Catherine Green

[Paul Lewis @paullewismoney]

Says the man who bought a farm partly to avoid inheritance tax! He should write one to the 35,000 grieving relatives who have to pay it this year saying thanks for paying it so farmers can have a £2.5m allowance and half the rate of tax above that!

[Prof. Peter Strachan @ProfStrachan]

Sir #DavidAttenborough

“Things are going to get worse. This is the new extinction. We are in terrible, terrible trouble and the longer we wait to do something about it, the worse it is going to get."

#ClimateEmergency

https://t.co/EfMrZh9RGB

[terry christian @terrychristian]

For many of us who have been around - this was when Britain changed for the worse and has never quite recovered . All the things the generation after WW1 and post world War 2 started to be taken away

[sarah @sahouraxo]

BREAKING: Israeli invaders are entering civilian homes across South Lebanon, rigging them with explosives — then blowing them up.

Not military targets. Homes.

This is happening every single day during a so-called “ceasefire.”

No justification. Just pure terrorism.

[Gordon Fielden @GordonFielden]

Darren Jones has now been removed from his Cabinet Office role, which, in my view, comes as no surprise. Andy Burnham will undoubtedly recognise that Jones represents one of the most significant potential challengers to his leadership of the Labour Party. I believe he possesses many of the qualities required to lead the party in the future, continues to enjoy considerable support among many members, and is one of the few figures capable of genuinely uniting and galvanising the party behind a common purpose.

Throughout the events surrounding Sir Keir Starmer's departure, Jones remained steadfast in his support for the Prime Minister. In my opinion, loyalty of that kind deserves recognition and, in time, should be rewarded. I have little doubt that we shall see Darren Jones return to the forefront of British politics before too long.

Finally, I would simply like to say thank you for the work he undertook. In my view, he achieved something that many others within the Labour Party could not: he challenged the prevailing narrative in parts of the mainstream media and stood by his principles throughout.

[Alessandra Libutti 🇪🇺 🇮🇹 🇬🇧 @a_libutti]

Darren Jones una delle persone più integre e preparate del Labour (e tra le più fedeli di Starmer) escluso dal nuovo governo.

Aveva sufficienti MP per lanciare una sfida a Burnham ma ha (saggiamente) rinunciato. Inutile lanciare una sfida quando la macchina mediatica aveva già creato la percezione della successione inevitabile di Burnham, o quando, anche se Jones avesse vinto, avrebbe avuto gli alleati di Burnham alle calcagna a rendergli il compito di governare impossibile.

Come molti starmeriani si ritira nelle retrovie. Ma la sua ora sono certa che verrà.

[Ben Nunn @BenNunnUK]

The number one rule of a political adviser is keep quiet in public. To keep off social media and to be the voice behind the scenes. But just for today I’m breaking that rule.

I first met Keir Starmer more than twelve years ago when he was standing to be the Labour Party candidate in Holborn and St Pancras.

Since then I have had the privilege of being by his side. From Brexit to the pandemic, leadership campaign to election, opposition to government. Changing Labour from a party of protest to a party of change. Having the chance to do what politics is really about: improving people’s lives.

Keir is a man of extraordinary strength, determination and decency. I’m so proud of what we have achieved together. Others will judge his time in politics as they see fit. But for me I see a Britain today that is a better country because of his leadership.

Right, back to staying quiet.

[Artur Nadolny @ArturNadol7566]

£10 BILLION WASTED ON PPE AND NOBODY IS TO BLAME

UK government just got the results of its Covid inquiry. The number is huge. Out of £14.9 billion spent on protective gear like masks and gowns, almost £10 billion of it was wasted. That means for every £3 spent, £2 went down the drain.

The inquiry boss, Baroness Heather Hallett, looked into something called the VIP lane. This was a fast track system. If your company had a friend in government, you got pushed to the front of the line for contracts. Everyone else had to wait like normal. £4.2 billion of public money went through this fast track.

The biggest name in this story is PPE Medpro. That company is linked to former Conservative peer Michelle Mone @MichelleMone. She messaged government minister Michael Gove @michaelgove back in May 2020. Her company then got £203 million in contracts. Police are still investigating this deal, so some details are being kept back until that investigation finishes.

Here is the strange part. Hallett said she found no proof of corruption in the final decisions ministers made. She just found a system that happened to favor people who knew the right person. You can decide for yourself what that means.

Boris Johnson @BorisJohnson responded by saying he had not even read the report. Then he said the government's Covid response was outstanding anyway.

Matt Hancock @MattHancock and other former ministers still defend the VIP lane. They say it helped them find good suppliers fast. Lord Theodore Agnew, who was a minister at the time, told the inquiry it was nonsense to say the lane was designed to make rich people richer.

While all this was happening, doctors and nurses did not have enough proper protection. A group called Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice @CovidJusticeUK speaks for about 7000 people who lost family members. They believe their loved ones died partly because staff did not have the equipment to keep everyone safe.

Hallett gave the government 11 ideas to fix this for next time. Better planning. Better stockpiles. Better rules for buying supplies in an emergency. All good ideas. All things that should have been obvious from the start.

£10 billion gone. No one blamed. Just a system that happened to help people with the right contacts. Same old story.

Sources
@guardian
@BBCNews
@SkyNews
others

[Curiosity @CuriosityonX]

THIS IS NOT FAKE. THIS IS REAL.

Canada is burning. Europe is on fire. New York's sky is smoke. The oceans are boiling. The heat is lethal.

If you are still denying climate change you are denying the Earth a future.

[Keby (LFC)🔴♧ @Kebylfc_27]

🚨🔴Hollywood star Daniel Craig [007] on being a Liverpool fan since childhood.

'It is a deeply emotional lifelong devotion and not a publicity stunt';

"I go back, I don't get to as many games as I'd like, but I find it really hard to hold my emotions in check while I'm in that ground. I'm in pieces just walking in... there's something so special about it."
I got mesmerised by the dignity of the Liverpool crowd cemented my loyalty.
#LFC #MERSEYSIDEREDS

[Craig Ward @CraigWard0207]

The burning question that no one is talking about..

Why were the VIP lane companies paid upfront for their unusable PPE?

If it was rejected upon delivery we could have refused payment, just like with any other supplier. This is criminal. Everyone involved should be locked up.

[Jennifer Robinson @welshroots]

Hats off to Keir Starmer, he can leave office with his head held high, unlike Boris Johnson who damaged UK with his BREXIT and cost us £10 Billion with wasted PPE contracts given to cronnies

[Thomas Standfield @TStandfield1789]

So let's get this right.
NHS medical staff had too wear shower caps and bin bags as personal protection during the pandemic, while the Tory Party gave our money to its fucking mates
@KemiBadenoch @BorisJohnson @michaelgove @Conservatives @ClaireCoutinho @Helen_Whately @MelJStride

[Pippa Crerar @PippaCrerar]

EXCL: Keir Starmer has become first UK PM to be presented with Légion d’honneur by French president, in recognition of his work on security of Europe.

Emmanuel Macron awarded the historic honour to Starmer for his l'ship in setting up coalition of the willing at a critical moment for the continent in early 2025.

Only other British PM to receive a similar award – at a higher level, the Grand-Croix of the Légion d’honneur – was Winston Churchill in 1958 in recognition of his leadership during the second world war.

https://t.co/mybbRlZZba

[Keir Starmer @Keir_Starmer]

I’m proud to leave this country in a better shape than I found it.

[Brendan May @bmay]

It’s clear watching Starmer’s final PMQs that the Labour Party has just made an absolutely catastrophic error, blinded by panic, afflicted by petty opportunist factionalism, and entirely disengaged from the national interest in a dangerous world.

What a huge, huge
blunder. 🤦🏻‍♂️

[Kevin Maguire @Kevin_Maguire]

Scandals don't come much bigger than wasting £10bn of £15bn spent on unusable PPE during Covid.

The Tory VIP lane for donors, cronies and chums was a rip-off door.

Hunt them down and grab back the £10bn no matter whatever that costs.

https://t.co/iMXKTLH8N1

[Gary Stevenson @garyseconomics]

The future of this country is extreme poverty, unless we tax the super rich more.

[Jennifer Stewart @JenniferJS_]

Such a relief to listen to a really intelligent Prime Minister. @Keir_Starmer knows what he's talking about, is incredibly articulate. He stands tall, head & shoulders above everybody else around him, plays no games, points no fingers. Doesn't betray anybody.

Giant of a man.

[Mohamad Safa @mhdksafa]

Israel is still killing children in Gaza and it's no longer makes headlines.