FrancesCrook@bsky.social
@francescrook.bsky.social
Co-convenor of the Commission on Political Power https://commissionpoliticalpower.uk Francescrook.Substack.com
Instead of dealing with ‘bins and potholes’ this ex-nazi will now have a national policy role
Jessica Elgot@jessicaelgot.bsky.social · 4h agoWell we all wondered if the opposition parties would recapture the agenda while Burnham was on holiday and it does look like Kemi Badenoch’s Conservatives will manage to do that for a crucial third day
As a local cllr, I felt quite insulted by the suggestion that all we do is ‘deal with parking & sorting out the bins’, suggesting that because we’re so trivial it’s OK to put up a convicted anti-Semite as a prospective cllr.
Ian Dunt@iandunt.bsky.social · 7h agoHere are the stupidest things Kemi Badenoch has said so far today inews.co.uk/opinion/kemi...
What a depressing story, but grimly familiar: pressure from the far-right, ministers adopting policies they don't believe in, huge ramping up of the prison population without space or staff to deal with it...
Our code of practice for services, public functions and associations comes into force today. It provides practical guidance on how the Equality Act 2010 applies to services, public functions and associations. Find out more: https://ow.ly/alIf50Zwrkx
Andy Burnham has claimed only 500 prison places were added between 2010 and 2024, but Kemi Badenoch says the Conservatives created 14,000 new places. Can these two claims add up? We’ve had a look at the figures 👇 fullfact.org/crime/how-ma...
How many prison places did the Conservatives create? – Full Fact
Andy Burnham and Kemi Badenoch have made seemingly contradictory claims about the previous government’s record on prison places.
fullfact.org
Of course families of victims have a right to express anger and frustration, but this does get exploited by media (including BBC) hungry for personal tragedy as a story francescrook.substack.com/p/the-family...
The family of Andrew Harper is understandably angry
The possible earlier release of his killers illustrates the capricious nature of the justice system and recalls the Derek Bentley case
francescrook.substack.com
Our North Sea is all but empty, it has a 10-year future – BP knows this as well as anyone. The 'higher value opportunities elsewhere' is an admission of this. BP think it's game over - having had decades of benefit from the Casino Capitalism of global oil and gas market pricing.
That Joshua Bonehill-Paine is a suitable Tory candidate but Grant Shapps and Gavin Barwell have been excluded is quite a good indicator of how many seats the Tories will realistically regain at the next election.
So it turns out Rod Liddle was an unpleasant bigot, why was he ever put in charge of Radio 4 Today? And why is his nastiness still a malign influence on the programme?
Remember the case of Christopher Craig who shot two police officers, killing one, and served 10 years after which he quietly and safely disappeared. francescrook.substack.com/p/the-family...
The family of Andrew Harper is understandably angry
The possible earlier release of his killers illustrates the capricious nature of the justice system and recalls the Derek Bentley case
francescrook.substack.com
Reform MP Robert Jenrick: “Rod Liddle said the unsayable truth years before anyone else would come close.” Rod Liddle on child abuse images: “We should not be in the business of putting people in prison for simply looking at things."
Direct, full-time jobs opening Rosebank oilfield would create: 450 D, f-t jobs opening Jackdaw gasfield would create: 27 D, f-t jobs in UK's net-zero economy: 300,000 + 400,000 more on the way D, f-t jobs in the rest of the green economy: 600,000 Is that really the hill Burnham wants to die on?
Leaders of flag-raising group Raise the Colours Oxfordshire placed trackers on highway workers’ cars to find out their home addresses, the High Court has heard. RTC then attempted to intimidate the highway staff into no longer removing flags by repeating their addresses to them.
The High Court also heard RTC leader Ben Cullen had threatened physical violence to a resident removing flags, boasting that he was a “violent criminal” who had served 15 years in prison. Full report in today’s Clarion: oxfordclarion.uk/the-clarion-...
The Clarion, 4 August 2026
We're doing a rain dance. You? While we wait for some sorely needed water, here is some news, not all of it cheerful. Including less than savoury details about Raise the Colours; celebrating Oxford Ci...
oxfordclarion.uk
Of course families of victims have a right to express anger and frustration, but this does get exploited by media (including BBC) hungry for personal tragedy as a story francescrook.substack.com/p/the-family...
The family of Andrew Harper is understandably angry
The possible earlier release of his killers illustrates the capricious nature of the justice system and recalls the Derek Bentley case
francescrook.substack.com
Electronic leg shackles are no panacea for public safety. Better to invest in probation that used to be the best functioning public service (until Grayling)
The Guardian@theguardian.com · yesterdayElectronic tagging system unprepared to monitor thousands of early-release prisoners, watchdog warns
Remember the case of Christopher Craig who shot two police officers, killing one, and served 10 years after which he quietly and safely disappeared. francescrook.substack.com/p/the-family...
The family of Andrew Harper is understandably angry
The possible earlier release of his killers illustrates the capricious nature of the justice system and recalls the Derek Bentley case
francescrook.substack.com
Liddle's ex-colleagues find it easy to defend his mainstream journalism as a lark But a conscious effort to ignore what his Millwall-Monkey stuff revealed."Even the Jews were allowed to smoke at Auschwitz" was reported. His "niggermeat, not wogmeat" comments + most virulent sexist threads were not
📌 ICYMI @nafeez.bsky.social The accountancy firm that administers George Cottrell’s Montenegro company, has invested in a property development with the alleged ringleader of the country’s largest money laundering cartel
Nigel Farage Funder George Cottrell’s Accountant Co-Invested With Russia-Linked Indicted Cocaine Trafficker
The accountancy firm that administers George Cottrell’s Montenegro company, has invested in a property development with the alleged ringleader of the country’s largest money laundering cartel
bylinetimes.com
Lord Dubs was just six years old when he escaped Czechoslovakia following the Nazi invasion. He was one of 10,000 refugee children whose lives were saved by being taken in by Britain from 1938-39. Watch his remarkable life story: www.refugeecouncil.org.uk/support-us/c...
Former neo-Nazi activist selected as Tory candidate for Somerset council election
Former neo-Nazi activist selected as Tory candidate for Somerset council election
Joshua Bonehill-Paine, creator of satirical Crewkerne Gazette, has convictions including for harassing a Jewish MP A former neo-Nazi activist with convictions including for harassing a Jewish MP has been selected as a Conservative candidate for a local election in Somerset. Joshua Bonehill-Paine, the creator of the viral Crewkerne Gazette series of AI clips, is due to stand for election to Somerset council next year in a new Crewkerne South district. He told the Guardian he was an executive member of the Tories’ Yeovil branch, working as an events organiser. Continue reading...
theguardian.com
Imagine a bank closing the accounts of the sitting president and the reason listed is money laundering. Just imagine the appropriate level of political scandal that something like that should cause. Now imagine the leading newspaper of the country, @nytimes.com, not writing a word about it
Allison Gill@muellershewrote.com · 2d agoNEW: Capital One closed hundreds of Trump accounts for money laundering. We wouldn’t have known if Trump hadn’t sued. Now he’s got tax immunity. My latest: www.muellershewrote.com/p/new-capita...
"[Byline] revealed that Cottrell entered corporate finance under a false Swiss identity, hired by the same City network that produced Reform UK’s own treasurer, Mehrtash A’zami. "Byline Times has since confirmed that this identity was stolen from a real person – Cottrell’s old school friend."
Nigel Farage Funder George Cottrell's Accountant Co-Invested With Russia-Linked Indicted Cocaine Trafficker
The accountancy firm that administers George Cottrell’s Montenegro company, has invested in a property development with the alleged ringleader of the country’s largest money laundering cartel
bylinetimes.com
Tice being investigated by parliamentary standards watchdog www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Richard Tice investigated by parliamentary standards watchdog
Reform's deputy leader is being investigated about an allegation he failed to declare an interest.
bbc.co.uk
The concentration of wealth is harming our economy and democracy, but those arguments rarely get made when the super-rich are challenged, so they often get a free pass. Will Snell on how to have a better conversation about wealth👇 🔗 www.faircomment.co.uk/p/why-is-no-...
