Adam Belcher

Chair of @WakefieldLibDem, Secretary @YandHLibDems and member of @LibDems English Council

[Election Maps UK @ElectionMapsUK]

Idle & Thackley (Bradford) Countermanded Election Result:

🔶 LDM: 55.6% (-4.7)
➡️ RFM: 31.6% (New)
🌍 GRN: 4.7% (-0.3)
🌹 LAB: 4.2% (-17.1)
🌳 CON: 3.9% (-2.0)

No Yorks (-7.5) as previous.

Liberal Democrat HOLD x3.
Changes w/ 2024.

[Adam Belcher @AdamBelcherLD]

Every sentence here made me more and more pissed off.

[Steven Swinford @Steven_Swinford]

EXCLUSIVE:

Britain’s flagship high-speed rail line has gone “disastrously wrong” because of the decision to “gold plate” the project and political pressure to “keep things moving” despite spiralling costs, an official review has found

Sir Stephen Lovegrove, a former national security adviser, said that the “original sins” of the project included a decision to focus on the “highest possible speeds” in an attempt to make it the “world’s best railway”

The government opted to “begin construction at the hardest points of the route”, the first phase between London and the West Midlands

He concluded that there was also particular confusion over “the changing objectives and political priorities”, with a conflict between the “mission” of ushering in a “new age of high speed rail” and the task of delivering “within time and budget”

On Tuesday Heidi Alexander, the transport secretary, is expected to confirm that the speed for the line will be reduced to 320km/h to reduce costs, while delivery of the project will be further delayed from previous plans to get trains running by 2033

The first trains between London and Birmingham are expected to run from 2035 at the earliest

HS2 was originally designed to run between London, Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds

It will now run only as far north as Birmingham on new tracks, at which point HS2 trains will connect to the West Coast Main Line. Latest estimates suggest that this line alone could cost as much as £100 billion, the equivalent of £1 billion a mile

https://t.co/zp86s6ejAQ

[Steven Swinford @Steven_Swinford]

The Cabinet Office has been accused by the Intelligence and Security Committee of making too many redactions to the Lord Mandelson files

It's clear the committee is furious with the way the government is conducting itself, effectively accusing it of censorship and putting national security at risk

*** The ISC says that it is applying the 'personal information' criteria 'far too broadly' and without any scrutiny. 'We note that no body has been commissioned to review these redactions and assure Parliament they are within the spirit of the Humble Address'

*** It also accuses the Cabinet Office of withholding documents, including Mandelson's vetting file. While the ISC does not wish to see the vetting file - indeed it privately accepts that doing so would undermine the vetting system - it says the Government needs to return to Parliament and seek its agreement for withholding documents

*** The ISC says that the level of government business conducted on WhatsApp is 'extraordinary'. 'Lengthy Whatsapp conversations between senior officials and ministers appear now to be the format by which Government policy is formulated'

*** It says government departments - the FCDO in particular - are failing to keep proper records - agendas, minutes and records of conversations. 'This is unacceptable in government'

*** Sensitive exchanges are being conducted on 'lower level' security systems, putting the UK's national security at risk. The ISC says it is 'appalling'

[Tom Gordon MP @tomgordonLD]

Congratulations to my mum on her re-election, along with Cllr Rachel Speak’s. Sadly, we didn’t get Sharon over the line with them.

Lib Dems are now the largest opposition party on Wakefield Council & will take on the role of holding the new Reform-run administration to account.

[Adam Belcher @AdamBelcherLD]

A message from me as Chair of #Wakefield Lib Dems following the local elections. The fight back against Reform starts here: https://t.co/qXein9rqD6

[Magyar Péter (Ne féljetek) @magyarpeterMP]

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has just called to congratulate us on our victory.

[Europe Elects @EuropeElects]

Hungary, 29.21% counted:

Seat projection national parliament

TISZA-EPP: 132 (+132)
Fidesz/KDNP-PfE: 59 (-76)
MH-ESN: 8 (+2)

+/- vs. Last election result

➤ https://t.co/nONdLs4JDG

[Sky News @SkyNews]

Sir Ed Davey has denounced "Trump-style, divisive politics" during his speech launching the Liberal Democrats' local elections campaign

https://t.co/KfamTQOKce

📺 Sky 501, Virgin 602, Freeview 233 and YouTube

[Sam Coates Sky @SamCoatesSky]

EXC Does your council wrongly block projects, and have to pay millions in council tax when the decisions are overturned?

We reveal what's going wrong.

Investigation by @JoeCookJ and me, interrogating everyone planning council in England

[Adam Belcher @AdamBelcherLD]

Our website at https://t.co/8iwcz0MEg0 is live again.

We've already got three great stories on there about how Wakefield Lib Dems have been fighting for residents, with much more to follow!

#Wakefield #Knottingley

[Mike Martin MP 🔸 @ThreshedThought]

Senior Finnish Minister:

This is our generation’s 1918/45/89 moment.

How it turns out is up to us … we need UK leadership on European security the same as we saw in WW2 … no other country can fulfil that role.

The next days and weeks will be crucial.

[felix 🔶🇺🇦 @fe1ixa]

@AdamBelcherLD Congratulations Adam! Wakefield Labour have been put on notice! 🥀

[Ed Davey @EdwardJDavey]

Ukraine has fought too hard for its freedom, only to have its future dictated by Putin and Trump behind closed doors.

Any peace must guarantee Ukraine’s sovereignty and security on terms acceptable to Ukrainians, not just to Moscow and Mar-a-Lago.

[Brandon Ashford (He/Him) @BrandonJAshford]

@AdamBelcherLD Congratulations Adam! Best of luck with the role 👏🏻👏🏻

[Adam Belcher @AdamBelcherLD]

Excited to be elected chair of Wakefield District Liberal Democrats tonight. My objective is to reboot the local party, re-elect our Knottingley councillors, and gain seats to make us the official opposition to the failed Labour council.

[Tom Gordon MP @tomgordonLD]

Well done to Chris for a huge swing from Labour.

This result shows that where we work, we can win people’s trust & their votes - even in the red wall.

It’s vital for liberals to hold Labour to account, provide strong opposition, & ensure we don’t cede this ground to others.

[Adam Belcher @AdamBelcherLD]

This result should have Labour bosses in Wakefield worried. Since we won Knottingley in 2019 we've been the clear challengers to Labour in Wakefield, and this result only confirms that. A vote for Reform is just a wasted vote.

[Election Maps UK @ElectionMapsUK]

Featherstone (Wakefield) Council By-Election Result:

🌹 LAB: 42.1% (-30.7)
🔶 LDM: 25.9% (New)
➡️ RFM: 21.8% (New)
🌳 CON: 6.7% (-8.8)
🌍 GRN: 3.5% (-8.3)

Labour HOLD.
Changes w/ 2024.

[Adam Belcher @AdamBelcherLD]

Double by-election wins for @YandHLibDems tonight with a gain in Sheffield and a hold in York. Now let's make it a triple by winning Featherstone in two weeks time!

[Adam Belcher @AdamBelcherLD]

Great to be in my grandad's hometown of Featherstone for the launch of Chris Howden's by-election campaign. We can win this thing and make @WakefieldLibDem the official opposition on Wakefield Council!

[Jamie Smart @jamiesmart]

Imagine if you ran a branch of Greggs but you got fired for being corrupt. So one day you got everyone to storm Greggs and smash it up, and your only punishment is Greggs asking you back to run a Greggs again. That’s basically America.