Yesterday I joined Andy Burnham on Downing Street as he entered No10 as Prime Minister and set out his plan to bring back hope. It is an honour to join the Cabinet as First Secretary of State, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office.

From the many conversations I've had with my Labour colleagues in Parliament, there is a consensus about the importance of setting out clear fiscal rules and getting the cost of borrowing down. The best way to address the cost of living is to get growth up and inflation down.

Great news that GB Energy - Nuclear has struck an agreement with Rolls‑Royce to build a new generation of nuclear power stations here in the UK #SMRs www.gov.uk/government/n...

Great British Energy - Nuclear and Rolls-Royce SMR sign contract

Great British Energy – Nuclear signs a contract with Rolls‑Royce SMR to deliver the UK’s first SMRs.

gov.uk

The world must not look away as Israel continues to occupy and bomb Lebanon Pressure must be brought to bear for political negotiation between Israel and Lebanon, an immediate ceasefire and support for the Lebanese Government’s continued disarmament of Hezbollah www.theguardian.com/world/live/2...

Middle East crisis live: Iran war ceasefire doesn’t include Lebanon, says Israel

Pakistan’s PM had said the ceasefire would cover Lebanon; IDF ‘continues fighting and ground operations’ against Hezbollah

theguardian.com

Rachel Reeves has lashed out at Donald Trump for his decision to launch a war in the Middle East with no clear exit plan.

Rachel Reeves lashes out at Donald Trump for Middle East war - 'I'm angry'

mirror.co.uk

Today I was at the Sheffield Crucible to celebrate some brilliant news! Sheffield remaining the rightful home of snooker 🎱 This is huge for our city. The Crucible has been at the heart of the sport for 50 years, bringing visitors from across the world and putting Sheffield on the global stage.

I am deeply concerned about the ongoing war in the Middle East and its impact on communities in Lebanon. In addition, comments by Israeli minister Bezalel Smotrich’s about Beirut’s southern suburbs are genocidal and must be condemned 1/2

The OBR was created in an era defined by short-term cost-control, not long-term nation-building - and its remit, assumptions, and methods still reflect that inheritance. Good to see more voices joining the call for reform www.theguardian.com/business/202...

OBR a backseat driver with out-of-date maps, thinktanks tell Rachel Reeves

Chancellor urged to reform Office for Budget Responsibility to open way to more public investment

theguardian.com

One of the first priorities of this Labour government was to make people safer and more secure at work. Today Reform are revealing their true colours, they'll roll back our rights, reinstate fire and rehire and give bad bosses the freedom to behave as they want.

Agree with this analysis. You can’t deliver change with a system built to resist it. Reforming how the country is run is part of the mandate for change we were elected on

The Times and Sunday Times@thetimes.com · 8mo ago

The state is failing — No 10 needs an overhaul

Turning inward to a leadership contest now would be both wrong and counterproductive when there is still so much vital work ahead. Our focus should remain on delivering the change voters asked for, not distracting ourselves from it.

Reform’s Matthew Goodwin’s big idea would punish millions of women and strip them of their basic dignity to choose.   Even more dumfounding is that Nigel Farage appears to agree with it.   This is the kind of divisive politics we must stand against.

Reform by-election candidate suggested people who don’t have kids should pay more tax

Exclusive: The Reform politician’s suggestion would ‘punish millions of women and strip them of their basic dignity to choose’, Labour’s deputy leader warned

independent.co.uk

Colour me shocked that a company owner that uses *slave labour* as its operating model should end up in the Epstein files. www.ft.com/content/d8f9...

DP World boss emailed Epstein about sexual experiences

DoJ documents show Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem maintained relationship with sex offender long after 2008 conviction

ft.com

In the Sunday Mirror today on the threat of Reform to the country, why I left X and my continued campaigning on NDAs.

The Labour Government announced world-leading legislation to ban the exploitation of NDAs for victims of harassment and discrimination. Today I pressed them to introduce the legislation and ensure that all such gagging clauses are banned.

It is absolutely right that we put our best possible candidate forward for this crucial by-election. Without a shadow of a doubt, that is Andy Burnham.

leader of red wall group of MPs @jowhitemp.bsky.social suggests Andy Burnham should be allowed to stand in by-election 👇

Today in Parliament, I called for the Government to legislate on cross-border hiring for taxi drivers. As many constituents and taxi drivers have raised with me, the law as it stands weakens safeguarding protections and service standards.

This is good news and thanks to the leadership of the government and threat of such strong sanctions against X. But this issue has highlighted the real harm and pace of change of AI. We must change the way we legislate to address the ever-changing challenges of AI. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Elon Musk's X to block Grok from undressing images of real people

Grok will no longer allow users to remove clothing from images of real people in jurisdictions where it is illegal.

bbc.co.uk

I support restricting social media for under‑16s. But the rules that are already in place to protect children simply aren’t being enforced, and any new measure has to be practical and workable.

The despicable images circulating on X via its chatbot Grok show the way we legislate & regulate isn’t fit for purpose when it comes to the challenges of AI. I’m calling for a totally new, empowered regulator that embeds people's experience online. I spoke to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme today.

The Government have been absolutely right to take action against the disgusting and illegal images generated by Grok on twitter. But Elon Musk is ideologically opposed to the safeguards the public expect online and Grok has been generating these images as far back as August.

Britain’s welfare system is unsustainable. Today in the New Statesman I argue for a reset built on dignity, work & structural reform on housing and health policy. The Treasury & OBR must start modelling savings over longer horizons.

Yesterday I posted my last ever Tweet and called on the Government to do the same. Read more below on why I think it’s time to leave the cesspit formerly known as Twitter. www.politicshome.com/opinion/arti...

It is time to leave the cesspit formerly known as Twitter

Grok is just one of many reasons why Westminster should finally get off the website.

politicshome.com

I have not personally used X/Twitter for some time now. It was already an unpleasant place prior to its takeover by Elon Musk but since his acceptance of hate speech and anonymous online abusers, it has become utterly unusable.

Britain’s welfare system is unsustainable. Today in the New Statesman I argue for a reset built on dignity, work & structural reform on housing and health policy. The Treasury & OBR must start modelling savings over longer horizons.

Really pleased to see Batemoor & Jordanthorpe has been chosen as one of 25 trailblazer neighbourhoods set to receive up to £20 million in long-term investment over the next decade.

Yesterday we delivered a @38degrees.bsky.social petition with @louisehaighmp.bsky.social signed by over 92,000 to 10 Downing Street, calling on the government to end the misuse of NDAs. After 6 years of reviews there’s no excuse left. With a govt supporting workers’ rights, the time is now.

I have reached over 92,000 signatures on my petition to get NDAs banned in the workplace. If you haven’t signed my petition already, please share with your friends and family. you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/st...

Stop employers covering up abuse

Hey! Do you remember the Harvey Weinstein case? Non Disclosure Agreements silenced victims of abuse - and it's not just happening in Hollywood. They're used in the UK to cover up all kinds of miscondu...

you.38degrees.org.uk

@louisehaighmp.bsky.social and @cbmsuk.bsky.social are fighting to change the law. Nearly 90,000 people have signed, help us reach 100,000 signatures to give her the public backing she needs to make real change happen. 38d.gs/NDAs_BSKY01

Stop employers covering up abuse

Hey! Do you remember the Harvey Weinstein case? Non Disclosure Agreements silenced victims of abuse - and it's not just happening in Hollywood. They're used in the UK to cover up all kinds of…

38d.gs