'The prime minister's chief secretary Darren Jones might have ruled himself out of the Labour leadership contest - but former Armed Forces Minister Al Carns could still challenge Andy Burnham.
Speaking to BBC Newsnight on Tuesday, Carns insisted he is "pretty serious" in considering a leadership bid, but wants to "see behind Andy Burnham what the policies are" before making a final call.
As a reminder, leadership nominations open on 9 July and run until 16 July. Potential candidates have until then to amass the support of at least 81 Labour MPs to enter the race.
Asked whether he will back Burnham if he agrees with his policies, Carns tells BBC Newsnight: "I think that's a collective view across the Labour Party as a whole."
He explains the party wants to "get behind" Andy but says "we need to see that material before I can make a decision to back anyone".
If the party "wants to get behind Burnham", why does Carns want to waste a couple of months for him with a leadership election ?
In order to consider a leadership bid, you still need >80 other Labour MPs to think it is a wizard wheeze, don't you?
An interesting question. I suspect he doesn't, but OTOH there might just be enough pissed off Starmerites to grasp the opportunity of throwing a spanner into the works ?
I think it would be fairly irresponsible at this point, FWIW.
Burnham is facing a pretty steep learning curve as it is.
“There was a strong push from the Burnham camp to be given longer. But why should they tell Keir they want him out, then expect him to manage the ship through a potentially difficult summer? Keir will of course cooperate on transition, but it will be through gritted teeth,” one said.
Some in Burnham’s team were exasperated about the shorter timetable. “The last lot had years to prepare and still fucked it up. We’ll just have to do it in three weeks,” one senior source said. “The length of the transition will focus minds.”.
Yes must be a complete surprise to team Andy that he has become PM.
TBF, that's not really the point. No doubt he has at least some idea of what he wants to do (at least I hope so), but developing detailed policy that can quickly be implemented at government level requires civil service resources.
I think that point is overblown and a cheap excuse from politicians. The reason for inertia in government is not a lack of policy options but a lack of political will, money and consensus. I doubt Burnham will change much.
Ah the lack of Will. What was it Reagan said;
"There are simple answers to the nation's problems, but not easy ones. We must have the courage to do what we know is morally right."
He was of course wrong.
What he offered weren't simple solutions but simpistic ones.
He put the practical difficulties of implimenting policy down to it being the governments fault and red tape. Take that away and we'll be fine. They weren't.
All of this from "Drain the Swamp!" to the "Blob" just comes down to peoples frustrations about how challenging Government and change are, and that they can't just decree change and make it happen.
Peter.
I disagree, I think the answers are generally quite simple. Invest, invest, invest. Create a vision and then build it rather than fiddling by focus group. We don't invest because the lifespan of a PM is now a couple of years, for them what is the point of thinking about 10-25 years ahead?
How many of those are still involved bar the odd TV or media interview, if that?
We already have 100% debt and struggle to pay teh interest in that. We could have before teh crash when it was 40% but the orthadoxy then was to keep it low. We also left investment to teh city not the "Dead Hand of Government!"
Thatcher folllowed Reagan and Blair followed Thatcher. We can only Invest if we can afford the cost of teh borrowing and right now we struggle to do that. Good idea 20 years ago but I think we have largely misssed that boat.
Peter.
Those that say we need to borrow more to invest need to explain how the return on that investment is going to pay the interest and, hopefully, a little bit more. As gilt rates go up this gets more and more difficult. Sometimes that forces us to be penny wise and pound foolish but that is the price of poverty and current overspending. See Vimes boots.
The problem is that 100% worth of U.K. GDP has been invested already.
This is why people are dubious about promises to “invest”.
Two things the next Chancellor should immediately promise are:
1) No more increases in business taxation 2) No more increases in pension taxation
Reeves twice allowing months of speculation about increases in business and pension taxation had detrimental effects on business investment and pension planning.
I'm a pensioner, and most of my friends are now pensioners. It's eccentric to suggest that we should be exempt from tax increases (especially as pensioners tend to vote Tory or Reform anyway). A means-tested increase, including abolition of the right to a state pension if one's already got ample private pension, would meet widespread approval. I appreciate that this would go against promises made in ca. 1945 but really one needs to revisit these things sometimes - someone getting £80K in private pension really doesn't need the national pension.
Utter bollox, pensioners pay tax and are not exempt from anything. Also if they have paid over 50 years for a state pension then they deserve it, lazy spongers should not be entitled just because they did nothing and expect people. who worked hard to have some money for retirement have to pay to keep the lazy barstewards living high on the hog for free. Only MP's are likely to have 80K private pension, will be very few others for sure having more than a small amount which precludes them from all the freebies the spongers get on top of pension tax free.
They didn't pay over 50 years for a state pension. They paid over 50 years for their parents and grandparents pension. I'm now contributing towards your ability to live in retirement which takes a lot more of my tax contributionsthan your parents did thanks to the triple lock. Happy to do so of course and no need to thank me.
Utter bollox it is not the public's fault the government defrauds the system and spends the contributions. It was always clear that the payments were to include a state pension at age 65 , now rising to 68 or more. I have paid enough to give me the pension till I am two hundred years old
Yes it is. We elected the politicians that did this.
Two things the next Chancellor should immediately promise are:
1) No more increases in business taxation 2) No more increases in pension taxation
Reeves twice allowing months of speculation about increases in business and pension taxation had detrimental effects on business investment and pension planning.
I'm a pensioner, and most of my friends are now pensioners. It's eccentric to suggest that we should be exempt from tax increases (especially as pensioners tend to vote Tory or Reform anyway). A means-tested increase, including abolition of the right to a state pension if one's already got ample private pension, would meet widespread approval. I appreciate that this would go against promises made in ca. 1945 but really one needs to revisit these things sometimes - someone getting £80K in private pension really doesn't need the national pension.
Utter bollox, pensioners pay tax and are not exempt from anything. Also if they have paid over 50 years for a state pension then they deserve it, lazy spongers should not be entitled just because they did nothing and expect people. who worked hard to have some money for retirement have to pay to keep the lazy barstewards living high on the hog for free. Only MP's are likely to have 80K private pension, will be very few others for sure having more than a small amount which precludes them from all the freebies the spongers get on top of pension tax free.
The bit I find funny is that most people will be on defined contribution schemes that they have some or all control over.
Start tapering away the state pension at £55,000 say and I and most others will make sure to never extract more than £55,000.
Exactly it sums up this country , anyone who has worked hard and saved is to be robbed so they can shower lazy spongers with shedloads of cash.
Excluding Liz Truss who is Scottish, Andy Burnham is first bona fide Northerner to become PM in 50 years.
Jessica Elgot @jessicaelgot · 58m I’m really sorry to do this but the last Northern PM was actually Roundhay’s Liz Truss - as much as she tried to disown our great city.
She was born in Oxford, that rules her out as a bona fide Northerner.
As the most bona fide Northerner on PB I can tell you we Northerners take this stuff very seriously.
I'm not quibbling with your overall conclusion, but how does that make her Scottish?
In 1977 Truss and her parents moved to Warsaw in Poland, but returned to Britain after John and Priscilla found it "quite grim".
After living briefly in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, the family moved to Paisley in Scotland when Truss was four years old, where she attended West Primary School. In 1985 they moved south to Leeds,
And this makes her Scottish?? Not even the SRU would claim that.
She spent her formative years in Scotland (ages 4 to 10), if that's not Scottish then I don't know what is.
Some Scots don't even accept Tony Blair was Scottish, I mean born in Edinburgh, educated in Scotland...
To some Scots, if a Scot has ever left Scotland for more than a holiday they are no longer scottish.
There’s 50,000 of them in Miami right now!
You would have a problem with my wife who traces herself back through generations of North East Scotland fishermen and retains her lovely accent despite coming to North Wales in 1965
Though I do accept there are some who have that view
Not me personally. My father grew up in Glasgow, got on a plane to London aged 20 in 1970 and never went back!
He must have been rich to afford the air fare in 1970, cost nearly as much as a house.
BREAKING: Nottingham maternity review exposes ‘cruel’ care and toxic bullying at NHS trust:
Some 520 mothers and babies suffered potentially avoidable harm or death. There were at least 156 deaths of babies and six mothers died. Of the baby deaths, 94 were stillbirths. Some 62 cases were neonatal deaths shortly after birth Of the 14 senior leaders at CCG/ICB level, only 4 agreed to give evidence. Of 66 senior managers at @nottmhospitals only 35 actually engaged with the review just 53%.
This is shocking behaviour by supposed NHS leaders.
Excluding Liz Truss who is Scottish, Andy Burnham is first bona fide Northerner to become PM in 50 years.
Jessica Elgot @jessicaelgot · 58m I’m really sorry to do this but the last Northern PM was actually Roundhay’s Liz Truss - as much as she tried to disown our great city.
She was born in Oxford, that rules her out as a bona fide Northerner.
As the most bona fide Northerner on PB I can tell you we Northerners take this stuff very seriously.
I'm not quibbling with your overall conclusion, but how does that make her Scottish?
In 1977 Truss and her parents moved to Warsaw in Poland, but returned to Britain after John and Priscilla found it "quite grim".
After living briefly in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, the family moved to Paisley in Scotland when Truss was four years old, where she attended West Primary School. In 1985 they moved south to Leeds,
And this makes her Scottish?? Not even the SRU would claim that.
She spent her formative years in Scotland (ages 4 to 10), if that's not Scottish then I don't know what is.
Some Scots don't even accept Tony Blair was Scottish, I mean born in Edinburgh, educated in Scotland...
To some Scots, if a Scot has ever left Scotland for more than a holiday they are no longer Scottish.
Remember the Is Andy Murray British website and ramp the logic up to insane levels and that is how Scots work.
The way to hit back is to use the adjective "Scotch" which annoys them intensely for some reason.
Bit like but not as bad as "Rosbif" which Scotland's friends in France call a certain nation.
Hang on, shouldn't Starmer have vanquished the northern usurper and then lost to some French guy?
Emma Reynolds apparently had childhood in France and is fluent - maybe a late challenge?
Not quite. Emma Reynolds seems to be a polyglot Midlander who worked in Brussels for a bit (cf Boris).
Emma Reynolds was born on November 2, 1977 in Wolverhampton.
She grew up in a council flat and went to local state schools, before securing a place at Oxford University where she graduated in Politics, Philosophy and Economics.
The mother-of-two speaks several languages, including French, Spanish and Italian and has worked abroad in several countries.
Hang on, shouldn't Starmer have vanquished the northern usurper and then lost to some French guy?
Emma Reynolds apparently had childhood in France and is fluent - maybe a late challenge?
Not quite. Emma Reynolds seems to be a polyglot Midlander who worked in Brussels for a bit (cf Boris).
Emma Reynolds was born on November 2, 1977 in Wolverhampton.
She grew up in a council flat and went to local state schools, before securing a place at Oxford University where she graduated in Politics, Philosophy and Economics.
The mother-of-two speaks several languages, including French, Spanish and Italian and has worked abroad in several countries.
BREAKING: Nottingham maternity review exposes ‘cruel’ care and toxic bullying at NHS trust:
Some 520 mothers and babies suffered potentially avoidable harm or death. There were at least 156 deaths of babies and six mothers died. Of the baby deaths, 94 were stillbirths. Some 62 cases were neonatal deaths shortly after birth Of the 14 senior leaders at CCG/ICB level, only 4 agreed to give evidence. Of 66 senior managers at @nottmhospitals only 35 actually engaged with the review just 53%.
This is shocking behaviour by supposed NHS leaders.
Two things the next Chancellor should immediately promise are:
1) No more increases in business taxation 2) No more increases in pension taxation
Reeves twice allowing months of speculation about increases in business and pension taxation had detrimental effects on business investment and pension planning.
I'm a pensioner, and most of my friends are now pensioners. It's eccentric to suggest that we should be exempt from tax increases (especially as pensioners tend to vote Tory or Reform anyway). A means-tested increase, including abolition of the right to a state pension if one's already got ample private pension, would meet widespread approval. I appreciate that this would go against promises made in ca. 1945 but really one needs to revisit these things sometimes - someone getting £80K in private pension really doesn't need the national pension.
Utter bollox, pensioners pay tax and are not exempt from anything. Also if they have paid over 50 years for a state pension then they deserve it, lazy spongers should not be entitled just because they did nothing and expect people. who worked hard to have some money for retirement have to pay to keep the lazy barstewards living high on the hog for free. Only MP's are likely to have 80K private pension, will be very few others for sure having more than a small amount which precludes them from all the freebies the spongers get on top of pension tax free.
The bit I find funny is that most people will be on defined contribution schemes that they have some or all control over.
Start tapering away the state pension at £55,000 say and I and most others will make sure to never extract more than £55,000.
So you can pay more IHT and repay more care costs when you die. Fair enough.
you are safe at present if you pop your clogs before 75 David. I am running out of time and sure to get clobbered, mind you better lasting a long time and paying taxes than going early.
Oh, that'll be disappointing for all the OAPs who were hoping to promenade out in the lovely soupy weather.
But never fear, perhaps the grannies can go on a trip to Hampshire or Dorset to warm up. It's already over 34C in several places in the South and it's only midday!
For those who think a life on benefits is rosy, the meet the DWP. Has an evil twin called Liability Order if you don’t pay Council Tax. Getting into debt with HMG is easy. Getting out is difficult as they never write it off.
The state pension is simply too valuable to means test effectively. It is worth the equivalent of £200k to £300k in of savings. You would need to give people many years notice, and all but the very wealthiest or ignorant would plan their financial affairs around avoid falling into the means test.
It'd save peanuts in an optimistic scenario, while pissing off a lot of people.
Excluding Liz Truss who is Scottish, Andy Burnham is first bona fide Northerner to become PM in 50 years.
Jessica Elgot @jessicaelgot · 58m I’m really sorry to do this but the last Northern PM was actually Roundhay’s Liz Truss - as much as she tried to disown our great city.
She was born in Oxford, that rules her out as a bona fide Northerner.
As the most bona fide Northerner on PB I can tell you we Northerners take this stuff very seriously.
I'm not quibbling with your overall conclusion, but how does that make her Scottish?
In 1977 Truss and her parents moved to Warsaw in Poland, but returned to Britain after John and Priscilla found it "quite grim".
After living briefly in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, the family moved to Paisley in Scotland when Truss was four years old, where she attended West Primary School. In 1985 they moved south to Leeds,
And this makes her Scottish?? Not even the SRU would claim that.
She spent her formative years in Scotland (ages 4 to 10), if that's not Scottish then I don't know what is.
Some Scots don't even accept Tony Blair was Scottish, I mean born in Edinburgh, educated in Scotland...
To some Scots, if a Scot has ever left Scotland for more than a holiday they are no longer Scottish.
Remember the Is Andy Murray British website and ramp the logic up to insane levels and that is how Scots work.
The way to hit back is to use the adjective "Scotch" which annoys them intensely for some reason.
Bit like but not as bad as "Rosbif" which Scotland's friends in France call a certain nation.
Rosbif is quaintly non-insulting. I don't think any Brit has ever felt offended by it.
What a pompous arse she is (Penny Young). A political debate is not a lecture in statistics (unless done by Gordon Brown of course).
The truth matters or we end up in a Trumpian world with alternative facts.
And the fact that benefit spending exceeded IT receipts was the truth. It may not have been novel but it was the truth and it is a vivid way of highlighting the problem. As for the promise this is going to change in the near future, well, lets see if Penny was telling the truth about that.
Does it highlight a problem.
If we decide to cut income tax but not benefits that will see the balance between them shift but that doesn't mean we need to cut benefits.
If you want to introduce some form of direct hypothecation, where you can only spend on "X" the revenue from "Y" then fine, but other than that it's comparing Apples and Oranges.
We raise what we want to how we want to in Taxes and we spend what we want how we want to.
We need to strike a balance between the two and make choices but we don't have to directly link parts of one to parts of the other.
BREAKING: Nottingham maternity review exposes ‘cruel’ care and toxic bullying at NHS trust:
Some 520 mothers and babies suffered potentially avoidable harm or death. There were at least 156 deaths of babies and six mothers died. Of the baby deaths, 94 were stillbirths. Some 62 cases were neonatal deaths shortly after birth Of the 14 senior leaders at CCG/ICB level, only 4 agreed to give evidence. Of 66 senior managers at @nottmhospitals only 35 actually engaged with the review just 53%.
This is shocking behaviour by supposed NHS leaders.
The logic should be refusal to talk to an inquiry is admission of gross misconduct - with the appropriate immediate consequence.
Absolutely. As @Cyclefree frequently reminds us these inquiries will never achieve anything until those responsible are held accountable with clear consequences.
"Being so young when we did leave, I've personally not seen any change," says 19-year-old Tegan Smith.
For her, the EU is a distant concept.
"My life is normal – this is how it would always have been.
"You don't really think about what's going on worldwide... so I've not really had any thought into it," Tegan says.
One of them has an extraordinary surname:
Will Harris-Aebvtivs
which only makes sense if you have copied the 'V' from inscriptions meaning (in modern spelling) 'U'. The name itself goes back to early Rome, 2500 years ago.
Excluding Liz Truss who is Scottish, Andy Burnham is first bona fide Northerner to become PM in 50 years.
Jessica Elgot @jessicaelgot · 58m I’m really sorry to do this but the last Northern PM was actually Roundhay’s Liz Truss - as much as she tried to disown our great city.
She was born in Oxford, that rules her out as a bona fide Northerner.
As the most bona fide Northerner on PB I can tell you we Northerners take this stuff very seriously.
I'm not quibbling with your overall conclusion, but how does that make her Scottish?
In 1977 Truss and her parents moved to Warsaw in Poland, but returned to Britain after John and Priscilla found it "quite grim".
After living briefly in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, the family moved to Paisley in Scotland when Truss was four years old, where she attended West Primary School. In 1985 they moved south to Leeds,
And this makes her Scottish?? Not even the SRU would claim that.
She spent her formative years in Scotland (ages 4 to 10), if that's not Scottish then I don't know what is.
Some Scots don't even accept Tony Blair was Scottish, I mean born in Edinburgh, educated in Scotland...
To some Scots, if a Scot has ever left Scotland for more than a holiday they are no longer Scottish.
Remember the Is Andy Murray British website and ramp the logic up to insane levels and that is how Scots work.
The way to hit back is to use the adjective "Scotch" which annoys them intensely for some reason.
Bit like but not as bad as "Rosbif" which Scotland's friends in France call a certain nation.
Rosbif is quaintly non-insulting. I don't think any Brit has ever felt offended by it.
It's a dig at our non-cultural and non-culinary sophistication, and petit bourgeoisie nature, which is a top-grade insult for the French.
It has some merit, given the shite most Brits eat.
Jones also confirms Burnham will borrow more. However mostly for infrastructure which is an excellent idea.
Council house building.
Put like that, it's pretty sensible, isn't it? Borrowing to create things that are both useful and should generate income.
And, splendid as the profit motive is, in housebuilding it seems to lead to a throttling of supply.
Borrowing for investment in new labour speak was simply spending money on day to day stuff so if they do this, I cannot see an issue. As long as it is a proper market based return and not heavily subsidised.
There is plenty of spare capacity in the house building industry. Vistry and Crest Nicholson are laying people off
If,you can’t make a profit or adequate return doing something, why do it. I listened to a Bloomberg money podcast on housing. In some parts of London if a builder had the land for free they wouldn’t make any money. We need to encourage private businesses.
Vistry and Crest Nicholson are laying people off because the demand isn't there for houses at the current cost of building.
Unless the Government kicks off a social housing scheme which would open up a whole set of Nimby issues I can't see much that can be done to resolve the issue.
Down here in the South after all the pressure to build new homes, Vistry are offering shared ownership on a large 600+ homes development. Normally it would be 50% equity. Then it dropped to 25% equity. Now they are offering 10% which equates to £45K on a £450K 3 bed. Desperate not to cut prices.
Shared ownership, I’d run like hell from it.
Taz, at 10% it would likely be far cheaper than renting.
Excluding Liz Truss who is Scottish, Andy Burnham is first bona fide Northerner to become PM in 50 years.
Jessica Elgot @jessicaelgot · 58m I’m really sorry to do this but the last Northern PM was actually Roundhay’s Liz Truss - as much as she tried to disown our great city.
She was born in Oxford, that rules her out as a bona fide Northerner.
As the most bona fide Northerner on PB I can tell you we Northerners take this stuff very seriously.
I'm not quibbling with your overall conclusion, but how does that make her Scottish?
In 1977 Truss and her parents moved to Warsaw in Poland, but returned to Britain after John and Priscilla found it "quite grim".
After living briefly in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, the family moved to Paisley in Scotland when Truss was four years old, where she attended West Primary School. In 1985 they moved south to Leeds,
And this makes her Scottish?? Not even the SRU would claim that.
She spent her formative years in Scotland (ages 4 to 10), if that's not Scottish then I don't know what is.
Some Scots don't even accept Tony Blair was Scottish, I mean born in Edinburgh, educated in Scotland...
To some Scots, if a Scot has ever left Scotland for more than a holiday they are no longer Scottish.
Remember the Is Andy Murray British website and ramp the logic up to insane levels and that is how Scots work.
A Scotchness expert as I live and breathe!
lol
Given you vomit forth your, well one could hardly call it insight, say views on England, Wales and the six counties you have no real higher ground here 😢
And yes, proper communism Brexit hasn't been tried yet. Despite Brexiteers being in charge for most of the last ten years.
Point of order. Whilst I actually agree with your criticism of Farage's comments, Brexiteers have not been in charge for most of the last 10 years.
May, Truss and Starmer were all Remainers.
Born-again Brexiteers aren't true Brexiteers? Starmer, I grant, never was a Brexiteer and May wobbled at the end of her premiership having failed to resolve the contradiction of a successful hard Brexit.
Two things the next Chancellor should immediately promise are:
1) No more increases in business taxation 2) No more increases in pension taxation
Reeves twice allowing months of speculation about increases in business and pension taxation had detrimental effects on business investment and pension planning.
I'm a pensioner, and most of my friends are now pensioners. It's eccentric to suggest that we should be exempt from tax increases (especially as pensioners tend to vote Tory or Reform anyway). A means-tested increase, including abolition of the right to a state pension if one's already got ample private pension, would meet widespread approval. I appreciate that this would go against promises made in ca. 1945 but really one needs to revisit these things sometimes - someone getting £80K in private pension really doesn't need the national pension.
Utter bollox, pensioners pay tax and are not exempt from anything. Also if they have paid over 50 years for a state pension then they deserve it, lazy spongers should not be entitled just because they did nothing and expect people. who worked hard to have some money for retirement have to pay to keep the lazy barstewards living high on the hog for free. Only MP's are likely to have 80K private pension, will be very few others for sure having more than a small amount which precludes them from all the freebies the spongers get on top of pension tax free.
The bit I find funny is that most people will be on defined contribution schemes that they have some or all control over.
Start tapering away the state pension at £55,000 say and I and most others will make sure to never extract more than £55,000.
Exactly it sums up this country , anyone who has worked hard and saved is to be robbed so they can shower lazy spongers with shedloads of cash.
Two things the next Chancellor should immediately promise are:
1) No more increases in business taxation 2) No more increases in pension taxation
Reeves twice allowing months of speculation about increases in business and pension taxation had detrimental effects on business investment and pension planning.
I'm a pensioner, and most of my friends are now pensioners. It's eccentric to suggest that we should be exempt from tax increases (especially as pensioners tend to vote Tory or Reform anyway). A means-tested increase, including abolition of the right to a state pension if one's already got ample private pension, would meet widespread approval. I appreciate that this would go against promises made in ca. 1945 but really one needs to revisit these things sometimes - someone getting £80K in private pension really doesn't need the national pension.
Utter bollox, pensioners pay tax and are not exempt from anything. Also if they have paid over 50 years for a state pension then they deserve it, lazy spongers should not be entitled just because they did nothing and expect people. who worked hard to have some money for retirement have to pay to keep the lazy barstewards living high on the hog for free. Only MP's are likely to have 80K private pension, will be very few others for sure having more than a small amount which precludes them from all the freebies the spongers get on top of pension tax free.
The bit I find funny is that most people will be on defined contribution schemes that they have some or all control over.
Start tapering away the state pension at £55,000 say and I and most others will make sure to never extract more than £55,000.
Exactly it sums up this country , anyone who has worked hard and saved is to be robbed so they can shower lazy spongers with shedloads of cash.
And if you’re on a DB scheme it will push you to take the max tax free amount you can take too
Hang on, shouldn't Starmer have vanquished the northern usurper and then lost to some French guy?
Emma Reynolds apparently had childhood in France and is fluent - maybe a late challenge?
Not quite. Emma Reynolds seems to be a polyglot Midlander who worked in Brussels for a bit (cf Boris).
Emma Reynolds was born on November 2, 1977 in Wolverhampton.
She grew up in a council flat and went to local state schools, before securing a place at Oxford University where she graduated in Politics, Philosophy and Economics.
The mother-of-two speaks several languages, including French, Spanish and Italian and has worked abroad in several countries.
PMQ from Sir Desmond Swayne – I hope there's still time in which the Prime Minister will be able to enlighten his party as to the moral of the cautionary tale of Jim, who ran away from his nurse and was eaten by a lion.
Excluding Liz Truss who is Scottish, Andy Burnham is first bona fide Northerner to become PM in 50 years.
Jessica Elgot @jessicaelgot · 58m I’m really sorry to do this but the last Northern PM was actually Roundhay’s Liz Truss - as much as she tried to disown our great city.
She was born in Oxford, that rules her out as a bona fide Northerner.
As the most bona fide Northerner on PB I can tell you we Northerners take this stuff very seriously.
I'm not quibbling with your overall conclusion, but how does that make her Scottish?
In 1977 Truss and her parents moved to Warsaw in Poland, but returned to Britain after John and Priscilla found it "quite grim".
After living briefly in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, the family moved to Paisley in Scotland when Truss was four years old, where she attended West Primary School. In 1985 they moved south to Leeds,
And this makes her Scottish?? Not even the SRU would claim that.
She spent her formative years in Scotland (ages 4 to 10), if that's not Scottish then I don't know what is.
Some Scots don't even accept Tony Blair was Scottish, I mean born in Edinburgh, educated in Scotland...
To some Scots, if a Scot has ever left Scotland for more than a holiday they are no longer Scottish.
Remember the Is Andy Murray British website and ramp the logic up to insane levels and that is how Scots work.
The way to hit back is to use the adjective "Scotch" which annoys them intensely for some reason.
Bit like but not as bad as "Rosbif" which Scotland's friends in France call a certain nation.
Rosbif is quaintly non-insulting. I don't think any Brit has ever felt offended by it.
They use to call us "les goddams" because of our sweary nature, and the way we were happy to take the name of Our Lord in vain. Which I think is quite nice, really
Excluding Liz Truss who is Scottish, Andy Burnham is first bona fide Northerner to become PM in 50 years.
Jessica Elgot @jessicaelgot · 58m I’m really sorry to do this but the last Northern PM was actually Roundhay’s Liz Truss - as much as she tried to disown our great city.
She was born in Oxford, that rules her out as a bona fide Northerner.
As the most bona fide Northerner on PB I can tell you we Northerners take this stuff very seriously.
I'm not quibbling with your overall conclusion, but how does that make her Scottish?
In 1977 Truss and her parents moved to Warsaw in Poland, but returned to Britain after John and Priscilla found it "quite grim".
After living briefly in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, the family moved to Paisley in Scotland when Truss was four years old, where she attended West Primary School. In 1985 they moved south to Leeds,
And this makes her Scottish?? Not even the SRU would claim that.
She spent her formative years in Scotland (ages 4 to 10), if that's not Scottish then I don't know what is.
Some Scots don't even accept Tony Blair was Scottish, I mean born in Edinburgh, educated in Scotland...
To some Scots, if a Scot has ever left Scotland for more than a holiday they are no longer Scottish.
Remember the Is Andy Murray British website and ramp the logic up to insane levels and that is how Scots work.
The way to hit back is to use the adjective "Scotch" which annoys them intensely for some reason.
Bit like but not as bad as "Rosbif" which Scotland's friends in France call a certain nation.
I don't think I've ever heard an actual French person ever say it. I've heard « les goddams » in the south. My landlady when I was at university in Marseille used to use the term to invoke the possibility of cannibalistic English soldiers to frighten her unruly petits-enfants into silence.
Off topic but had a little look at what replacing Barnett might look like based on current spending.
Scotland; Current spend £ 81bn £1.5bn to £4bn cut or between 2% and 5%
Wales; Current spending £46bn between £300 & £700m more around 0.& to just over 1% more.
Northern Ireland; Oddly on the figures I find gets the same as now?
England (total) £730bn between £1.3bn and £3.5bn extra or under 0.2% to just below 0.5%
Below that are the English regions. The figure varry but it basically works out at an extra 0.5% each on top of current spends which are;
North East £37bn, North West £101bn, Yorkshire & Humber £68bn, East Midlands £58bn, West Midlands£76bn, East of England £76bn, London £133bn, South East £110bn, South West £69bn.
It sort of stands out why Labour have traditionally not done it. It would make a big politically damaging impact in Scotland where they were traditoionally strong but not rbe big enough to really do enough to change things politically in England.
Burnham also highlighted that English spending tends to favour London so the extra 0.5% could exclude London and give the regions extra but it still probably wouldn't reach 1% as their combined spend is 80% and Londons only 20%, so probably about 0.6% extra each.
Not to be sniffed at and most welcome in places like the North East, an extra £200m, but your not building high speed rail for that.
On that issue of English regional spend the defenders of Barnett have always made the argument that if Westmisntser wants to shift spending from London to the regions in England it can regardless of the Barnett formula.
PMQ from Sir Desmond Swayne – I hope there's still time in which the Prime Minister will be able to enlighten his party as to the moral of the cautionary tale of Jim, who ran away from his nurse and was eaten by a lion.
Is this the reason that residents of New Forest West see so little of Desi? No exotic wildlife parks in the constituency though.
What a pompous arse she is (Penny Young). A political debate is not a lecture in statistics (unless done by Gordon Brown of course).
Jeez-Louise dude, she's chair of the UK Statistics Authority (the statistical cops), second only to the National Statistician (God).
And whilst you are correct that a political debate is not a lecture in statistics, it must be informed by statistics to tie it to the real world and it is to be fervently hoped that they are accurate. Hence Penny's intervention
£33 for a ticket. I think I paid €10 when I saw it in Bayeaux a couple of years ago.
Ouch!
But will still probably have to go, when in the UK for a couple of weeks in the summer.
Edit: or maybe not, doesn’t start until mid-September. Perhaps next year, by which time the queues might have died down a little!
I've got the same problem - down in London the week before it begins for a comedy show that my wife has insisted tagging herself along to (Guy Montgomery's Guy Mont-Spelling Bee for anyone who cares, it's on Iplayer and hilarious btw ). I'm in London for work, she's just going to see the show and do things while I work.
When I say the tapestry in March 2025 it was €16 each, but given that the evening meal was €160 it didn't seem that important..
Excluding Liz Truss who is Scottish, Andy Burnham is first bona fide Northerner to become PM in 50 years.
Jessica Elgot @jessicaelgot · 58m I’m really sorry to do this but the last Northern PM was actually Roundhay’s Liz Truss - as much as she tried to disown our great city.
She was born in Oxford, that rules her out as a bona fide Northerner.
As the most bona fide Northerner on PB I can tell you we Northerners take this stuff very seriously.
I'm not quibbling with your overall conclusion, but how does that make her Scottish?
In 1977 Truss and her parents moved to Warsaw in Poland, but returned to Britain after John and Priscilla found it "quite grim".
After living briefly in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, the family moved to Paisley in Scotland when Truss was four years old, where she attended West Primary School. In 1985 they moved south to Leeds,
And this makes her Scottish?? Not even the SRU would claim that.
She spent her formative years in Scotland (ages 4 to 10), if that's not Scottish then I don't know what is.
Some Scots don't even accept Tony Blair was Scottish, I mean born in Edinburgh, educated in Scotland...
To some Scots, if a Scot has ever left Scotland for more than a holiday they are no longer Scottish.
Remember the Is Andy Murray British website and ramp the logic up to insane levels and that is how Scots work.
A Scotchness expert as I live and breathe!
lol
Given you vomit forth your, well one could hardly call it insight, say views on England, Wales and the six counties you have no real higher ground here 😢
Still hanging about my posts I see despite claiming to ignore them, a dog that laps up someone else’s vomit as it were. Perhaps @edmundintokyo could do a reverse widget where one could block the thicker PBers from seeing one’s posts?
All fair in love and war. Apparently the American commentator for last night’s match said that it wasn’t the first time that the Brits had failed to win in Massachusetts!
£33 for a ticket. I think I paid €10 when I saw it in Bayeaux a couple of years ago.
Ouch!
But will still probably have to go, when in the UK for a couple of weeks in the summer.
Edit: or maybe not, doesn’t start until mid-September. Perhaps next year, by which time the queues might have died down a little!
I've got the same problem - down in London the week before it begins for a comedy show that my wife has insisted tagging herself along to (Guy Montgomery's Guy Mont-Spelling Bee for anyone who cares). I'm in London for work, she's just going to see the show and do things while I work.
When I say the tapestry in March 2025 it was €16 each, but given that the evening meal was €160 it didn't seem that important..
Is the Bayeux Tapestry worth looking at, or just cultural FOMO?
Excluding Liz Truss who is Scottish, Andy Burnham is first bona fide Northerner to become PM in 50 years.
Jessica Elgot @jessicaelgot · 58m I’m really sorry to do this but the last Northern PM was actually Roundhay’s Liz Truss - as much as she tried to disown our great city.
She was born in Oxford, that rules her out as a bona fide Northerner.
As the most bona fide Northerner on PB I can tell you we Northerners take this stuff very seriously.
I'm not quibbling with your overall conclusion, but how does that make her Scottish?
In 1977 Truss and her parents moved to Warsaw in Poland, but returned to Britain after John and Priscilla found it "quite grim".
After living briefly in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, the family moved to Paisley in Scotland when Truss was four years old, where she attended West Primary School. In 1985 they moved south to Leeds,
And this makes her Scottish?? Not even the SRU would claim that.
She spent her formative years in Scotland (ages 4 to 10), if that's not Scottish then I don't know what is.
Some Scots don't even accept Tony Blair was Scottish, I mean born in Edinburgh, educated in Scotland...
To some Scots, if a Scot has ever left Scotland for more than a holiday they are no longer Scottish.
Remember the Is Andy Murray British website and ramp the logic up to insane levels and that is how Scots work.
A Scotchness expert as I live and breathe!
lol
Given you vomit forth your, well one could hardly call it insight, say views on England, Wales and the six counties you have no real higher ground here 😢
Still hanging about my posts I see despite claiming to ignore them, a dog that laps up someone else’s vomit as it were. Perhaps @edmundintokyo could do a reverse widget where one could block the thicker PBers from seeing one’s posts?
What a pompous arse she is (Penny Young). A political debate is not a lecture in statistics (unless done by Gordon Brown of course).
Jeez-Louise dude, she's chair of the UK Statistics Authority (the statistical cops), second only to the National Statistician (God).
And whilst you are correct that a political debate is not a lecture in statistics, it must be informed by statistics to tie it to the real world and it is to be fervently hoped that they are accurate. Hence Penny's intervention
The letter isn't great, but neither is the use of the statistic. The claim does have shock value, but income taxes being higher than welfare payments is not automatically a good thing - I am sure Kemi would be the first to object if they were raised to do just that. Benefits are going up, and so are taxes. So I'm with Pompous Interim Penny on this one.
"Being so young when we did leave, I've personally not seen any change," says 19-year-old Tegan Smith.
For her, the EU is a distant concept.
"My life is normal – this is how it would always have been.
"You don't really think about what's going on worldwide... so I've not really had any thought into it," Tegan says.
She sounds like your normal young person now, vacuous and empty headed, unable of cogent thoughts. The stupid name says it all, dumb cluck.
Apparently Tegan is an Australian name that became known here via a Dr Who companion in the 1980s.
Yes and no. Tegan Jovanka was a companion in the show from 1981 to 1984. Ms Smith would have been born in 2007-ish. It is true that her parents may have been fans of the show. But they may also have been fans of the Canadian indie pop duo "Tegan and Sara" who would have been popular at the time. Well, popular by Canadian indie pop standards.
£33 for a ticket. I think I paid €10 when I saw it in Bayeaux a couple of years ago.
Ouch!
But will still probably have to go, when in the UK for a couple of weeks in the summer.
Edit: or maybe not, doesn’t start until mid-September. Perhaps next year, by which time the queues might have died down a little!
I've got the same problem - down in London the week before it begins for a comedy show that my wife has insisted tagging herself along to (Guy Montgomery's Guy Mont-Spelling Bee for anyone who cares). I'm in London for work, she's just going to see the show and do things while I work.
When I say the tapestry in March 2025 it was €16 each, but given that the evening meal was €160 it didn't seem that important..
Is the Bayeux Tapestry worth looking at, or just cultural FOMO?
oh it's worth it but again I do cross stitch and it's a period of history where I like the misinformation around it (and the tapestry is a source of some of that misunderstanding).
Equally I won't be rushing to see it in London wll probably visit Bayeux again when it's back there.
And yes, proper communism Brexit hasn't been tried yet. Despite Brexiteers being in charge for most of the last ten years.
Point of order. Whilst I actually agree with your criticism of Farage's comments, Brexiteers have not been in charge for most of the last 10 years.
May, Truss and Starmer were all Remainers.
Johnson + Sunak = 1759 days in power so I make that roughly 48% of the period since the referendum. I’d contend there’s a genuine argument over Truss given she is as mad as a box of frogs and maybe was genuinely a Brexiteer by the time she was PM. That nudges us up to 49% of the given period. But you are correct, only by the the thinnest of margins, either way.
Oh, that'll be disappointing for all the OAPs who were hoping to promenade out in the lovely soupy weather.
But never fear, perhaps the grannies can go on a trip to Hampshire or Dorset to warm up. It's already over 34C in several places in the South and it's only midday!
£33 for a ticket. I think I paid €10 when I saw it in Bayeaux a couple of years ago.
Ouch!
But will still probably have to go, when in the UK for a couple of weeks in the summer.
Edit: or maybe not, doesn’t start until mid-September. Perhaps next year, by which time the queues might have died down a little!
I've got the same problem - down in London the week before it begins for a comedy show that my wife has insisted tagging herself along to (Guy Montgomery's Guy Mont-Spelling Bee for anyone who cares). I'm in London for work, she's just going to see the show and do things while I work.
When I say the tapestry in March 2025 it was €16 each, but given that the evening meal was €160 it didn't seem that important..
Is the Bayeux Tapestry worth looking at, or just cultural FOMO?
I'd say that, if you only see one piece of eleventh century embroidery this year, you must make it this one.
£33 for a ticket. I think I paid €10 when I saw it in Bayeaux a couple of years ago.
Ouch!
But will still probably have to go, when in the UK for a couple of weeks in the summer.
Edit: or maybe not, doesn’t start until mid-September. Perhaps next year, by which time the queues might have died down a little!
I've got the same problem - down in London the week before it begins for a comedy show that my wife has insisted tagging herself along to (Guy Montgomery's Guy Mont-Spelling Bee for anyone who cares). I'm in London for work, she's just going to see the show and do things while I work.
When I say the tapestry in March 2025 it was €16 each, but given that the evening meal was €160 it didn't seem that important..
Is the Bayeux Tapestry worth looking at, or just cultural FOMO?
I'd say that, if you only see one piece of eleventh century embroidery this year, you must make it this one.
I don't see anything remotely controversial in his line of argument. Nobody on either side of the Brexit debate *ever* made the suggestion that we would change no EU laws or regulations. Yet overwhelmingly that is what has happened - courtesy of civil servants (remember when they publicly begged the Reform & Revocation Bill to be cancelled) and the political class, we have remained Miss Havisham-like, decaying in our bridal frock, waiting for rejoin.
-The TIGGR commission's recommendations were never implemented. -The Reform and Revocation bill was cancelled it, and what replaced it courtesy of Kemi (who I'm a big fan of) was less than derisory. -We continued with EU environment and species regulations that have meant no dredging, no reservoirs being built until just recently, bat tunnels, and a Paramount theme park being cancelled due to non-rare jumping spiders.
Is that what you would call 'a proper Brexit'. Is that what you expected when you voted, whatever side you were on?
Comments
Some 520 mothers and babies suffered potentially avoidable harm or death.
There were at least 156 deaths of babies and six mothers died.
Of the baby deaths, 94 were stillbirths.
Some 62 cases were neonatal deaths shortly after birth
Of the 14 senior leaders at CCG/ICB level, only 4 agreed to give evidence. Of 66 senior managers at
@nottmhospitals only 35 actually engaged with the review just 53%.
This is shocking behaviour by supposed NHS leaders.
https://x.com/ShaunLintern/status/2069734314003034169
https://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/2643743
Emma Reynolds was born on November 2, 1977 in Wolverhampton.
She grew up in a council flat and went to local state schools, before securing a place at Oxford University where she graduated in Politics, Philosophy and Economics.
The mother-of-two speaks several languages, including French, Spanish and Italian and has worked abroad in several countries.
In the early noughties, before entering politics herself, Reynolds went to live and work in Brussels, home of the European Union, and joined the Labour Party in 2003.
https://www.bucksfreepress.co.uk/news/24441415.election-meet-new-labour-mp-wycombe-emma-reynolds/
Emma Reynolds was born on November 2, 1977 in Wolverhampton.
She grew up in a council flat and went to local state schools, before securing a place at Oxford University where she graduated in Politics, Philosophy and Economics.
The mother-of-two speaks several languages, including French, Spanish and Italian and has worked abroad in several countries.
In the early noughties, before entering politics herself, Reynolds went to live and work in Brussels, home of the European Union, and joined the Labour Party in 2003.
https://www.bucksfreepress.co.uk/news/24441415.election-meet-new-labour-mp-wycombe-emma-reynolds/
https://www.britishmuseum.org/exhibitions/bayeux-tapestry
But never fear, perhaps the grannies can go on a trip to Hampshire or Dorset to warm up. It's already over 34C in several places in the South and it's only midday!
That Is A Disgrace.
This is the thought he seeks to embed with people who voted Leave. They are his base.
It's still a big factor in our politics, Brexit.
It'd save peanuts in an optimistic scenario, while pissing off a lot of people.
If we decide to cut income tax but not benefits that will see the balance between them shift but that doesn't mean we need to cut benefits.
If you want to introduce some form of direct hypothecation, where you can only spend on "X" the revenue from "Y" then fine, but other than that it's comparing Apples and Oranges.
We raise what we want to how we want to in Taxes and we spend what we want how we want to.
We need to strike a balance between the two and make choices but we don't have to directly link parts of one to parts of the other.
Peter.
Officials knew the $16.4 million Reflecting Pool renovation was peeling and turning green earlier than they acknowledged.
https://x.com/nytimes/status/2069528692347248919
Will Harris-Aebvtivs
which only makes sense if you have copied the 'V' from inscriptions meaning (in modern spelling) 'U'. The name itself goes back to early Rome, 2500 years ago.
May, Truss and Starmer were all Remainers.
Andy Burnham is about to prove the true worth of a Cambridge English degree
If the Makerfield MP does become prime minister, he could bring a much-needed human understanding with him
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/06/23/andy-burnham-about-to-prove-true-worth-cambridge-english/?recomm_id=7052cda5-cd00-4e43-a7c8-c910bad45032
Not sure what she spent her time doing during those 3 years, because it evidently wasn't Geography
What is she wittering on about?
Nope, still don't see it.
Boris Johnson PM for 3 years and 2 months.
Rishi Sunak PM for 1 year and 9 months ish.
It has some merit, given the shite most Brits eat.
https://x.com/maria_drutska/status/2069407681949860161
This could quickly get fun, for certain definitions of fun.
But will still probably have to go, when in the UK for a couple of weeks in the summer.
Given you vomit forth your, well one could hardly call it insight, say views on England, Wales and the six counties you have no real higher ground here 😢
He lasted 12.4 Truss premierships.
Macron would have been a better shout, coming over to contest a Hastings by election...
"Don't be surprised when constituents feel they can use the same language. Let's show a little bit more decorum"
https://x.com/PolitlcsUK/status/2069744107866431684
Scotland;
Current spend £ 81bn £1.5bn to £4bn cut or between 2% and 5%
Wales;
Current spending £46bn between £300 & £700m more around 0.& to just over 1% more.
Northern Ireland;
Oddly on the figures I find gets the same as now?
England (total) £730bn between £1.3bn and £3.5bn extra or under 0.2% to just below 0.5%
Below that are the English regions. The figure varry but it basically works out at an extra 0.5% each on top of current spends which are;
North East £37bn, North West £101bn, Yorkshire & Humber £68bn, East Midlands £58bn, West Midlands£76bn, East of England £76bn, London £133bn, South East £110bn, South West £69bn.
It sort of stands out why Labour have traditionally not done it. It would make a big politically damaging impact in Scotland where they were traditoionally strong but not rbe big enough to really do enough to change things politically in England.
Burnham also highlighted that English spending tends to favour London so the extra 0.5% could exclude London and give the regions extra but it still probably wouldn't reach 1% as their combined spend is 80% and Londons only 20%, so probably about 0.6% extra each.
Not to be sniffed at and most welcome in places like the North East, an extra £200m, but your not building high speed rail for that.
On that issue of English regional spend the defenders of Barnett have always made the argument that if Westmisntser wants to shift spending from London to the regions in England it can regardless of the Barnett formula.
Peter.
And whilst you are correct that a political debate is not a lecture in statistics, it must be informed by statistics to tie it to the real world and it is to be fervently hoped that they are accurate. Hence Penny's intervention
When I say the tapestry in March 2025 it was €16 each, but given that the evening meal was €160 it didn't seem that important..
Perhaps @edmundintokyo could do a reverse widget where one could block the thicker PBers from seeing one’s posts?
At least we can all laugh about it now.
The woman is utterly shameless and has no control over her mouth
For all Badenoch's alleged strengths, she lacks the key leadership qualities of grace and courtesy. Indeed, she's rather unpleasant.
https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/26221608.councillors-contact-government-durham-land-sale/
Selling a block of land based on the average price in County Durham rather than the significantly higher valuation of land in central Durham.
Off you pop in that case. 😉
She surpasses Braverman in her complete lack of grace and empathy.
Similarly Farage was moaning on yesterday about how he was the most attacked politician in the last decade.
Equally I won't be rushing to see it in London wll probably visit Bayeux again when it's back there.
Utterly deplorable nasty piece of detritus
Burnham’s charm will be a good counter to her.
-The TIGGR commission's recommendations were never implemented.
-The Reform and Revocation bill was cancelled it, and what replaced it courtesy of Kemi (who I'm a big fan of) was less than derisory.
-We continued with EU environment and species regulations that have meant no dredging, no reservoirs being built until just recently, bat tunnels, and a Paramount theme park being cancelled due to non-rare jumping spiders.
Is that what you would call 'a proper Brexit'. Is that what you expected when you voted, whatever side you were on?