Donald

[Andy Burnham @andyburnham]

I have never taken part in a coup against any Leader of the Labour Party and I am not going to start now. 2/3

[Kemi Badenoch @KemiBadenoch]

This is a significant result, and I want to start by congratulating @DLumsden_MSP on becoming the new Member of Parliament for Aberdeen South and the newest Conservative MP!

Makerfield was about one man’s job.

Aberdeen South was about thousands of jobs in oil and gas across our country and the future of an entire city.

Yesterday, the people of Aberdeen sent a message on behalf of the whole country. Energy security is national security. They know it is common sense to use our own oil and gas rather than importing it from overseas. They know it is madness to make ourselves poorer, weaker and more dependent at a time when even the government’s own intelligence says we are under threat. The first duty of any government is to keep its people safe. The Conservative Party will always put Britain’s security first.

What makes this result particularly significant is that many people who voted Conservative today have never voted Conservative before. I want to thank every one of them.

Many will have voted for us because they care deeply about Aberdeen and its future. Many will have voted for us because they are sick of the SNP’s shenanigans. Others because they are worried about what Labour’s policies mean for their jobs and livelihoods. Many voted for us because they wanted a strong local champion.

Douglas is that champion. He has lived in Aberdeen all his life. He spent two decades working in the oil and gas industry. He knows this city, he knows its people, and throughout this campaign he brought energy, optimism and a genuine belief in Aberdeen’s future. Wherever he went, he had a smile on his face and a positive message about what this great city can achieve.

The Conservative Party is working to earn the trust of the country again. I am grateful and humbled that Aberdeen looked at the choice before them and decided that the Conservative Party was the party that would fight for families, workers and business.

Thank you, Aberdeen. I will never stop fighting for you. Douglas will never stop fighting for you.

The Conservative Party will keep fighting for common sense, a stronger economy and a stronger country.

[Donald @D0naldM2002]

@John_EdwardsUK Ngl that would look horrendous those trains

[Tim Shipman @ShippersUnbound]

Further to Blair. Literally every honest sensible person in all the main parties privately agrees with all these propositions:

- welfare spending is too high and is throwing good people on the scrapheap
- defence spending is too low
- the triple lock is unsustainable
- without cheap energy we cannot exploit the AI revolution
- we should be investing in EVERY form of energy: renewables, nuclear and the North Sea
- migration needs to be controlled to boost social cohesion and because the boats look like a huge failure of the state
- any new relationship with the EU will be imposed on us until we are stronger and cannot involve the closeness some desire without freedom of movement
- we are deeply embedded with America in ways which the public does not understand and cannot be told and however joyous it makes us feel to hate Trump, disengagement at the deep state level is not only wholly unrealistic but also undesirable
- Whitehall needs a total overhaul so specific project expertise and political appointees can be brought in quickly

Blair basically says all that.

The one thing he doesn’t say and which the same group of people agree on is this and it’s something Blair left behind:

- judges and quangos have too much power, are unaccountable and without redressing the balance in favour of parliament it is very difficult to do anything big fast
- the bare minimum that needs to change in this regard is to reform judicial review and planning law so we can put building and economic growth ahead of newts and NIMBYs

None of that above really ought to be up for discussion. It is all common sense but not one of our politicians will publicly say all of it

Whatever you think of Blair, engage with what he’s saying not how he makes you feel. The bare minimum we should expect from any leader is that they have an analysis of the current situation and a plan to deal with it which is as coherent and realistic as his intervention. Pretty well every critique I’ve read so far has failed to meet this requirement.

Over to Andy and Keir and Kemi and Nigel and Zack and all the others

[Ed Campbell @edcmpbl]

Tell you what it must have been class if Peter Murrell got your name in the SNP secret Santa

[SPFL Mediawatch @SPFLWatch]

The year is 2045, the European Federation of States has defeated the Axis of Resistance in the Third World War. Not much is rest of the world but ruins.

Meanwhile, Partick Thistle have lost by a single goal in the Premiership Playoff Final to East Kilbride.

[Donald @D0naldM2002]

So close lads, so close

[Partick Thistle FC @PartickThistle]

It wasn't how we wanted this story to end. 💔

Thank you for being with us every step of this special journey.

We'll back there soon, on a Saturday afternoon...

[Gabriella 🏆 @gabsavfc_]

We've just completed our first league double over Man City since 1962/63 with a half drunk, heavily rotated team

This is Aston Villa football club 🤣

[Kirsty McNeill MP @kirstyjmcneill]

Scots disagree about all sorts of questions. We don’t become less Scottish when we do.

[U.S. Consulate Edinburgh @USAinScotland]

Consul Tammy Nobilski attended a launch event at Glasgow Airport for United Airlines’ new direct service between Glasgow and Newark Liberty International Airport. This new route further strengthens air connectivity between Scotland and the United States, supporting tourism, business links, and people-to-people ties.

[Jabba @jabbalochhead]

Are you Scottish?

Can you sing and play a guitar????

Are you thinking about making a WC song???

Well fucking don’t

[anton 🔶 @libdembounce]

as soon as british rail gets the slightest bit of private competition rail fares look like this yet people still think nationalisation is the answer...

[The Prince and Princess of Wales @KensingtonRoyal]

Amazing night!! Huge congratulations to all the players, team,staff and everyone connected to the club! 44 years since the last taste of European silverware!

Special shout out to Boubacar Kamara who has been out injured but is such an integral part of our team and helped lay the foundations of this success.

UTV! 💪🏻❤️ VTID
W

[Phil Sturgeon @philsturgeon]

Here’s the rail expansion we wanted.

Here’s the rail expansion Labour are currently trying to cancel.

[Aston Villa @AVFCOfficial]

Aston Villa is delighted to announce that the club will be competing in the UEFA Champions League for the 2026/27 season.

[Kilmarnock FC @KilmarnockFC]

And what a day it was 🔥

[Peter Kay stan account @DaysDeluxe]

Sorry, I can't be coup'd, it's not in the meeting agenda.

[Lewis McKenzie @LewisMcKenzie94]

Congratulations John! 👏🏻

[Ed Balls @edballs]

Ed Balls