Obviously, in today's modern world, there's no requirement for the Prime Minister to live above their workplace.
If Andy Burnham wants to live in Manchester or Penzance or Stornaway, that shouldn't be any kind of impediment to being able to do the job.
I mean, the King and Queen aren't going to live in Buckingham Palace but use Clarence House and no one seems that bothered. We need to get out of the 20th century mindset of associating places with roles - the world has changed.
Clarence House is a few minutes walk from Buckingham Palace, Manchester is the other side of the country from Downing St
IF the King and Queen chose to live at Balmoral, would that matter ?
Technically the PM sometimes lives at Number 11, whose flat is larger. But do they mean Burnham will not even work at Number 10 and will remain in its northern outpost?
He will work at his new Northern Number 10 at least one day a week apparently and will spend every night in Manchester not No 10
He's aiming to be the first hybrid PM. Two days a week he will be PM on Teams or Zoom only. Maybe.
He's definitely standing down as Mayor of Manchester?
Yes, but he’s ensuring he will have a vote on his successor.
Obviously, in today's modern world, there's no requirement for the Prime Minister to live above their workplace.
If Andy Burnham wants to live in Manchester or Penzance or Stornaway, that shouldn't be any kind of impediment to being able to do the job.
I mean, the King and Queen aren't going to live in Buckingham Palace but use Clarence House and no one seems that bothered. We need to get out of the 20th century mindset of associating places with roles - the world has changed.
Clarence House is a few minutes walk from Buckingham Palace, Manchester is the other side of the country from Downing St
if you lot had not balls up HS2 it would have been a heap closer, your comments about distance being a barrier to effective working highlights just how awful a decision that was
FYI from a logistics perspective, DIRFT near Rugby is the centre of the UK, and also the site of some of the most boring work conferences I have ever been to. The population centre is somewhere in Leicestershire, depending on how you measure it.
And my amateur GIS skillz are giving me Stafford for UK-without-London, and the centre of deprivation (bottom 20% IMD) - my God - it's Manchester! 70 miles north of population centre, which is remarkable.
Breaking news - Burnham has announced that Manchester is to be designated our capital city, replacing London.
I appreciate that politicians struggle to think about next week, let alone the long term, but what happens to all this nonsense when the PM is not from Manchester?
Obviously, in today's modern world, there's no requirement for the Prime Minister to live above their workplace.
If Andy Burnham wants to live in Manchester or Penzance or Stornaway, that shouldn't be any kind of impediment to being able to do the job.
I mean, the King and Queen aren't going to live in Buckingham Palace but use Clarence House and no one seems that bothered. We need to get out of the 20th century mindset of associating places with roles - the world has changed.
Clarence House is a few minutes walk from Buckingham Palace, Manchester is the other side of the country from Downing St
IF the King and Queen chose to live at Balmoral, would that matter ?
They go their for the summer holidays, most of the year the King resides in and works in London. It would be an issue if the King lived most of the year in Balmoral as well
Breaking news - Burnham has announced that Manchester is to be designated our capital city, replacing London.
I appreciate that politicians struggle to think about next week, let alone the long term, but what happens to all this nonsense when the PM is not from Manchester?
Isn't it treason to talk about the death of the King?
Obviously, in today's modern world, there's no requirement for the Prime Minister to live above their workplace.
If Andy Burnham wants to live in Manchester or Penzance or Stornaway, that shouldn't be any kind of impediment to being able to do the job.
I mean, the King and Queen aren't going to live in Buckingham Palace but use Clarence House and no one seems that bothered. We need to get out of the 20th century mindset of associating places with roles - the world has changed.
He could base David Lammy in Stornoway. In unrelated news, Stornoway black pudding is excellent.
Breaking news - Burnham has announced that Manchester is to be designated our capital city, replacing London.
I appreciate that politicians struggle to think about next week, let alone the long term, but what happens to all this nonsense when the PM is not from Manchester?
I'm imagining Number 10 North as something like this:
Breaking news - Burnham has announced that Manchester is to be designated our capital city, replacing London.
I appreciate that politicians struggle to think about next week, let alone the long term, but what happens to all this nonsense when the PM is not from Manchester?
I think after a few years of all this commuting of the PM from No 10 in Westminster to their home in Manchester, voters will want a PM who lives in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
Obviously, in today's modern world, there's no requirement for the Prime Minister to live above their workplace.
If Andy Burnham wants to live in Manchester or Penzance or Stornaway, that shouldn't be any kind of impediment to being able to do the job.
I mean, the King and Queen aren't going to live in Buckingham Palace but use Clarence House and no one seems that bothered. We need to get out of the 20th century mindset of associating places with roles - the world has changed.
Clarence House is a few minutes walk from Buckingham Palace, Manchester is the other side of the country from Downing St
IF the King and Queen chose to live at Balmoral, would that matter ?
They go their for the summer holidays, most of the year the King resides in and works in London. It would be an issue if the King lived most of the year in Balmoral as well
How so?
He could still receive foreign dignitaries - his office could be at Balmoral - contents of correspondence and paperwork could be digitised in London and read by the King in Scotland.
So much of this thinking comes from the age of pen and paper.....
Obviously, in today's modern world, there's no requirement for the Prime Minister to live above their workplace.
If Andy Burnham wants to live in Manchester or Penzance or Stornaway, that shouldn't be any kind of impediment to being able to do the job.
I mean, the King and Queen aren't going to live in Buckingham Palace but use Clarence House and no one seems that bothered. We need to get out of the 20th century mindset of associating places with roles - the world has changed.
Clarence House is a few minutes walk from Buckingham Palace, Manchester is the other side of the country from Downing St
IF the King and Queen chose to live at Balmoral, would that matter ?
They go their for the summer holidays, most of the year the King resides in and works in London. It would be an issue if the King lived most of the year in Balmoral as well
How so?
He could still receive foreign dignitaries - his office could be at Balmoral - contents of correspondence and paperwork could be digitised in London and read by the King in Scotland.
So much of this thinking comes from the age of pen and paper.....
The security isn't as strong and most foreign leaders will want to meet him in Buckingham Palace and attend state dinners there as will most of those he is hosting receptions for
My wife has suggested that the newspapers will airtag Burnham to keep track of where he sleeps each night and discover that he's juggling three affairs.
Working away from home has often been used as a cover for affairs, so I can see how it would work.
Obviously, in today's modern world, there's no requirement for the Prime Minister to live above their workplace.
If Andy Burnham wants to live in Manchester or Penzance or Stornaway, that shouldn't be any kind of impediment to being able to do the job.
I mean, the King and Queen aren't going to live in Buckingham Palace but use Clarence House and no one seems that bothered. We need to get out of the 20th century mindset of associating places with roles - the world has changed.
Clarence House is a few minutes walk from Buckingham Palace, Manchester is the other side of the country from Downing St
IF the King and Queen chose to live at Balmoral, would that matter ?
They go their for the summer holidays, most of the year the King resides in and works in London. It would be an issue if the King lived most of the year in Balmoral as well
How so?
He could still receive foreign dignitaries - his office could be at Balmoral - contents of correspondence and paperwork could be digitised in London and read by the King in Scotland.
So much of this thinking comes from the age of pen and paper.....
If Burnham intends to alternate between Manchester and London, please may I have Chequers? I promise to keep it tidy, and will cheerfully hand over the keys to his successor in the fulness of time.
FYI from a logistics perspective, DIRFT near Rugby is the centre of the UK, and also the site of some of the most boring work conferences I have ever been to. The population centre is somewhere in Leicestershire, depending on how you measure it.
And my amateur GIS skillz are giving me Stafford for UK-without-London, and the centre of deprivation (bottom 20% IMD) - my God - it's Manchester! 70 miles north of population centre, which is remarkable.
We are currently on holiday 5 miles from Haltwhistle, which advertises itself as the centre of Britain. Are you confusing the centre of England with the centre of Britain?
Obviously, in today's modern world, there's no requirement for the Prime Minister to live above their workplace.
If Andy Burnham wants to live in Manchester or Penzance or Stornaway, that shouldn't be any kind of impediment to being able to do the job.
I mean, the King and Queen aren't going to live in Buckingham Palace but use Clarence House and no one seems that bothered. We need to get out of the 20th century mindset of associating places with roles - the world has changed.
Clarence House to Buckingham Palace is about 400 yards although I suspect the King is driven..
Obviously, in today's modern world, there's no requirement for the Prime Minister to live above their workplace.
If Andy Burnham wants to live in Manchester or Penzance or Stornaway, that shouldn't be any kind of impediment to being able to do the job.
I mean, the King and Queen aren't going to live in Buckingham Palace but use Clarence House and no one seems that bothered. We need to get out of the 20th century mindset of associating places with roles - the world has changed.
Clarence House is a few minutes walk from Buckingham Palace, Manchester is the other side of the country from Downing St
IF the King and Queen chose to live at Balmoral, would that matter ?
They go their for the summer holidays, most of the year the King resides in and works in London. It would be an issue if the King lived most of the year in Balmoral as well
How so?
He could still receive foreign dignitaries - his office could be at Balmoral - contents of correspondence and paperwork could be digitised in London and read by the King in Scotland.
So much of this thinking comes from the age of pen and paper.....
Has a politician ever thrived when being isolated from everyone else in government? Yes it’s possible to have papers digitised and what-not, but a key part of a politician is meeting with people. Can’t do that easily if you are hours away from the capital.
Personally, I think it is hard to justify the continuation of birthright citizenship. But I don't think constitutional amendments should be overrideable by executive orders.
One of MAGA's attributes is an apparent complete incapacity to distinguish between political and constitutional issues, or acknowledge that the constitution sets out how those two things interact.
FYI from a logistics perspective, DIRFT near Rugby is the centre of the UK, and also the site of some of the most boring work conferences I have ever been to. The population centre is somewhere in Leicestershire, depending on how you measure it.
And my amateur GIS skillz are giving me Stafford for UK-without-London, and the centre of deprivation (bottom 20% IMD) - my God - it's Manchester! 70 miles north of population centre, which is remarkable.
We are currently on holiday 5 miles from Haltwhistle, which advertises itself as the centre of Britain. Are you confusing the centre of England with the centre of Britain?
Population centre != geographic centre, and the latter is debated in the UK because of the islands. Ordnance Survey think it's Morecambe Bay.
Breaking news - Burnham has announced that Manchester is to be designated our capital city, replacing London.
I appreciate that politicians struggle to think about next week, let alone the long term, but what happens to all this nonsense when the PM is not from Manchester?
I think after a few years of all this commuting of the PM from No 10 in Westminster to their home in Manchester, voters will want a PM who lives in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
I doubt it, but then I’m not London centric. If foreign dignitaries aren’t prepared to travel to Balmoral, they’re not worth talking to.
I thought the Basic Law was to do with beer but he is an economist:
Will Hutton @williamnhutton · 1h Andy Burnham refreshingly speaks human. But put aside the creation of No 10 North . The promise today to introduce something equivalent to Germany’s Article 107 of its Basic Law, equalising the resource available to every German region, is mind-blowing. This is real levelling up
No that’s the Purity Law of 1516 (Reinheitsgebot) stating beer can only be made from hops, water, and malted barley ( well unless it’s wheat beer I guess!), as opposed to the Basic Law ( Grundgesetz ) of 1949 ( I think) which is essentially the German constitutional underpinning.
I thought the Basic Law was to do with beer but he is an economist:
Will Hutton @williamnhutton · 1h Andy Burnham refreshingly speaks human. But put aside the creation of No 10 North . The promise today to introduce something equivalent to Germany’s Article 107 of its Basic Law, equalising the resource available to every German region, is mind-blowing. This is real levelling up
No that’s the Purity Law of 1516 (Reinheitsgebot) stating beer can only be made from hops, water, and malted barley ( well unless it’s wheat beer I guess!), as opposed to the Basic Law ( Grundgesetz ) of 1949 ( I think) which is essentially the German constitutional underpinning.
Of course there’s a case that beer is Germany’s underpinning too.
Legendary pharma industry commentator Derek Lowe says "the Trump administration is trying to destroy federally-funded research in the US as we know it and replace it with cronyism and worse."
And who's not speaking up about it? The CEOs of major biopharma companies.
Lowe calls this "odd," apparently using the word the same way I do. (It translates to "batshit crazy.")
He points out: "(1) the great majority of the employees at these companies came through that exact funding system at some point in their careers, and (2) since the industry depends on the basic science research funded this way to make its own advances in applied and clinical applications."
Obviously, in today's modern world, there's no requirement for the Prime Minister to live above their workplace.
If Andy Burnham wants to live in Manchester or Penzance or Stornaway, that shouldn't be any kind of impediment to being able to do the job.
I mean, the King and Queen aren't going to live in Buckingham Palace but use Clarence House and no one seems that bothered. We need to get out of the 20th century mindset of associating places with roles - the world has changed.
Clarence House to Buckingham Palace is about 400 yards although I suspect the King is driven..
I’m glad he’s driven. We don’t want a wishy washy King.
Breaking news - Burnham has announced that Manchester is to be designated our capital city, replacing London.
I appreciate that politicians struggle to think about next week, let alone the long term, but what happens to all this nonsense when the PM is not from Manchester?
I think after a few years of all this commuting of the PM from No 10 in Westminster to their home in Manchester, voters will want a PM who lives in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
I doubt it, but then I’m not London centric. If foreign dignitaries aren’t prepared to travel to Balmoral, they’re not worth talking to.
The King doesn't expect most dignitaries to travel to Balmoral, he hosts most of them at Buckingham Palace or Windsor Castle. Even the PM is only required to come to Balmoral once a year
Technically the PM sometimes lives at Number 11, whose flat is larger. But do they mean Burnham will not even work at Number 10 and will remain in its northern outpost?
He's going to have to be down in the Commons frequently, and unless he moves Whitehall entire up north the whole machinery of government is there. He's hardly going to commute every day.
I'm certain he'll end up sleeping many nights in Number Ten, but I guess when I was working in London during the week for months I didn't move there.
We'll see how long this lasts. I can imagine some of the papers being very interested in where he is sleeping each night now.
With his new tax plans I’m sure he’d rather pay council tax in Manc…
Breaking news - Burnham has announced that Manchester is to be designated our capital city, replacing London.
I appreciate that politicians struggle to think about next week, let alone the long term, but what happens to all this nonsense when the PM is not from Manchester?
I think after a few years of all this commuting of the PM from No 10 in Westminster to their home in Manchester, voters will want a PM who lives in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
I doubt it, but then I’m not London centric. If foreign dignitaries aren’t prepared to travel to Balmoral, they’re not worth talking to.
The King doesn't expect most dignitaries to travel to Balmoral, he hosts most of them at Buckingham Palace or Windsor Castle. Even the PM is only required to come to Balmoral once a year
It’s not much fun pulling your leg, HYUFD. You rise to the bait far too easily. 😄 You remind me of Margo Leadbetter (sadly missed).
The repeal of said Act is all about rough sleeping and homelessness but the original proposals put forward by the Sunak Government in 2023 were as much about begging:
Steve Reed points to measures in the Crime & Policing Act 2026 which are meant to deal with begging which was outlawed under the 1824 Vagrancy Act. Is begging now legal - I'm not sure?
My wife has suggested that the newspapers will airtag Burnham to keep track of where he sleeps each night and discover that he's juggling three affairs.
Working away from home has often been used as a cover for affairs, so I can see how it would work.
Pro tip for having an affair.
Disable the auto-syncing of your photo library to iCloud so your wife cannot see what you've been up to on the photo gallery of the iPad you've left at home.
My wife has suggested that the newspapers will airtag Burnham to keep track of where he sleeps each night and discover that he's juggling three affairs.
Working away from home has often been used as a cover for affairs, so I can see how it would work.
Pro tip for having an affair.
Disable the auto-syncing of your photo library to iCloud so your wife cannot see what you've been up to on the photo gallery of the iPad you've left at home.
Breaking news - Burnham has announced that Manchester is to be designated our capital city, replacing London.
I appreciate that politicians struggle to think about next week, let alone the long term, but what happens to all this nonsense when the PM is not from Manchester?
I think after a few years of all this commuting of the PM from No 10 in Westminster to their home in Manchester, voters will want a PM who lives in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
Perhaps Sky & BBC will agree to share the surveillance helicopter after his first few journeys.
My wife has suggested that the newspapers will airtag Burnham to keep track of where he sleeps each night and discover that he's juggling three affairs.
Working away from home has often been used as a cover for affairs, so I can see how it would work.
Pro tip for having an affair.
Disable the auto-syncing of your photo library to iCloud so your wife cannot see what you've been up to on the photo gallery of the iPad you've left at home.
Or don’t take pictures? Radical idea I know.
Or just don’t betray your partner in the first place. Novel concept.
On it's face that is good news for the Govt, as approximately 1.5 million appointments have been lost or delayed during the dispute. As a ballpark I make that 300k or 400k per annum, which is a significant number. On its face that may be an extra million appointments not cancelled and not delayed by the next Election. That could be an extra 10-15% of the waiting list.
But I have not yet got my head around the precise settlement, the financial implications for the NHS, or what the agreement was that finally made it over the line.
As with all these, only time will tell.
I'm sticking with my estimate that the waiting list in England needs to be down to around 5 million for Mr Starmer Burnham to be able to claim an unquestionable success. That is back to pre-Covid levels.
It will be very interesting to see No 10 North put into action, and even more interesting to see whether the next government sticks with it. Perhaps the No 10 shadow, so to speak, will become a movable concern.
My wife has suggested that the newspapers will airtag Burnham to keep track of where he sleeps each night and discover that he's juggling three affairs.
Working away from home has often been used as a cover for affairs, so I can see how it would work.
Pro tip for having an affair.
Disable the auto-syncing of your photo library to iCloud so your wife cannot see what you've been up to on the photo gallery of the iPad you've left at home.
/Oddly Specific
This idea of not staying in London won't last a week. It could just about be done from here (90 minutes) but I still wouldn't.
My wife has suggested that the newspapers will airtag Burnham to keep track of where he sleeps each night and discover that he's juggling three affairs.
Working away from home has often been used as a cover for affairs, so I can see how it would work.
Pro tip for having an affair.
Disable the auto-syncing of your photo library to iCloud so your wife cannot see what you've been up to on the photo gallery of the iPad you've left at home.
/Oddly Specific
This idea of not staying in London won't last a week. It could just about be done from here (90 minutes) but I still wouldn't.
Really pro tip for having an affair in a far less complicated manner.
My wife has suggested that the newspapers will airtag Burnham to keep track of where he sleeps each night and discover that he's juggling three affairs.
Working away from home has often been used as a cover for affairs, so I can see how it would work.
Pro tip for having an affair.
Disable the auto-syncing of your photo library to iCloud so your wife cannot see what you've been up to on the photo gallery of the iPad you've left at home.
/Oddly Specific
This idea of not staying in London won't last a week. It could just about be done from here (90 minutes) but I still wouldn't.
Most people who apply for a job have to accept they go where the job is. Will he turn up in Parliament for PMQs?
My wife has suggested that the newspapers will airtag Burnham to keep track of where he sleeps each night and discover that he's juggling three affairs.
Working away from home has often been used as a cover for affairs, so I can see how it would work.
Pro tip for having an affair.
Disable the auto-syncing of your photo library to iCloud so your wife cannot see what you've been up to on the photo gallery of the iPad you've left at home.
/Oddly Specific
This idea of not staying in London won't last a week. It could just about be done from here (90 minutes) but I still wouldn't.
I used to work three days in Manc, Mon, Wed & Fri and Tues & Thurs in London, for several years, commuting with Virgin West Coast.
The other thing about Number 10 North - does it unnecessarily annoy the political lobby journalists?
How will that affect reporting on Burnham's Ministry?
Political journalism is way too London centric so sounds great tbh
I do enjoy the "we totally aren't London-centric" reporting which only feels the need to mention the location of 'an event' if it's... not London. My favourite BBC news item on that front is still a presenter of the PM programme on R4 doing a piece and asking someone from far, far away distant Essex what it was like being a teacher with an accent. Entirely un-self-aware. Almost glorious in its way.
My wife has suggested that the newspapers will airtag Burnham to keep track of where he sleeps each night and discover that he's juggling three affairs.
Working away from home has often been used as a cover for affairs, so I can see how it would work.
Pro tip for having an affair.
Disable the auto-syncing of your photo library to iCloud so your wife cannot see what you've been up to on the photo gallery of the iPad you've left at home.
My wife has suggested that the newspapers will airtag Burnham to keep track of where he sleeps each night and discover that he's juggling three affairs.
Working away from home has often been used as a cover for affairs, so I can see how it would work.
Pro tip for having an affair.
Disable the auto-syncing of your photo library to iCloud so your wife cannot see what you've been up to on the photo gallery of the iPad you've left at home.
/Oddly Specific
This idea of not staying in London won't last a week. It could just about be done from here (90 minutes) but I still wouldn't.
On a totally unrelated subject, I was divorced once.
My wife has suggested that the newspapers will airtag Burnham to keep track of where he sleeps each night and discover that he's juggling three affairs.
Working away from home has often been used as a cover for affairs, so I can see how it would work.
Pro tip for having an affair.
Disable the auto-syncing of your photo library to iCloud so your wife cannot see what you've been up to on the photo gallery of the iPad you've left at home.
/Oddly Specific
This idea of not staying in London won't last a week. It could just about be done from here (90 minutes) but I still wouldn't.
I used to work three days in Manc, Mon, Wed & Fri and Tues & Thurs in London, for several years, commuting with Virgin West Coast.
I suspect WCML isn't an option for the PM for security reasons. Unless that was the reason why (back in January) that early morning train to London wasn't going to have passengers.
My wife has suggested that the newspapers will airtag Burnham to keep track of where he sleeps each night and discover that he's juggling three affairs.
Working away from home has often been used as a cover for affairs, so I can see how it would work.
Pro tip for having an affair.
Disable the auto-syncing of your photo library to iCloud so your wife cannot see what you've been up to on the photo gallery of the iPad you've left at home.
/Oddly Specific
This idea of not staying in London won't last a week. It could just about be done from here (90 minutes) but I still wouldn't.
I used to work three days in Manc, Mon, Wed & Fri and Tues & Thurs in London, for several years, commuting with Virgin West Coast.
I suspect WCML isn't an option for the PM for security reasons. Unless that was the reason why (back in January) that early morning train to London wasn't going to have passengers.
Presumably he'll just reserve carriage H for him and his security team whenever they travel.
Not the same, but United do the same when travelling to London.
My wife has suggested that the newspapers will airtag Burnham to keep track of where he sleeps each night and discover that he's juggling three affairs.
Working away from home has often been used as a cover for affairs, so I can see how it would work.
Pro tip for having an affair.
Disable the auto-syncing of your photo library to iCloud so your wife cannot see what you've been up to on the photo gallery of the iPad you've left at home.
The repeal of said Act is all about rough sleeping and homelessness but the original proposals put forward by the Sunak Government in 2023 were as much about begging:
Steve Reed points to measures in the Crime & Policing Act 2026 which are meant to deal with begging which was outlawed under the 1824 Vagrancy Act. Is begging now legal - I'm not sure?
I remember how surprised I was as a young'un - reading some Orwell piece that mentioned the 1824 act as being the reason we had tramps (or 'trampers') as they couldn't sleep more than one or two nights in the same place so had to 'tramp' to the next. I think I'd always had the impression "it was just what they did" in some vague not-really-thinking way.
My wife has suggested that the newspapers will airtag Burnham to keep track of where he sleeps each night and discover that he's juggling three affairs.
Working away from home has often been used as a cover for affairs, so I can see how it would work.
Pro tip for having an affair.
Disable the auto-syncing of your photo library to iCloud so your wife cannot see what you've been up to on the photo gallery of the iPad you've left at home.
/Oddly Specific
This idea of not staying in London won't last a week. It could just about be done from here (90 minutes) but I still wouldn't.
I used to work three days in Manc, Mon, Wed & Fri and Tues & Thurs in London, for several years, commuting with Virgin West Coast.
I suspect WCML isn't an option for the PM for security reasons. Unless that was the reason why (back in January) that early morning train to London wasn't going to have passengers.
Maybe he's planning to be in the helicopter rather than the train.
My wife has suggested that the newspapers will airtag Burnham to keep track of where he sleeps each night and discover that he's juggling three affairs.
Working away from home has often been used as a cover for affairs, so I can see how it would work.
Pro tip for having an affair.
Disable the auto-syncing of your photo library to iCloud so your wife cannot see what you've been up to on the photo gallery of the iPad you've left at home.
Or don’t take pictures? Radical idea I know.
The Daily T was fun today.
They are declaiming that having less centralised power in the UK is undemocratic, and socialism by the backdoor.
Tim Stanley has lost his normal spectacles, so is on dark sunglasses, and someone in the comments said it looked as if it was being hosted by "Peters and Lee".
The other thing about Number 10 North - does it unnecessarily annoy the political lobby journalists?
How will that affect reporting on Burnham's Ministry?
Political journalism is way too London centric so sounds great tbh
I do enjoy the "we totally aren't London-centric" reporting which only feels the need to mention the location of 'an event' if it's... not London. My favourite BBC news item on that front is still a presenter of the PM programme on R4 doing a piece and asking someone from far, far away distant Essex what it was like being a teacher with an accent. Entirely un-self-aware. Almost glorious in its way.
I had to laugh this afternoon when the BBC journalists were openly moaning that Burnham wasn't indulging their idea of their own importance by taking questions after his speech today. Perhaps it was because he wanted reporting to concentrate on what he had to say, rather than the separate agenda they wished to push on him. Long may it last.
The other thing about Number 10 North - does it unnecessarily annoy the political lobby journalists?
How will that affect reporting on Burnham's Ministry?
Political journalism is way too London centric so sounds great tbh
I do enjoy the "we totally aren't London-centric" reporting which only feels the need to mention the location of 'an event' if it's... not London. My favourite BBC news item on that front is still a presenter of the PM programme on R4 doing a piece and asking someone from far, far away distant Essex what it was like being a teacher with an accent. Entirely un-self-aware. Almost glorious in its way.
I had to laugh this afternoon when the BBC journalists were openly moaning that Burnham wasn't indulging their idea of their own importance by taking questions after his speech today. Perhaps it was because he wanted reporting to concentrate on what he had to say, rather than the separate agenda they wished to push on him. Long may it last.
If they're lucky, they may get to touch his cloak.
My wife has suggested that the newspapers will airtag Burnham to keep track of where he sleeps each night and discover that he's juggling three affairs.
Working away from home has often been used as a cover for affairs, so I can see how it would work.
Pro tip for having an affair.
Disable the auto-syncing of your photo library to iCloud so your wife cannot see what you've been up to on the photo gallery of the iPad you've left at home.
/Oddly Specific
This idea of not staying in London won't last a week. It could just about be done from here (90 minutes) but I still wouldn't.
I used to work three days in Manc, Mon, Wed & Fri and Tues & Thurs in London, for several years, commuting with Virgin West Coast.
I suspect WCML isn't an option for the PM for security reasons. Unless that was the reason why (back in January) that early morning train to London wasn't going to have passengers.
Presumably he'll just reserve carriage H for him and his security team whenever they travel.
Not the same, but United do the same when travelling to London.
Will it survive the first close vote when bad weather prevents him getting to parliament.
The other thing about Number 10 North - does it unnecessarily annoy the political lobby journalists?
How will that affect reporting on Burnham's Ministry?
Political journalism is way too London centric so sounds great tbh
I do enjoy the "we totally aren't London-centric" reporting which only feels the need to mention the location of 'an event' if it's... not London. My favourite BBC news item on that front is still a presenter of the PM programme on R4 doing a piece and asking someone from far, far away distant Essex what it was like being a teacher with an accent. Entirely un-self-aware. Almost glorious in its way.
I had to laugh this afternoon when the BBC journalists were openly moaning that Burnham wasn't indulging their idea of their own importance by taking questions after his speech today. Perhaps it was because he wanted reporting to concentrate on what he had to say, rather than the separate agenda they wished to push on him. Long may it last.
Every question would be about the makeup of his Cabinet. And every answer or non-answer would be the story. A speech is a speech. By the MP for Makerfield.
The other thing about Number 10 North - does it unnecessarily annoy the political lobby journalists?
How will that affect reporting on Burnham's Ministry?
Political journalism is way too London centric so sounds great tbh
I do enjoy the "we totally aren't London-centric" reporting which only feels the need to mention the location of 'an event' if it's... not London. My favourite BBC news item on that front is still a presenter of the PM programme on R4 doing a piece and asking someone from far, far away distant Essex what it was like being a teacher with an accent. Entirely un-self-aware. Almost glorious in its way.
I had to laugh this afternoon when the BBC journalists were openly moaning that Burnham wasn't indulging their idea of their own importance by taking questions after his speech today. Perhaps it was because he wanted reporting to concentrate on what he had to say, rather than the separate agenda they wished to push on him. Long may it last.
My wife has suggested that the newspapers will airtag Burnham to keep track of where he sleeps each night and discover that he's juggling three affairs.
Working away from home has often been used as a cover for affairs, so I can see how it would work.
Pro tip for having an affair.
Disable the auto-syncing of your photo library to iCloud so your wife cannot see what you've been up to on the photo gallery of the iPad you've left at home.
/Oddly Specific
This idea of not staying in London won't last a week. It could just about be done from here (90 minutes) but I still wouldn't.
I used to work three days in Manc, Mon, Wed & Fri and Tues & Thurs in London, for several years, commuting with Virgin West Coast.
Eek!
Though being PM isn't just a job, and he's talking about daily.
I wonder if he's expecting it to just be a scaled up mayoral job? Surely he should know better having already been in government?
The other thing about Number 10 North - does it unnecessarily annoy the political lobby journalists?
How will that affect reporting on Burnham's Ministry?
Political journalism is way too London centric so sounds great tbh
I do enjoy the "we totally aren't London-centric" reporting which only feels the need to mention the location of 'an event' if it's... not London. My favourite BBC news item on that front is still a presenter of the PM programme on R4 doing a piece and asking someone from far, far away distant Essex what it was like being a teacher with an accent. Entirely un-self-aware. Almost glorious in its way.
I had to laugh this afternoon when the BBC journalists were openly moaning that Burnham wasn't indulging their idea of their own importance by taking questions after his speech today. Perhaps it was because he wanted reporting to concentrate on what he had to say, rather than the separate agenda they wished to push on him. Long may it last.
I said so at this morning and I hope the rule continues, occasional interviews but for announcements here is a speech no questions at the end but if there are questions anything not on topic should be treated with the response not relevant and the questioner banned from asking questions for 6 months.
My wife has suggested that the newspapers will airtag Burnham to keep track of where he sleeps each night and discover that he's juggling three affairs.
Working away from home has often been used as a cover for affairs, so I can see how it would work.
Pro tip for having an affair.
Disable the auto-syncing of your photo library to iCloud so your wife cannot see what you've been up to on the photo gallery of the iPad you've left at home.
Or don’t take pictures? Radical idea I know.
Or just don’t betray your partner in the first place. Novel concept.
Even crazier - marry the person you want to sleep with.
Obviously, in today's modern world, there's no requirement for the Prime Minister to live above their workplace.
If Andy Burnham wants to live in Manchester or Penzance or Stornaway, that shouldn't be any kind of impediment to being able to do the job.
I mean, the King and Queen aren't going to live in Buckingham Palace but use Clarence House and no one seems that bothered. We need to get out of the 20th century mindset of associating places with roles - the world has changed.
Clarence House is a few minutes walk from Buckingham Palace, Manchester is the other side of the country from Downing St
IF the King and Queen chose to live at Balmoral, would that matter ?
They go their for the summer holidays, most of the year the King resides in and works in London. It would be an issue if the King lived most of the year in Balmoral as well
How so?
He could still receive foreign dignitaries - his office could be at Balmoral - contents of correspondence and paperwork could be digitised in London and read by the King in Scotland.
So much of this thinking comes from the age of pen and paper.....
Has a politician ever thrived when being isolated from everyone else in government? Yes it’s possible to have papers digitised and what-not, but a key part of a politician is meeting with people. Can’t do that easily if you are hours away from the capital.
I seem to remember reading something along the lines that one of the reasons the Scottish Enlightenment eventually took off was that the royal court and hangers-on, lawyers, etc all fecked off down to London and left them too it when James moved.
Maybe London will have it's own enlightenment when the flock moves north to tug their forelocks and plot and intrigue and gossip up North.
Entirely unrelated - but YT recommended this to me and I'm both delighted and horrified :
Do prime minsiters and presidents from other countries meet AB at his London or Manchester No10 in the future for state visits?
Golborne.
Trump sometimes hosts visitors and foreign leaders at Mar a Lago in Florida but even he is only there a third of the year at most. Burnham is intending to spend most of the year as PM in Manchester it seems ie every evening, every weekend and at least one full working day a week
My wife has suggested that the newspapers will airtag Burnham to keep track of where he sleeps each night and discover that he's juggling three affairs.
Working away from home has often been used as a cover for affairs, so I can see how it would work.
Pro tip for having an affair.
Disable the auto-syncing of your photo library to iCloud so your wife cannot see what you've been up to on the photo gallery of the iPad you've left at home.
/Oddly Specific
This idea of not staying in London won't last a week. It could just about be done from here (90 minutes) but I still wouldn't.
I used to work three days in Manc, Mon, Wed & Fri and Tues & Thurs in London, for several years, commuting with Virgin West Coast.
When I was working at Warwick Uni 2013-2018, I commuted up there on the Monday and came back to London on the Friday, also using West Coast.
The other thing about Number 10 North - does it unnecessarily annoy the political lobby journalists?
How will that affect reporting on Burnham's Ministry?
Political journalism is way too London centric so sounds great tbh
I do enjoy the "we totally aren't London-centric" reporting which only feels the need to mention the location of 'an event' if it's... not London. My favourite BBC news item on that front is still a presenter of the PM programme on R4 doing a piece and asking someone from far, far away distant Essex what it was like being a teacher with an accent. Entirely un-self-aware. Almost glorious in its way.
I had to laugh this afternoon when the BBC journalists were openly moaning that Burnham wasn't indulging their idea of their own importance by taking questions after his speech today. Perhaps it was because he wanted reporting to concentrate on what he had to say, rather than the separate agenda they wished to push on him. Long may it last.
Heaven forbid a politician answer a question!
Given that the question would have been who is going to be your chancellor - it was sensible to not allow them.
My wife has suggested that the newspapers will airtag Burnham to keep track of where he sleeps each night and discover that he's juggling three affairs.
Working away from home has often been used as a cover for affairs, so I can see how it would work.
Pro tip for having an affair.
Disable the auto-syncing of your photo library to iCloud so your wife cannot see what you've been up to on the photo gallery of the iPad you've left at home.
Or don’t take pictures? Radical idea I know.
Or just don’t betray your partner in the first place. Novel concept.
Even crazier - marry the person you want to sleep with.
My wife has suggested that the newspapers will airtag Burnham to keep track of where he sleeps each night and discover that he's juggling three affairs.
Working away from home has often been used as a cover for affairs, so I can see how it would work.
Pro tip for having an affair.
Disable the auto-syncing of your photo library to iCloud so your wife cannot see what you've been up to on the photo gallery of the iPad you've left at home.
/Oddly Specific
This idea of not staying in London won't last a week. It could just about be done from here (90 minutes) but I still wouldn't.
Most people who apply for a job have to accept they go where the job is. Will he turn up in Parliament for PMQs?
His answer for everything appears to be "Manchester".
I presume his next move will be to make Liam Gallagher Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport.
My wife has suggested that the newspapers will airtag Burnham to keep track of where he sleeps each night and discover that he's juggling three affairs.
Working away from home has often been used as a cover for affairs, so I can see how it would work.
Pro tip for having an affair.
Disable the auto-syncing of your photo library to iCloud so your wife cannot see what you've been up to on the photo gallery of the iPad you've left at home.
/Oddly Specific
This idea of not staying in London won't last a week. It could just about be done from here (90 minutes) but I still wouldn't.
Most people who apply for a job have to accept they go where the job is. Will he turn up in Parliament for PMQs?
His answer for everything appears to be "Manchester".
I presume his next move will be to make Liam Gallagher Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport.
My wife has suggested that the newspapers will airtag Burnham to keep track of where he sleeps each night and discover that he's juggling three affairs.
Working away from home has often been used as a cover for affairs, so I can see how it would work.
Pro tip for having an affair.
Disable the auto-syncing of your photo library to iCloud so your wife cannot see what you've been up to on the photo gallery of the iPad you've left at home.
/Oddly Specific
This idea of not staying in London won't last a week. It could just about be done from here (90 minutes) but I still wouldn't.
I used to work three days in Manc, Mon, Wed & Fri and Tues & Thurs in London, for several years, commuting with Virgin West Coast.
When I was working at Warwick Uni 2013-2018, I commuted up there on the Monday and came back to London on the Friday, also using West Coast.
I got to know the train managers well enough always to be allowed to sit in Coach C seat 1 or 2, the table just outside the managers office, the best seats on the train
My wife has suggested that the newspapers will airtag Burnham to keep track of where he sleeps each night and discover that he's juggling three affairs.
Working away from home has often been used as a cover for affairs, so I can see how it would work.
Pro tip for having an affair.
Disable the auto-syncing of your photo library to iCloud so your wife cannot see what you've been up to on the photo gallery of the iPad you've left at home.
/Oddly Specific
This idea of not staying in London won't last a week. It could just about be done from here (90 minutes) but I still wouldn't.
Most people who apply for a job have to accept they go where the job is. Will he turn up in Parliament for PMQs?
His answer for everything appears to be "Manchester".
I presume his next move will be to make Liam Gallagher Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport.
Noel would be a better cabinet minister than Liam.
My wife has suggested that the newspapers will airtag Burnham to keep track of where he sleeps each night and discover that he's juggling three affairs.
Working away from home has often been used as a cover for affairs, so I can see how it would work.
Pro tip for having an affair.
Disable the auto-syncing of your photo library to iCloud so your wife cannot see what you've been up to on the photo gallery of the iPad you've left at home.
/Oddly Specific
This idea of not staying in London won't last a week. It could just about be done from here (90 minutes) but I still wouldn't.
Most people who apply for a job have to accept they go where the job is. Will he turn up in Parliament for PMQs?
His answer for everything appears to be "Manchester".
I presume his next move will be to make Liam Gallagher Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport.
He seems to be more a fan of Morrissey, despite his far-right politics.
Obviously, in today's modern world, there's no requirement for the Prime Minister to live above their workplace.
If Andy Burnham wants to live in Manchester or Penzance or Stornaway, that shouldn't be any kind of impediment to being able to do the job.
I mean, the King and Queen aren't going to live in Buckingham Palace but use Clarence House and no one seems that bothered. We need to get out of the 20th century mindset of associating places with roles - the world has changed.
Clarence House is a few minutes walk from Buckingham Palace, Manchester is the other side of the country from Downing St
if you lot had not balls up HS2 it would have been a heap closer, your comments about distance being a barrier to effective working highlights just how awful a decision that was
My wife has suggested that the newspapers will airtag Burnham to keep track of where he sleeps each night and discover that he's juggling three affairs.
Working away from home has often been used as a cover for affairs, so I can see how it would work.
Pro tip for having an affair.
Disable the auto-syncing of your photo library to iCloud so your wife cannot see what you've been up to on the photo gallery of the iPad you've left at home.
/Oddly Specific
This idea of not staying in London won't last a week. It could just about be done from here (90 minutes) but I still wouldn't.
Most people who apply for a job have to accept they go where the job is. Will he turn up in Parliament for PMQs?
His answer for everything appears to be "Manchester".
I presume his next move will be to make Liam Gallagher Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport.
And Jim Ratcliffe as Chancellor but based most of the week in the Number 11 Monaco office.
Obviously, in today's modern world, there's no requirement for the Prime Minister to live above their workplace.
If Andy Burnham wants to live in Manchester or Penzance or Stornaway, that shouldn't be any kind of impediment to being able to do the job.
I mean, the King and Queen aren't going to live in Buckingham Palace but use Clarence House and no one seems that bothered. We need to get out of the 20th century mindset of associating places with roles - the world has changed.
Clarence House is a few minutes walk from Buckingham Palace, Manchester is the other side of the country from Downing St
if you lot had not balls up HS2 it would have been a heap closer, your comments about distance being a barrier to effective working highlights just how awful a decision that was
HS2 was never about speed.
indeed, but it would undoubtably made train travel from Manchester to London much more reliable and comfortable, making it much less of an obstacle to doing business between the cities.
Obviously, in today's modern world, there's no requirement for the Prime Minister to live above their workplace.
If Andy Burnham wants to live in Manchester or Penzance or Stornaway, that shouldn't be any kind of impediment to being able to do the job.
I mean, the King and Queen aren't going to live in Buckingham Palace but use Clarence House and no one seems that bothered. We need to get out of the 20th century mindset of associating places with roles - the world has changed.
Clarence House is a few minutes walk from Buckingham Palace, Manchester is the other side of the country from Downing St
if you lot had not balls up HS2 it would have been a heap closer, your comments about distance being a barrier to effective working highlights just how awful a decision that was
HS2 was never about speed.
indeed, but it would undoubtably made train travel from Manchester to London much more reliable and comfortable, making it much less of an obstacle to doing business between the cities.
If DfT civil servants are forced to travel by train to Manchester every week we will find out how strong an effect personal incentives have on the speed of public transport infrastructure projects.
My wife has suggested that the newspapers will airtag Burnham to keep track of where he sleeps each night and discover that he's juggling three affairs.
Working away from home has often been used as a cover for affairs, so I can see how it would work.
Pro tip for having an affair.
Disable the auto-syncing of your photo library to iCloud so your wife cannot see what you've been up to on the photo gallery of the iPad you've left at home.
/Oddly Specific
This idea of not staying in London won't last a week. It could just about be done from here (90 minutes) but I still wouldn't.
Most people who apply for a job have to accept they go where the job is. Will he turn up in Parliament for PMQs?
His answer for everything appears to be "Manchester".
I presume his next move will be to make Liam Gallagher Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport.
Noel would be a better cabinet minister than Liam.
Just don't make their other brother US ambassador.
My wife has suggested that the newspapers will airtag Burnham to keep track of where he sleeps each night and discover that he's juggling three affairs.
Working away from home has often been used as a cover for affairs, so I can see how it would work.
Pro tip for having an affair.
Disable the auto-syncing of your photo library to iCloud so your wife cannot see what you've been up to on the photo gallery of the iPad you've left at home.
Voice of experience ?
Yes.
Ouch.
I'm happily married for well over three decades, and glad I don't have to rely on tradecraft for that.
Obviously, in today's modern world, there's no requirement for the Prime Minister to live above their workplace.
If Andy Burnham wants to live in Manchester or Penzance or Stornaway, that shouldn't be any kind of impediment to being able to do the job.
I mean, the King and Queen aren't going to live in Buckingham Palace but use Clarence House and no one seems that bothered. We need to get out of the 20th century mindset of associating places with roles - the world has changed.
Clarence House is a few minutes walk from Buckingham Palace, Manchester is the other side of the country from Downing St
if you lot had not balls up HS2 it would have been a heap closer, your comments about distance being a barrier to effective working highlights just how awful a decision that was
HS2 was never about speed.
indeed, but it would undoubtably made train travel from Manchester to London much more reliable and comfortable, making it much less of an obstacle to doing business between the cities.
If DfT civil servants are forced to travel by train to Manchester every week we will find out how strong an effect personal incentives have on the speed of public transport infrastructure projects.
And we are back to my plan for moving Parliament to Bradford and watching both sides of HS2 and Northern PowerRail built at Chinese construction speeds.
My wife has suggested that the newspapers will airtag Burnham to keep track of where he sleeps each night and discover that he's juggling three affairs.
Working away from home has often been used as a cover for affairs, so I can see how it would work.
Pro tip for having an affair.
Disable the auto-syncing of your photo library to iCloud so your wife cannot see what you've been up to on the photo gallery of the iPad you've left at home.
/Oddly Specific
This idea of not staying in London won't last a week. It could just about be done from here (90 minutes) but I still wouldn't.
Most people who apply for a job have to accept they go where the job is. Will he turn up in Parliament for PMQs?
His answer for everything appears to be "Manchester".
I presume his next move will be to make Liam Gallagher Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport.
Noel would be a better cabinet minister than Liam.
Just don't make their other brother US ambassador.
Obviously, in today's modern world, there's no requirement for the Prime Minister to live above their workplace.
If Andy Burnham wants to live in Manchester or Penzance or Stornaway, that shouldn't be any kind of impediment to being able to do the job.
I mean, the King and Queen aren't going to live in Buckingham Palace but use Clarence House and no one seems that bothered. We need to get out of the 20th century mindset of associating places with roles - the world has changed.
Clarence House is a few minutes walk from Buckingham Palace, Manchester is the other side of the country from Downing St
if you lot had not balls up HS2 it would have been a heap closer, your comments about distance being a barrier to effective working highlights just how awful a decision that was
HS2 was never about speed.
It was always about speed, that’s why it’s costing so much money.
As ever, the problem with The North is that in Butnham’s mind it means Manchester. It doesn’t mean Sheffield. It doesn’t mean Sunderland. It doesn’t mean Scotland, Wales or Cornwall.
As ever, the problem with The North is that in Butnham’s mind it means Manchester. It doesn’t mean Sheffield. It doesn’t mean Sunderland. It doesn’t mean Scotland, Wales or Cornwall.
Obviously, in today's modern world, there's no requirement for the Prime Minister to live above their workplace.
If Andy Burnham wants to live in Manchester or Penzance or Stornaway, that shouldn't be any kind of impediment to being able to do the job.
I mean, the King and Queen aren't going to live in Buckingham Palace but use Clarence House and no one seems that bothered. We need to get out of the 20th century mindset of associating places with roles - the world has changed.
Clarence House is a few minutes walk from Buckingham Palace, Manchester is the other side of the country from Downing St
if you lot had not balls up HS2 it would have been a heap closer, your comments about distance being a barrier to effective working highlights just how awful a decision that was
HS2 was never about speed.
It was always about speed, that’s why it’s costing so much money.
It was about capacity but the (miss)selling was about making journeys faster. The costs are for lots of reasons, but definitely include gold plating and bats.
Comments
And my amateur GIS skillz are giving me Stafford for UK-without-London, and the centre of deprivation (bottom 20% IMD) - my God - it's Manchester! 70 miles north of population centre, which is remarkable.
In unrelated news, Stornoway black pudding is excellent.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gb7tKxaHTvY
He could still receive foreign dignitaries - his office could be at Balmoral - contents of correspondence and paperwork could be digitised in London and read by the King in Scotland.
So much of this thinking comes from the age of pen and paper.....
It seems like a lot of performative nonsense this No 10 North , maybe I’m just too cynical now .
Working away from home has often been used as a cover for affairs, so I can see how it would work.
How will that affect reporting on Burnham's Ministry?
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/rough-sleeping-no-longer-a-crime-as-vagrancy-act-repealed
The repeal of said Act is all about rough sleeping and homelessness but the original proposals put forward by the Sunak Government in 2023 were as much about begging:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/criminal-justice-bill-2023-factsheets/criminal-justice-bill-nuisance-begging-and-rough-sleeping
Steve Reed points to measures in the Crime & Policing Act 2026 which are meant to deal with begging which was outlawed under the 1824 Vagrancy Act. Is begging now legal - I'm not sure?
Disable the auto-syncing of your photo library to iCloud so your wife cannot see what you've been up to on the photo gallery of the iPad you've left at home.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/ekRifjZow7G9gyqc7
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwy01n5z48qo
On it's face that is good news for the Govt, as approximately 1.5 million appointments have been lost or delayed during the dispute. As a ballpark I make that 300k or 400k per annum, which is a significant number. On its face that may be an extra million appointments not cancelled and not delayed by the next Election. That could be an extra 10-15% of the waiting list.
But I have not yet got my head around the precise settlement, the financial implications for the NHS, or what the agreement was that finally made it over the line.
As with all these, only time will tell.
I'm sticking with my estimate that the waiting list in England needs to be down to around 5 million for Mr Starmer Burnham to be able to claim an unquestionable success. That is back to pre-Covid levels.
This idea of not staying in London won't last a week. It could just about be done from here (90 minutes) but I still wouldn't.
Do not have a wife.
Her mission may be to retro brand the Conservatives as the Nasty Party again.
Ex-minister not ruling out leadership bid yet
https://x.com/BBCPolitics/status/2071507971834568823
(Reported this morning)
Not the same, but United do the same when travelling to London.
They are declaiming that having less centralised power in the UK is undemocratic, and socialism by the backdoor.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-b_WeVbRtM
Tim Stanley has lost his normal spectacles, so is on dark sunglasses, and someone in the comments said it looked as if it was being hosted by "Peters and Lee".
https://x.com/johndotwills/status/2071576317514973674
Now granted it will permanently screw up those children but from the parents point of view it's free extra money...
https://x.com/johndotwills/status/2071576317514973674
Now granted it will permanently screw up those children but from the parents point of view it's free extra money...
And every answer or non-answer would be the story.
A speech is a speech. By the MP for Makerfield.
Though being PM isn't just a job, and he's talking about daily.
I wonder if he's expecting it to just be a scaled up mayoral job? Surely he should know better having already been in government?
(divorce lawyers hate this one simple trick)
Maybe London will have it's own enlightenment when the flock moves north to tug their forelocks and plot and intrigue and gossip up North.
Entirely unrelated - but YT recommended this to me and I'm both delighted and horrified :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1SZs4xudf8
" Doctor Who - The Theme Tune (as Ron Grainer intended) "
I presume his next move will be to make Liam Gallagher Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zq5XtyV3yg
I'm happily married for well over three decades, and glad I don't have to rely on tradecraft for that.
@JeevunSandher
London gets 3x the transport spending per head of the East Midlands.
https://x.com/JeevunSandher/status/2071553767468581155