Blair McDougall MP
@blairmcdougall.com
Labour Member of Parliament for East Renfrewshire. Minister for Reindustrialisation. Sanctioned by Putin for being rude to him. Contact me at blair.mcdougall.mp@parliament.uk
Kemi Badenoch’s flagship party conference policy document overestimated the cost of net zero by nearly £500bn… …seemingly after someone accidentally double-counted figures on a spreadsheet. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Tories overstate net zero cost by nearly £500bn in apparent spreadsheet error
Exclusive: Badenoch’s flagship conference policy document cites £957bn estimate, twice the total in climate advisers’ data
theguardian.com
People seemed to like the last one, so I'll keep sharing. This is one I think of when I see really ugly behaviour. More poetry in politics please!
Blair McDougall MP@blairmcdougall.com · last wk.With the PM talking about his love of poetry, I think more of us politicians should follow his lead. For years I've collected poems (by others not me!) which speak to political life in some way. I think I'll share them. Starting with this one which feels appropriate after Andy Burnham's speech.
It is deeply irresponsible for any politician, let alone a senior Conservative, to peddle the same far-right nonsense about Luton that we see from the likes of Yaxley Lennon and Reform.
Tory shadow minister claims Luton has ‘no-go zones’ where ‘white people won’t go’
Blake Stephenson tells fringe meeting at Tory conference that the town is ‘a very dangerous place’ with ‘ghettoes’
theguardian.com
With the PM talking about his love of poetry, I think more of us politicians should follow his lead. For years I've collected poems (by others not me!) which speak to political life in some way. I think I'll share them. Starting with this one which feels appropriate after Andy Burnham's speech.
The strongest and most personal argument for the Union I’ve heard from any Prime Minister.
A damning verdict from the Local Government Information Unit thinktank on the SNP’s outrageous local government plans. lgiu.org/scottish-gov...
Scottish Government’s council reform proposition – what does it mean? - LGIU
The LGIU's response to the unexpected proposal from the Scottish government to reorganise local government into regional authorities.
lgiu.org
As we approach Rosh Hashanah, we’d like to wish Shana Tova from all of us at the Jewish Labour Movement. We wish everyone a happy, healthy and sweet new year!
NEW: Westminster Voting Intention LAB 28% (+1) RFM 23% (-1) CON 21% (+2) LD 10% (+1) GRN 8% (-2) SNP 2% (=) PC 2% (+1) RB 2% (-1) OTH 4% (=) F/w 9-10 September 2026. Changes vs 28/08/2026
Richard Tice wasn't happy being reminded that Farage wanted to abandon manufacturing workers.
Couldn’t agree more with this para from @jonathanfreedland.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Actually, Frankenstein is a doctor success at the Venice film festival
Brilliant news for local shipbuilding jobs. 1/2
UK Defence Journal@ukdefencejournal.org.uk · last yr.Norway has chosen the United Kingdom as its strategic partner for the acquisition of new frigates, selecting the British-built Type 26 in what Oslo says will be its largest ever defence investment. ukdefencejournal.org.uk/norway-picks...
The UK is becoming a dumping ground for slave labour goods in between tougher protections in place in the US and EU markets. This story should accelerate action to beef up our anti-slavery laws. inews.co.uk/news/uk-800m...
UK's £800m 'slave labour' China imports revealed - from bras to lawnmowers
Thousands of tonnes of clothes, toys, furniture and tech are being flown in from Xinjiang - which Uyghur campaigners say is a 'national disgrace'
inews.co.uk
Farage adviser said UK would be better off if it had not fought Nazi Germany
Farage adviser said UK would be better off if it had not fought Nazi Germany
Exclusive: Jack Anderton says UK may ‘regain’ former colonies in future and suggests end to support for Ukraine An adviser used by Nigel Farage and others in Reform UK to boost their social media popularity has suggested that Britain would be better off had it stayed neutral in the second world war instead of fighting Nazi Germany. Jack Anderton, who ran Farage’s hugely successful TikTok account before helping Luke Campbell become the Reform mayor of Hull and East Yorkshire, also said the UK should not support Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression. Continue reading...
theguardian.com
Despots who don’t have to worry about term limits or public opinion can play for time and manipulate our open societies. They will only respect and be influenced by strength. Long past time for the US to stop playing Putin’s game.
Anyone know what this crest on a building in my patch signifies?
Who is Jimmy Lai? 'Prisoner of conscience' who has endured 1,600 days behind bars
Who is Jimmy Lai? 'Prisoner of conscience' who has endured 1,600 days behind bars
Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai has been in a high-security prison for more than 1,600 days.
news.sky.com
Thinking of the buckets of abuse tipped over us a decade ago for saying the SNP's prospectus for leaving the UK was threadbare only for Nicola Sturgeon to now admit she thought it was too. Extraordinary. www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYeO...
Nicola Sturgeon on the 2014 Scottish independence referendum and her political legacy | ITV News
YouTube video by ITV News
youtube.com
Good to see @blairmcdougall.com introducing a 10 minute bill to remove crown immunity from SPS. Our office has been calling on UK and Scottish govts to progress this since 2022. Statements here: shorturl.at/TaPWJ shorturl.at/z5SeO
Family backs bill to prosecute prisons for custody deaths
Labour MP Blair McDougall is calling for Crown immunity in UK prison estates to be abolished.
bbc.co.uk
BREAKING Russia launched some 400 drones, 18 missiles in overnight attack, says Zelensky
I left X months ago. At some point, surely, a threshold is passed where it is no longer appropriate for Governments to continue to have a presence on that platform. If its AI going full-on Nazi is not that threshold, what is? www.theatlantic.com/technology/a...
Elon Musk’s Grok Is Calling for a New Holocaust
The chatbot is also praising Hitler and attacking users with Jewish-sounding names.
theatlantic.com
My letter to Glasgow City Council's SNP leader with @martinmccluskey.bsky.social @blairmcdougall.com @alisonstaylormp.bsky.social & Johanna Baxter MP. As representatives of Glasgow's neighbouring constituencies, we are appalled at the suggestion our constituents should pay a Clyde Tunnel Toll Tax.
Our Patron @blairmcdougall.com called on the 🇬🇧 government to keep its promise to the people of #HongKong and maintain the 5+1 #BNO pathway.
I met Badri just a few days ago in London. Georgia Dream is now engaged in an all out war against democracy in Georgia. I'm pleased the UK Government summoned the ambassador over this but I'll be calling for more action against the regime in Parliament . civil.ge/archives/688...
Badri Japaridze Sentenced to Eight Months in Jail in Third Verdict for Defying GD Commission - Civil Georgia
Badri Japaridze of Lelo for Georgia became the third opposition politician to receive a prison sente
civil.ge
