I know she's incapable of ever admitting she's wrong about anything, but even I'm surprised that Kemi Badenoch has chosen this particular hill to die on
Adam Bienkov
@adambienkov.bsky.social
Political Editor of Byline Times and Online Editor of BylineTimes.com. Lobby journalist in the House of Commons. 📩Adam@bylinetimes.com Subscribe to my Substack ⬇️ https://www.adambienkov.co.uk
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.
To be fair, “Councillors and council elections don’t matter” are a load-bearing part of the “Kemi Badenoch is doing well and the Conservative party’s prospects under her are looking good” thesis.
Chris Terry-Enescu@cjterry.bsky.social · 8h agoIt's OK for criminal ex-neo Nazis to run your bins is a hell of a line.
Reminder that the Tories believe any non-British person who commits more than a minor parking or traffic offence should be automatically deported. They “believe in second chances”, apparently, but only for literal Nazis.
Kemi Badenoch defends selection of man jailed for harassing Jewish MP in council election – as it happened
Conservative leader tells press she stands by decision to select Joshua Bonehill-Paine as a candidate for local election in Somerset
theguardian.com
I guess he's just lucky there's no record of him supporting Net Zero
"[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
We are in the third drought in five years. We have the National Trust and NFU - those radical types - sounding the alarm on unprecedented temperatures. But so little from any single figure in politics talking about the climate crisis.
Nigel Farage just took a question from a 'journalist' at his press conference, who turned out to be his former chief adviser Raheem Kassam, who asks him why the media are being so unfair to him
Weirdly, despite repeated requests, I haven't had any invitations to Reform press events since I asked a month ago whether Farage was scared of questions about his finances.
Adam Bienkov@adambienkov.bsky.social · 2d agoNigel Farage just took a question from a 'journalist' at his press conference, who turned out to be his former chief adviser Raheem Kassam, who asks him why the media are being so unfair to him
Talk TV Presenter Andre Walker dragged a climate activist into a room and assaulted him during a pro-Trump dinner, a court has heard Walker has continued to present on the channel since Byline Times first reported the alleged incident bylinetimes.com/2026/08/03/t...
Talk TV Presenter Dragged Climate Activist Into Room and Assaulted Him During Pro-Trump Dinner, Court Told
André Walker denies assault by beating over incident at Republicans Overseas gala dinner during Trump's state visit to the UK
bylinetimes.com
Nigel Farage just took a question from a 'journalist' at his press conference, who turned out to be his former chief adviser Raheem Kassam, who asks him why the media are being so unfair to him
"Questions about [my] money could go on for years," says Nigel Farage, when asked about the secret deal he struck with the convicted fraudster George Cottrell before agreeing to return as leader of Reform UK.
New: A business that made a six-figure donation to Reform UK received interest-free loans of £67m from unnamed “related companies” in the months before, raising questions about the possible origin of the funds. observer.co.uk/news/politic...
Reform given six-figure donation by firm that received £6...
Nigel Farage’s party is facing questions about the lack of transparency over £100,000 in funds donated by a management consultancy
observer.co.uk
This sums up the uselessness of a lot of Conservative ginger groups. Half of all MPs are signed up members yet they keep in place a leader whose environmental policy is “you can’t be a parliamentary candidate if you have Boris Johnson’s climate policy”. Great work guys!
James Heale@jaheale.bsky.social · 5d agoEXC: Sam Hall, the longest serving director of the Conservative Environment Network, is stepping down shortly after seven years. Nearly half of all Tory MPs now belong to the CEN caucus with 12% councillors belonging to its local gov network.
This week proved that the wheels are now finally falling off the Reform bus. Here’s why Farage could be about to fall off with them www.adambienkov.co.uk/p/is-this-th...
Is This the End for Nigel Farage?
This week proved that the wheels are now finally falling off the Reform bus. Could Farage be about to fall off with them?
adambienkov.co.uk
The Daily Express' headline compared with what the "bombshell poll" they're reporting actually found
This week proved that the wheels are now finally falling off the Reform bus. Here’s why Farage could be about to fall off with them www.adambienkov.co.uk/p/is-this-th...
Is This the End for Nigel Farage?
This week proved that the wheels are now finally falling off the Reform bus. Could Farage be about to fall off with them?
adambienkov.co.uk
"Military age" is the new term for working age Muslims
Sunder Katwala (sundersays)@sundersays.bsky.social · 5d agoRobert Jenrick (7pm) tweeting about "30,000 military age men rampaging through Spanish territory" long after the return rate was over 90%
BREAKING: Labour's Bev Craig wins the Greater Manchester Mayoral Election, defeating Reform by a landslide after the second round LAB: Bev Craig: 309,525 (66%) REF: Sian Astley: 157,178 (33%)
Looks like Labour has stormed the Greater Manchester byelection. Votes still being counted but we're told they've won in places where Reform UK and the Greens dominated in May – including all wards in Green MP Hannah Spencer's constituency. "It's a massive turnaround," says Labour source.
Welcome to the frontpage of the Daily Telegraph* website... * The newspaper that has relentlessly spent the past three decades seeking to belittle climate science and undermine climate action at every turn
Zack Polanski calls for a "reset" in relations with the Labour party under a more "left" wing leader in Andy Burnham. Polanski tells Byline Times he is open to working with Burnham on issues like PR after years of "toxic" relations between the two parties under Keir Starmer
Green Leader Zack Polanski Calls for ‘Reset’ in Relations With the Labour Party Under Andy Burnham
Polanski says he is open to working with Labour's more "left" wing leader in Andy Burnham, following years of "toxic" relations between the two parties under Keir Starmer
bylinetimes.com
First major poll to show Labour ahead of Reform since April last year, in this case by four points. Follows a series of other polls showing Labour either level with Reform or only narrowly behind
Luke Tryl@luketryl.bsky.social · last wk.Our latest voting intention sees cross over. Labour move ahead by 4. Their first lead since March 2025 & highest share since Nov 24 🌹 LAB 28% (+4) ⏩ REF 24% (-2) 🌳 CON 22% (nc) 🔶 LIB DEM 12% (+1) 🟢 GREEN 8% (-3) 🟡 SNP 2% (nc) N = 2061| Dates 24-27/7| Change w 22/7
++BREAKING++ The Daily Telegraph has... *rubs eyes* ...published something sensible about climate change: "I’m coming to the view that the Online Right is going wrong, eschewing compassion or charm, talking itself into corners of angry irrelevance. Take climate change."
The Times corrects its splash story headlined "Migrant care workers bring dozens of family members." The Times got this totally wrong. It then used its own error as the basis for an editorial calling explicitly for forced expulsions of people living here legally. www.thetimes.com/comment/regi...
Encouraging violence against minorities, journalists and basically anyone who disagrees with him. There's no convincing reason to stay on there whilst he remains in charge
Sunder Katwala (sundersays)@sundersays.bsky.social · last wk.Elon Musk, owner of X, has called the editor of the Economist "a traitor to the West, plain and simple" after her recent interview with him. He now argues that "anyone who opposes remigration is a traitor" Musk has been socialising violence since Aug25: "fight or die, that's what it comes down to"
Why even some of Labour's opponents now believe they have grounds for optimism about Andy Burnham's premiership www.adambienkov.co.uk/p/5-reasons-...
5 Reasons to be Hopeful About Andy Burnham
Why even some of Andy Burnham's political opponents are now starting to look again at the Labour party under his leadership
adambienkov.co.uk
Fake passports. A money laundering conviction. A mystery casino fortune in Montenegro... There's yet more revelations about who Farage chooses to surround himself with. Let’s start with George Cottrell. A man Farage describes as "like a son," and his former chief of staff 👇
