LBC suggesting the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner has confirmed he is investigating Farage.
Do we think this is a gift and he's in the clear? This smells very nasty to me, although I am Lord Astor when if comes through Nigel.
The credibility problem is the suggestion that his security would cost £5 million, even if that's for several years?
The credibility problem is the idea that anyone would give anyone £ 5 million quid without the expectation of a great deal in return.
I can believe the he needs security. He was, after all, milkshaked (no, not that kind). And left wingers thought it funny to say it should have been battery acid.
But yes, 5 million is a lot. And then you are in the debt of the doner.
Wes does have the numbers but he's busting a gut to avoid being the triggerer. It's much much better for him if Starmer sets out a timetable - ideally a shortish one so Burnham is disadvantaged.
So what's happening is a last push by him to force Starmer to do that. If it fails he'll hit the button.
I don't know either, but I disagree. It's obvious that Starmer is going to insist that someone gets the 81 nominations to force him to go. Streeting surely knows this, even if he's managed to convince himself otherwise. But he's found a way to delay taking action. Likelihood is that he will continue to find such an excuse.
The delay until Tuesday on the basis that the whole Cabinet would tell him to go is a classic indicator of procrastination.
Streeting holds back on leadership bid Is Wes Streeting going to back down? We had mixed signals in the bars of Westminster last night amid claims from his allies that the health secretary “has the numbers” to mount a formal challenge but is holding back on launching a bid (Steven Swinford writes). His allies this morning say that “things have shifted” and suggest that Keir Starmer could yet be forced to stand down of his own volition. They claim that more Cabinet ministers will head into No 10 today to tell Starmer that he needs to quit. Angela Rayner’s announcement that her tax affairs are now settled — clearing her path for a run at the leadership — have also complicated matters. No 10 is adamant that Starmer is going nowhere. So the Labour leadership — and with it the government — remains in a state of suspended animation.
* The Time live feed
I really like forced to stand down of his own volition.
Excellent GDP figures out. Were it not for Mandelson, suspect Starmer would be able to talk about turning the economy around and see off leadership disquiet.
No, no, that can't be right. We all know the country's economy is going down the pan - I read it here on PB every day so it must be true.
The economy might not be, but so much else is:
Shoplifters acting with impunity.
Dodgy shops either acting as fronts for money laundering or selling dodgy fags and vapes.
Chavs buzzing about on illegal e-bikes.
Filth everywhere, plus illegal waste dumps blighting the countryside.
I could go on and on.
So much is shite.
The anti-fly tipping signs put up by the council are already wearing off. Maybe fly-tippers can't read.
Filth and hypocrisy about it are established British habits (tbf I have not surveyed Wales or Scotland extensively). Consider dogshit bags hung on trees, or litter in every layby, or along every road. Yet as soon as we have enforcers, the Great British Whining Noise can be heard keening on the breeze.
The laws are in place for some of those - illegal e-bikes have been confiscatible (sp) for two decades (since 2005) in exactly the same way as any other uninsured motor vehicle. Or S59 can be used. Much of this is about political will and willingness to enforce.
This is why I do not think taxes will or should be going down - if we want a decent society it needs more resources, not less, especially for local government.
On another serious note, this type of thing makes me wonder whether we have capability for the type of grassroots civil-society activism against our Right Wing nihilists that will be a significant factor in overturning MAGA in the USA.
It isn't new either, probably worsened by increased takeaway packaging and the removal of public bins.
There was loads of litter and graffiti in South London when I lived there in the Eighties. Thats why we had endless "keep Britain tidy" campaigns, and the Wombles.
This 20 year old article shows there is nothing new under the sun.
Our big cities have often been grubby - yes. Tho perhaps they are worse now. It’s arguable
What is inarguable is that the scruffiness has extended to our smaller cities and towns. The horrible fly tipping. And the state of our roadsides is often hideous. Mile after mile of discarded trash. Why? It’s new and it’s nasty
So a chap got a large fine near Salisbury for fly-tipping. Caught on CCTV etc, bang to rights. The crazy thing was it would have been closer to go to the tip. And he wasn't even some cowboy 'house-clearer' - it was his own stuff. Madness.
I’d execute fly tippers. Legally of course
I’ve just had enough of people desecrating our precious island and mutilating our beautiful towns
It needs to be drummed into children from the age of 2. You just do not do this. And the improvement to public mood if we improved the public realm would be instant. It’s the easiest fix out there
That said, Northumberland - where I am right now - is pristine. The countryside is spick and span and the small market towns exude civic pride and beauty. Clean and handsome. Flower baskets. Shiny benches. More please
Ssssh! Stop telling everyone please. Ps. I take it you're not in Ashington?
He's in...
...the pay of various tourist organisations. You can tell when he's been paid to go somewhere because it's always AMAZING!
King’s College London has signed an agreement to merge with Cranfield University, creating a new UK “super-university” that would rival many of its international competitors in size and research output.
The merger would result in KCL taking on another 5,000 mainly postgraduate students and become the second largest mainstream university in the UK, with about 47,000 students, overtaking the University of Manchester and behind only University College London.
Under the agreement the two institutions would merge by the end of summer 2027, with a name yet to be formally decided.
Wes does have the numbers but he's busting a gut to avoid being the triggerer. It's much much better for him if Starmer sets out a timetable - ideally a shortish one so Burnham is disadvantaged.
So what's happening is a last push by him to force Starmer to do that. If it fails he'll hit the button.
I don't know either, but I disagree. It's obvious that Starmer is going to insist that someone gets the 81 nominations to force him to go. Streeting surely knows this, even if he's managed to convince himself otherwise. But he's found a way to delay taking action. Likelihood is that he will continue to find such an excuse.
The delay until Tuesday on the basis that the whole Cabinet would tell him to go is a classic indicator of procrastination.
PJH's Theory of Management Decision-Taking: If one of the options is to defer a decision, that is the decision that will be taken. Especially if the deadline for a decision has already passed.
The sooner MSM understands there is NO CHANCE logically, Logistically or realistically and that Wes Streeting hasnt the remoteist chance of being elected Labour Leader and less chance than Diane Abbott, Jeremy Corbyn, Michael Foot and Robert Jenrick, the sooner this pointless woffle on Streeting will stop
Wes does have the numbers but he's busting a gut to avoid being the triggerer. It's much much better for him if Starmer sets out a timetable - ideally a shortish one so Burnham is disadvantaged.
So what's happening is a last push by him to force Starmer to do that. If it fails he'll hit the button.
I don't know either, but I disagree. It's obvious that Starmer is going to insist that someone gets the 81 nominations to force him to go. Streeting surely knows this, even if he's managed to convince himself otherwise. But he's found a way to delay taking action. Likelihood is that he will continue to find such an excuse.
The delay until Tuesday on the basis that the whole Cabinet would tell him to go is a classic indicator of procrastination.
Yes I think I disagree as well. So does the betting. Wes is out with the washing.
Excellent GDP figures out. Were it not for Mandelson, suspect Starmer would be able to talk about turning the economy around and see off leadership disquiet.
No, no, that can't be right. We all know the country's economy is going down the pan - I read it here on PB every day so it must be true.
The economy might not be, but so much else is:
Shoplifters acting with impunity.
Dodgy shops either acting as fronts for money laundering or selling dodgy fags and vapes.
Chavs buzzing about on illegal e-bikes.
Filth everywhere, plus illegal waste dumps blighting the countryside.
I could go on and on.
So much is shite.
The anti-fly tipping signs put up by the council are already wearing off. Maybe fly-tippers can't read.
Filth and hypocrisy about it are established British habits (tbf I have not surveyed Wales or Scotland extensively). Consider dogshit bags hung on trees, or litter in every layby, or along every road. Yet as soon as we have enforcers, the Great British Whining Noise can be heard keening on the breeze.
The laws are in place for some of those - illegal e-bikes have been confiscatible (sp) for two decades (since 2005) in exactly the same way as any other uninsured motor vehicle. Or S59 can be used. Much of this is about political will and willingness to enforce.
This is why I do not think taxes will or should be going down - if we want a decent society it needs more resources, not less, especially for local government.
On another serious note, this type of thing makes me wonder whether we have capability for the type of grassroots civil-society activism against our Right Wing nihilists that will be a significant factor in overturning MAGA in the USA.
It isn't new either, probably worsened by increased takeaway packaging and the removal of public bins.
There was loads of litter and graffiti in South London when I lived there in the Eighties. Thats why we had endless "keep Britain tidy" campaigns, and the Wombles.
This 20 year old article shows there is nothing new under the sun.
Our big cities have often been grubby - yes. Tho perhaps they are worse now. It’s arguable
What is inarguable is that the scruffiness has extended to our smaller cities and towns. The horrible fly tipping. And the state of our roadsides is often hideous. Mile after mile of discarded trash. Why? It’s new and it’s nasty
Slashing of local government budgets means no money to clean up and also means higher charges for disposal of rubbish which means more fly tipping. And then once it becomes the norm it snowballs. Also the whole waste disposal supply chain has been infiltrated by organised crime. Really it needs a culture change, which is feasible with sufficient will to do it.
A house two doors down from me is having an extension. They're burying all the waste in a big hole in the garden.
Charging for waste disposal may be counterproductive, whether it's done for monetary or envirionmental reasons.
How does that work? What do you do with the stuff you dig out to make the hole?
King’s College London has signed an agreement to merge with Cranfield University, creating a new UK “super-university” that would rival many of its international competitors in size and research output.
The merger would result in KCL taking on another 5,000 mainly postgraduate students and become the second largest mainstream university in the UK, with about 47,000 students, overtaking the University of Manchester and behind only University College London.
Under the agreement the two institutions would merge by the end of summer 2027, with a name yet to be formally decided.
That makes no sense whatsoever. Cranfield and KCL are miles apart on the map and in specialisation. I can only assume financial engineering is involved.
King’s College London has signed an agreement to merge with Cranfield University, creating a new UK “super-university” that would rival many of its international competitors in size and research output.
The merger would result in KCL taking on another 5,000 mainly postgraduate students and become the second largest mainstream university in the UK, with about 47,000 students, overtaking the University of Manchester and behind only University College London.
Under the agreement the two institutions would merge by the end of summer 2027, with a name yet to be formally decided.
Wes does have the numbers but he's busting a gut to avoid being the triggerer. It's much much better for him if Starmer sets out a timetable - ideally a shortish one so Burnham is disadvantaged.
So what's happening is a last push by him to force Starmer to do that. If it fails he'll hit the button.
I don't know either, but I disagree. It's obvious that Starmer is going to insist that someone gets the 81 nominations to force him to go. Streeting surely knows this, even if he's managed to convince himself otherwise. But he's found a way to delay taking action. Likelihood is that he will continue to find such an excuse.
The delay until Tuesday on the basis that the whole Cabinet would tell him to go is a classic indicator of procrastination.
PJH's Theory of Management Decision-Taking: If one of the options is to defer a decision, that is the decision that will be taken. Especially if the deadline for a decision has already passed.
Farage bought a £1.4 million property in cash after the £5 million gift
Was this to house all the security guards he said the money was for?
Many years ago, when my dad was in the police, we had the NI Minister in his 'patch'. To accommodate the security (plods on site at all times) as sizeable extension was built.
Very nice for when said minister stopped being said minister...
King’s College London has signed an agreement to merge with Cranfield University, creating a new UK “super-university” that would rival many of its international competitors in size and research output.
The merger would result in KCL taking on another 5,000 mainly postgraduate students and become the second largest mainstream university in the UK, with about 47,000 students, overtaking the University of Manchester and behind only University College London.
Under the agreement the two institutions would merge by the end of summer 2027, with a name yet to be formally decided.
That makes no sense whatsoever. Cranfield and KCL are miles apart on the map and in specialisation. I can only assume financial engineering is involved.
King’s College London has signed an agreement to merge with Cranfield University, creating a new UK “super-university” that would rival many of its international competitors in size and research output.
The merger would result in KCL taking on another 5,000 mainly postgraduate students and become the second largest mainstream university in the UK, with about 47,000 students, overtaking the University of Manchester and behind only University College London.
Under the agreement the two institutions would merge by the end of summer 2027, with a name yet to be formally decided.
Comments
This crisis is very much the consequences of Trumps intemperate whims.
But yes, 5 million is a lot. And then you are in the debt of the doner.
The delay until Tuesday on the basis that the whole Cabinet would tell him to go is a classic indicator of procrastination.
Farage bought a £1.4 million property in cash after the £5 million gift
NEW THREAD
The merger would result in KCL taking on another 5,000 mainly postgraduate students and become the second largest mainstream university in the UK, with about 47,000 students, overtaking the University of Manchester and behind only University College London.
Under the agreement the two institutions would merge by the end of summer 2027, with a name yet to be formally decided.
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2026/may/14/kings-college-london-to-merge-with-cranfield-university
Not really supposed to that, but..
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FAAM_Airborne_Laboratory
Though UKRI have just withdrawn funding after 100 years...
https://faam.ac.uk/closure-of-the-faam-airborne-laboratory/
Very nice for when said minister stopped being said minister...