Kemi Badenoch on Crewkerne Gazette candidate: "I don't watch his videos. I don't even like those videos. I hate AI deepfakes."
James Heale
@jaheale.bsky.social
Deputy Political Editor at The Spectator
RIP Rod Liddle - a great loss to The Spectator and many readers who loved his work
Bev Craig has won the Greater Manchester Mayoral election 🔴 LAB: 309,525 - 66.3% ➡️ RFM: 157,178 - 33.7% Landslide triumph for Labour
EXC: 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.
Striking how many Labour ministers talk about their school days as a motivation for their politics. How might the loss of independent schools be remembered in the following decades? My colleague Lara Brown on the dissolution of private education: spectator.com/article/scho...
Schools out: the dissolution of private education
St Joseph’s College in Reading survived two world wars, the Great Depression and a pandemic. But it could not weather two years under this Labour government. Next month, its 500 pupils will be among t...
spectator.com
Exc: Reform’s shadow cabinet set to be expanded at party conference, with two or three more names added Nigel Farage signals he will stand behind George Cottrell: ‘I don’t dump trusted friends unless they betray me – it’s as simple as that.’ Out in Nigeland: spectator.com/article/hes-...
‘He’s either the Messiah – or the Antichrist’: on the campaign trail with Nigel Farage
‘We love you, Nigel!’ In Clacton-on-Sea, there is little sign that the Reform leader’s star has waned. Campaigning with Farage here is a burst of cackles, quips, nicotine and selfies: a march through ...
spectator.com
Roy Jenkins: “no statement is interesting if you can’t imagine the same man saying the direct opposite of it”
Julianna 💎@batariangal.eurosky.social · 7d agoImagining a new UK Prime Minister calling for more hostility in politics, an increase in leaks, and to make the social care crisis worse
Amazed we haven't seen more politicians weighing in on Infantino and the great FIFA flog-off. Boris Johnson – a known football agnostic – was all over the European Super League in 2021
Interesting to compare the Tory and Reform response to Burnham’s schools announcement this morning. Conservatives very critical, talking of successful Coalition reforms Reform much more favourable to initial vibes, in keeping with their critique that too many kids go to uni
Bridget Phillipson is Labour’s new party chair. Spoke to a savvy source a few weeks ago who predicted Lucy Powell would either get Education or a big party job. Powell taking DfE means Phillipson gets the latter
James Heale@jaheale.bsky.social · 4w agoFour in five Labour MPs have signed Burnham’s nomination papers as the party goes all in on him. Column on the great Labour beauty pageant for the new regime: spectator.com/article/labo...
Interesting report from Tom Baldwin on Team Burnham and the ‘Mahmood for Chancellor’ briefings
No. 10 source quote to the BBC: “Andy is going to run towards problems that have been neglected.”
A fair few on the right seem to have had their brains broken by Burnham - something which will help Labour if it continues
Love this Guardian vox pop from Clacton. More voters should bring up the 1985 Al-Yamamah arms deal:
Trump at WH Correspondents’ Dinner “A once-feared and powerful regime that relentlessly attacked America has been toppled. Their former leaders have been removed and they’re now being run by a gay dictator facing internal divisions. But, I for one, wish Bari Weiss all the best at CBS News.”
Live by the sword, die by the sword. Some of the selections/blockings were frankly mean spirited
Rob Ford@robfordmancs.bsky.social · 2w agoThe other thing that’s fun about this is these are the same people who were utterly ruthless in whacking factional opponents eg in the 2024 selections process, withdrawing whip for rebellions etc Soon as the boot’s on the other foot they’re whining about the unfairness of it all.
There’s a lot to suggest that “Talk left and govern right” - within the context of the Labour tradition - is a sensible way to run the party
The Little News Bot@thelittlenewsbot.bsky.social · 2w agoAngela Rayner rules out rent controls in England The housing secretary tells the BBC that the Renters Rights' Act is already having a significant impact on the market. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx2dg54vprno?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss
Missed this but, in a godsend to journalists, the Young Conservatives are electing a chair for the first time in more than a decade with a hustings at party conference
Not entirely sure about the wisdom of distancing ministers from parliament
The Burnham government has a record high of Co-Op ministers - 22. Mutualism, more than Manchesterism, could define this government.
James Heale@jaheale.bsky.social · 2w agoAndy Burnham's arrival resets the political chessboard: 🗳️Shadow cabinet warned about early election 🙋Reform candidates put into seats in coming week 📝Both parties working up manifestos spectator.com/article/how-...
Andy Burnham's arrival resets the political chessboard: 🗳️Shadow cabinet warned about early election 🙋Reform candidates put into seats in coming week 📝Both parties working up manifestos spectator.com/article/how-...
How Reform and the Tories plan to fight Andy Burnham
Kemi Badenoch was in an upbeat mood when she addressed her troops last week. ‘This time last year,’ she said to the 1922 Committee, ‘people told me Jenrick was taking over the party, Starmer was stead...
spectator.com
Exc: Grant Shapps believed to be one of at least 10 ex Tory MPs who have failed their assessments as Badenoch overhauls selection process spectator.com/article/gran...
Grant Shapps misses out on Tory selection
The Tories are stepping up their seat selections, amid increased speculation that a new Prime Minister will mean an early election. Kemi Badenoch has talked extensively about the importance of attract...
spectator.com
EXC: Tory expansion continues... understand that Steph Schwarz is joining LOTO as Deputy Press Secretary to Dylan Sharpe from next month. A longtime Tory spad, she has worked at Sky since 2024.
Exclusive: Jordan Bardella of the National Rally to speak at Reform's party conference in Birmingham If Marine Le Pen is elected French President, he will serve as her PM His speech is expected to focus on how RN and Reform will work together in office: spectator.com/article/jord...
Jordan Bardella to headline Reform conference
Nigel Farage has always been keen to emphasise his status as a global figure. Whether it is his friendships with America’s Donald Trump or Australia’s Pauline Hanson, the Reform UK leader likes to see...
spectator.com
A good reshuffle for the Co-Operative Party which now has a PM and the Secretaries of State for Education, Business, Scotland, Energy and Justice
Chris Bryant is Northern Ireland Sec Stephen Kinnock is Welsh Sec Ellie Reeves is Attorney General Emma Reynolds is Chief Sec to Treasury Kanishka Narayan, Hamish Falconer and Matthew Pennycook are attending cabinet