This “offer” by Rupert Lowe to work with Reform UK is being framed in terms of tactics and his disagreements with Farage. More significant surely is Restore and Lowe are very openly far right and racist and have a support ceiling of, I’d guess, 10% at the very highest.

Greater Manchester mayoral vote going into a second round of Labour v Reform with Labour widely assumed to win this. It means Greens came third at best in the first round, for all their early-election talk that it was winnable/“it’s us vs Reform”/“the canvassing returns are amazing”.

Now *this* is an opening paragraph to an obituary.

Every single person who rides an ostentatiously noisy motorbike can just fuck off. Those who do so in London or any town or city, and especially those who use chainsaw-volume engine revving as a “warning” can then fuck off all over again.

Make-it-up politics - how Jenrick deployed his imagination as he attacked Burnham's supposed 'death tax' social care plan - www.theguardian.com/politics/liv...

Entirely correct decision.

Steve Peers@stevepeers.bsky.social · 6d ago

UEFA plans to boycott World Cups if FIFA plans go ahead www.bbc.co.uk/sport/footba...

I realise this is Restore Britain etc etc, but it's nonetheless pretty shocking.

Guest appearance for me with @pippacrerar.bsky.social on our Politics Weekly UK, where we discusss social care, whether Any Burnham really is planning a "death tax", and if Zack Polanski is "terminally online". www.theguardian.com/politics/aud...

Will we pay more tax to fund social care? – podcast

Pippa Crerar and Peter Walker discuss the debate around raising taxes for social care reform

theguardian.com

NEW: Several councils have said they will no longer place families in a London tower block after the Guardian revealed that some people housed there were told they did not have access to the central air conditioning system during the heatwave. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

Families to be moved out of billionaire-owned tower after suffering without air con

Several councils to stop housing tenants in glass-fronted Britannia Point in London, where tenants were earlier told they could not use air con

theguardian.com

Completely agree. This is beautifully written. It's worth pointing out that plenty of other columnists have tried to mimic the Chiles approach - especially the whimsy – and have almost all fallen flat. It's not easy.

Tim Bale@timbale.bsky.social · 6d ago

I know people like to take the p*ss out of Adrian but this is a great piece of writing.

Interesting statement from Avon & Somerset police about how not only did Zack Polanski not commit an offence in posting a pic of a man in a T-shirt showing a guillotine and a reference to Nigel Farage, but that the "satirical" T-shirt was itself also not an offence.

At a press conference right now, Robert Jenrick has spent 15 minutes and counting castigating a plan by Andy Burnham to finance social care which does not as yet exist. It's all a bit curious.

You’ve probably seen @peterwalker99.bsky.social’s story on the London flats where the temporary accommodation residents had their air con turned off in a heatwave; we had a look at what’s going on and who is responsible. www.londoncentric.media/p/air-condit...

"If you're poor, you can sweat": One building's air conditioning divide

The struggles of residents in a London tower block sum up the challenges of heatwave-era London.

londoncentric.media

Piece be me about some nagging worries in the Greens about the “terminally online” Zack Polanski and whether in particular he needs to hand over his social media passwords. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

‘Terminally online’: why frustrated Greens want Polanski to hand over his social media

As Labour enjoy a ‘Burnham bounce’, post by Green leader that appeared to welcome violence against Nigel Farage has left some supporters bemused

theguardian.com

With the full caveat that I'm not a lawyer, I'd be astonished if police took any action against Zack Polanski. Sure, it was distasteful and a mistake, but re-posting someone else's post in which this was one of 20 images*, and deleting it on being told of the content, is not incitement to murder.

New by me: Homeless families placed in temporary accommodation in London were told they could not use the in-built air conditioning as it had “not been offered as an amenity” for them, leading to two children being hospitalised during recent heatwaves. www.theguardian.com/society/2026...

Families in London temporary housing told they cannot use in-built air conditioning

Exclusive: Two children taken to hospital during heatwaves after residents told units in glass-fronted block ‘not offered as amenity’

theguardian.com

Only one poll etc, but still - not least Greens on 8%.

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

There is a point at which politicians complaining endlessly about how the media and others are conspiring against them becomes, well, a bit tedious and off-putting for voters. I suspect that Reform might be, beyond their core support, getting close to this.

Kemi Badenoch has written to Andy Burnham to say the Tories are "happy" to work cross-party on reforming social care.... but only if he rules out the only two ways you could realistically pay for it (contributions from individuals, or higher taxes/borrowing).

New from me: Reform UK’s plan to make employers pay an annual levy for overseas staff would harm the NHS and social care, cause a shortage of schoolteachers, and could push some universities into bankruptcy, experts have warned. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Reform UK levy on employing overseas staff ‘would harm NHS and social care’

Exclusive: Experts say policy could also cause shortages of school teachers and drive some universities to bankruptcy

theguardian.com

I'm up at 6.30am to write up an Andy Burnham interview the BBC did last week and have been teasing in segments, refusing to release under embargo. This it the first interview with a new PM. I don't object to it going to the BBC but treating it like some sort of celebrity exclusive feels a bit weird.

"But if we leave X, then we are unable to communicate effectively with voters."

Sunder Katwala (sundersays)@sundersays.bsky.social · last wk.

Here is a call for the murder of Home Office ministers + officials by the X user endorsed by the site owner Elon Musk.

As a punishment for his world’s-worst-in-class Routemaster buses, Thomas Heatherwick should be banned from ever enjoying air conditioning for the rest of his life. And from May to September every year he is only allowed to travel in London via bus routes which use his sweat box behemoths.

As it happens, Chris Bryant's book "Glamour Boys" is about the gay politicians who saw early the danger of Hitler and in at last one case died fighting him. Ronald Cartland's defence of Cassel in 1940 was pretty damn macho.

Peter Walker@peterwalker99.bsky.social · 2w ago

I've ready some pretty odd Telegraph opinion pieces in my time, but this might be the oddest. I wonder just what it is about Wes Streeting and Chris Bryant that makes the author believe they're somehow just not macho enough for government.

I've ready some pretty odd Telegraph opinion pieces in my time, but this might be the oddest. I wonder just what it is about Wes Streeting and Chris Bryant that makes the author believe they're somehow just not macho enough for government.

“Let’s make children less safe” is, on the face of it, quite a bold local election promise.

Oxford Clarion@oxfordclarion.bsky.social · 2w ago

A Carterton town council election is being fought today with candidates competing with each other to oppose a School Streets scheme outside two primary schools. Conservative leader Liam Walker called it “draconian” while Reform councillor Natalie King said she was “absolutely fumming”.

In fairness, the venue for this upcoming Kemi Badenoch speech is quite nice. She’s going to be talking, it seems, about her view that Andy Burnham is perfectly nice but not serious.

Much like longer-distance bike rides, ministerial appointments always expand to fill up the maximum amount of time allowed for them. [Morning] “You should get most of it by 2pm.” [10pm] *Repeatedly refreshes email in vain*

I'd just like to formally register my dissatisfaction with life in Burnham's Britain.

A minor point in the wider context, but No 10 speeches without Steve Bray are a *definite* improvement.