Joe Cook

Politics Producer @skynews. Making films and analysis screens with @SamCoatesSky. DMs open. Views my own.

[Joe Cook @JoeCookJ]

This investigation took months of arguing with hundreds of councils. Many said they didn't know how much they'd paid to developers in costs.

"Unreasonable behaviour" is a high bar intended to encourage good behaviour. It reveals when things have gone wrong - but it's not tracked by the government or local authorities.

Watch our piece for the top 10 worst councils for decisions and costs over the last 7 years (fuller data for this period). And why it matters beyond the cost.

[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

[Joe Cook @JoeCookJ]

Great interview, well worth a read

[Ailbhe Rea @PronouncedAlva]

EXCLUSIVE Andy Burnham interview in this week's New Statesman

- wonders whether we would still be in the EU if he had been elected Labour leader in 2015
- declines to defend Ed Miliband on North Sea oil and gas “I’ve got something of an open mind, you know. I don’t have a sort of fixed position.”
- responds to Joshi Herrmann piece ("I've not read it" - "he's not sympathetic") and criticism that he is vague on his plan for the country and 'Manchesterism'
- tells a voter he will "possibly" challenge to become PM
- much more in the piece. As ever, please actually read it
https://t.co/pwB9I4jFUY

[Nicholas Drummond @nicholadrummond]

This is the best summary of the current geopolitical situation I have seen. Sir Alex Younger was head of MI6 between 2014 and 2020. Really worth watching.

[Joe Cook @JoeCookJ]

@fabneil @SkyNews @SamCoatesSky https://t.co/Apuf4lVMXX
https://t.co/CyRRjsgsog
https://t.co/n2YxDov6tF

[Sky News @SkyNews]

The Commons sleaze watchdog is launching an investigation into Nigel Farage over a £5m gift from a cryptocurrency investor.

Farage insisted there is "no case to answer".

Our deputy political editor @SamCoatesSky reports ⬇️

Read more 🔗 https://t.co/ulUnFgaIaj

[Sky News @SkyNews]

Nigel Farage was booed as he told MPs the Southampton riots following the murder of Henry Nowak are "in danger of getting considerably worse".

@SamCoatesSky explains what happened at a polarised PMQs.

Read more: https://t.co/RWUeBJNtzR

[Líse McNally @LiseMcNally]

Reform UK's candidate in the Makerfield by-election has faced Qs about a history of sexist and homophobic posts on social media.

He's meeting hundreds of people on the campaign trail, so what is Rob Kenyon's message to men who think it's still okay to use language like that?

[Sky News @SkyNews]

"It's a sort of weird conversation!”

@BethRigby pushes Andy Burnham on his ambitions to be the next leader of the Labour Party as he dodges questions on whether he would serve in Keir Starmer’s cabinet

Listen to the exclusive podcast interview now 🔗 https://t.co/Tw0xvTegvL

[Sky News @SkyNews]

The second tranche of files relating to Peter Mandelson's appointment and tenure as US ambassador has been published by the government.

@SamCoatesSky unpicks what they tell us.

🔗 https://t.co/vtBzNjotus

[Joe Cook @JoeCookJ]

Can someone please explain why it costs £300 to book two one-way train tickets to Manchester🤡

[Paul Johnson @PJTheEconomist]

Spending on working age welfare has barely shifted as a fraction of national income in decades. True that spending on some incapacity and disability benefits is rising but others are being squeezed. Torsten is right. That is not what is pushing up total spending and taxes.

[Stefan Rousseau @StefanRousseau]

Yet more pictures in today’s papers taken and edited by government photographers at events where news photographers weren’t permitted (the pool photographer at the PM visit was told he couldn’t shoot this moment). @guardian @Telegraph @thetimes @hmtreasury @10DowningStreet

[Thomas Godfrey @thomasgodfreyuk]

NEW: British crypto businessman Christopher Harborne - who gave Nigel Farage a £5m gift - is suing Advance UK leader Ben Habib for defamation.

[Selina Wang @selinawangtv]

I was in the middle of taping on my iPhone for a social video from the White House North Lawn when we heard the shots. It sounded like dozens of gunshots. We were told to sprint to the press briefing room where we are holding now.

[Charlton Athletic Women @CAFCWomen]

WE ARE WSL 💥

COME ONNNNN

#cafc

[Dominic Waghorn @DominicWaghorn]

Absurd that there is not a mention of the lockdown here. What did we expect when we literally locked up our teenagers with their parents for getting on for a year at a time of life when their brains biologically require socialisation with their peers?

[Joe Cook @JoeCookJ]

The government now looks to be trying to get secondary legislation through to move away from FPTP and back to Supplementary Vote by 19 June, in time for any new Manchester mayor vote 👀

https://t.co/YkkbC0AGiq

[Sam Coates Sky @SamCoatesSky]

NEW:

If Andy Burnham wins the Makerfield byelection he is required to quit the Manchester Metro Mayor and it will hold an election.

Government has passed legislation to change the mayoral voting system away from FPTP to a proportional system

BUT

The government haven’t passed the necessary secondary legislation to enact this change. So as it’s stands, a mayoral election would be held under FPTP

[Sky News @SkyNews]

EXCLUSIVE: Whitehall insiders say a visit from President Zelenskyy to the UK was expected on Friday but is now much less likely following the UK's decision to delay sanctions on Russian oil products.

@SamCoatesSky and @annemcelvoy discuss

🎧 Listen to PASAA here: https://t.co/6Kov2ioVvK

[The Mill @ManchesterMill]

BREAKING: Five arrested following Mill investigation into Tameside Labour

[Sky News @SkyNews]

From golf to travel to the United States, the Andrew Papers released by government reveal the behind the scenes communications when Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was a trade envoy in the 2000s.

Deputy Political Editor @SamCoatesSky takes us through the highlights

[Kate Ferguson @kateferguson4]

Labour MP and former MHCLG minister actively campaigning against new homes.

And you wonder why people think politicians are all the same.

We are set to miss the 1.5m new homes target by a mile by the way.

[Alex Wickham @alexwickham]

The govt’s mistake is that it announced these sanctions in October, didn’t actually implement them until today, and then did the phasing in a very vague way with no end-date. Because otherwise it would mean buying more expensive jet fuel. That’s why Ukrainians are upset.