I love Sarina Wiegman

I ADORE SPORT

Caitlin Doherty@caitlindoherty.bsky.social · last yr.

I don’t like sport

I don’t like sport

The explosion in support for women’s football has been one of my greatest joys in the last five years I love this team and I love Sarina Wiegman

Mel Stride earlier today insisted Kemi Badenoch would 'get better through time', just like Margaret Thatcher did.

Badenoch ‘will get better’, says Stride as Tories’ polling woes continue

The shadow chancellor insisted the party has the right person in the top job.

standard.co.uk

Reform has already received cryptocurrency donations as it announces plans to cut taxes on Bitcoin (interestingly, party chair Zia Yusuf admitted he doesn't own any crypto himself) www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/poli...

Reform backs cryptocurrency tax cut as party receives first Bitcoin donations

Party chairman Zia Yusuf suggested the cut could generate up to £1 billion for the Treasury over a decade.

independent.co.uk

Sir Keir Starmer was pulled away from the second half of his beloved Arsenal’s semi-final to firm up the final details of the US trade deal with Donald Trump. www.standard.co.uk/news/politic...

Truth Social and football phone calls: the final hours of the UK-US trade deal

Sir Keir Starmer said the timing ‘couldn’t be more apt’.

standard.co.uk

Sir Keir Starmer was pulled away from the second half of his beloved Arsenal’s semi-final to firm up the final details of the US trade deal with Donald Trump. www.standard.co.uk/news/politic...

Truth Social and football phone calls: the final hours of the UK-US trade deal

Sir Keir Starmer said the timing ‘couldn’t be more apt’.

standard.co.uk

filling time on air until the new pope is announced is known as "pontiffication"

Trump sends No 10 into disarray on trade deal, but Starmer will be thrilled with the result (unlike Arsenal) 💂‍♂️ UK scrambling to announce deal on VE Day 🏭Reporters sent to the wrong factory ☎️Weird speakerphone press conference ✅But major win for PM

You think running a marathon is hard? Try being in your late-20s and trying to keep track of everyone you know when London and Manchester are on the same day

🕰️🌅

The Prime Minister will deliver a statement on defence in Downing Street at 5pm this afternoon after pledging to raise defence spending from its current 2.3% to 2.5% of GDP

BREAKING: Tulip Siddiq has resigned She says she would be a 'distraction' to the govt if she stayed in post Independent ethics adviser found she did not breach ministerial code

Insider secret about Downing Street for the bluesky lads. It is the coldest street in Britain. It could be 30C on Whitehall and you’d need a woolly hat here.

Sir Keir Starmer has accused the Conservatives of prioritising winning support on Elon Musk’s social media site over protecting children by pushing for a vote on a new nationwide child grooming investigation. uk.news.yahoo.com/starmer-hits...

Starmer hits out at Tories over Badenoch’s call for new grooming gang inquiry

Elon Musk claimed Sir Keir Starmer was ‘hiding terrible things’ by refusing to back a national probe.

uk.news.yahoo.com

Half an hour later and I’m still bleary-eyed about Smithy waiting for Mick

Decisions were made here

Father Christmas doesn’t just travel by sleigh 🎄🎅🏻 He’s also taking his chances on the UK rail network tonight: www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-n...

You all laughed at me for not putting Haaland in my fantasy team…

Another thing I’m moved by: MPs making interventions when they can see the person speaking - who often isn’t from their own party - getting so overwhelmed with emotion they are struggling to speak, to give them a moment to breathe and compose themselves before continuing. Parliament at its best

Zoë Crowther@zoecrowther.bsky.social · 2y ago

Some truly powerful contributions to the Commons debate on assisted dying today Just teared up listening to @florenceeshalomi.bsky.social share her experience of seeing her mother suffer with sickle cell anemia and be ignored by doctors

Parliamentary petition for all tube stations to have a giant Christmas tree right outside

NEW: Smoking ban bill, which means anyone born after 1 January 2009 will be prevented from legally smoking by gradually raising tobacco purchase age, passes first Commons hurdle. Tory leader Kemi Badenoch among those voting against.

The way proposed legislation on assisted dying is set to go through Parliament is “utterly inadequate” an MP has said, after she put her name to a bid to halt the plans going through the Commons www.expressandstar.com/uk-news/2024...

Way assisted dying plans set to go through Parliament ‘inadequate’, MP says

Lib Dem Munira Wilson is concerned about the process over what could be a ‘monumental change in legislation’.

expressandstar.com