Polly Toynbee

Polly Toynbee is a Guardian columnist, formerly BBC social affairs editor. Her latest book An Uneasy inheritance, my family and other radicals is out in June

[Polly Toynbee @pollytoynbee]

Political change is coming. But what will the new government inherit?
Our new book explores what went wrong during the 14 years of Tory leadership, and what now must be remedied to take Britain from austerity to prosperity. Pre-order #TheOnlyWayIsUp today: https://t.co/1w3Yv47tjZ

[Geoffrey Lean @GeoffreyLean]

Madness. Putting solar panels over car parks, as is required in France, makes every kind of sense. It generates clean power, provides shade to the cars, and protects countryside from solar farms. But the Government has inexplicably rejected it.

https://t.co/TbfDeoV1UF

[Paul Johnson @PJTheEconomist]

Superb from @ChrisGiles_
So-called "economists for Brexit" said we'd grow at 3%pa post Brexit.
Sadly, "mainstream" economics was dead right on long term effects of making trade with our biggest, richest and nearest trading partner more expensive. We are much poorer as a result

[Ben Judah @b_judah]

Excellent graphic on economic loss or gain by relationship with the EU:

[Gwynoro Jones @Gwynoro]

Not a Labour Party member, but this is not bad in less than 2 years. Suggest Labour MPs, party members and wannabe leaders get a grip and do their stuff.

[YouGov @YouGov]

With increasing speculation that the government will implement a ban on social media for under-16s, our recent poll found that 76% would of Britons would support such a ban

Link in replies

[Ben Judah @b_judah]

Since the debate on Britain rejoining the EU has opened up two questions have emerged as central. Would the UK be forced to join the Euro or the passport-free Schengen Area?

The truth I explain for @arguablymag, is that if you look closely at the treaties, the UK would have a veto of any implementation of its Schengen membership, as would Ireland who is not in Schengen — which is of course like us committed to an open border on the island of Ireland as per the Good Friday Agreement. The UK also would join the Union with an automatic derogation on Euro membership until it had fulfilled the Maastricht criteria, key bits of which are at their own discretion.

If the EU wanted a Rejoin government to win the referendum, it could simply clarify these points before any campaign. Neither of which is a concession but a statement of legal fact. This means a referendum, per polling, is eminently winnable.

https://t.co/sPYUQjG1Sk

[Tim Farron @timfarron]

It is insulting to every working class family to suggest that it’s somehow part of our culture to be vile, nasty and sexist and that anyone appalled at the Reform candidate in Makerfield’s comments is somekind of middle class pearl clutcher.

[Will Hutton @williamnhutton]

After a day like this, only fools think burning fossil fuels for any longer than is necessary makes sense. The much derided Ed Miliband is right: his critics ultimately enemies of life on earth. https://t.co/QCnHuTOqm4

[Polly Toynbee @pollytoynbee]

https://t.co/AqzeOwm7kR

[Head of Zeus @HoZ_Books]

'Astounding and terrifying story' @pollytoynbee

It's publication day for #GhostsOfIronMountain by @phil_tinline, on how America ended up trapped in a nightmare of conspiracy theories.

Out now: https://t.co/seqoCr3rUG

[Sebastian Kraemer @sebkraemer]

'Labour has to confront what voters said deafeningly in the local elections: not Labour and, crushingly, not Keir Starmer'

@pollytoynbee

https://t.co/5caT2qO7V4

[alan rusbridger @arusbridger]

These are explosive allegations from Ben Habib. He says Farage and Christopher Harbourne should sue him if they are untrue. Will they ?

[alan rusbridger @arusbridger]

Eventually….

[David Aaronovitch @DAaronovitch]

And it turns out that no one cares

[Mark Vipond @MarkVipond]

@FraserNelson We all - quite rightly - took the piss out of Starmer when Lord Ali bought his glasses for him.

But here's Farage ridiculing him mere weeks after he himself was "gifted" £5 million by a shady crypto-billionaire.

Off the scale dishonesty and hypocrisy.

[Gavin Barwell @GavinBarwell]

You're going to hear a lot about how Reform is now a national party.

It's not true, as John Curtice sets out here. They're doing very well in areas that voted strongly for Brexit and not very well at all in areas that voted strongly Remain @Prosper_UK_

https://t.co/CgwDD8Agr1

[Fraser Nelson @FraserNelson]

How did Farage - who used to complain about being "skint" - find £225k to "invest" in a Bitcoin company?

We now know: a £5m tax-free "gift" from a Thailand crypto king. Which raises huge questions about the methods Big Crypto is using to buy influence...

https://t.co/MKPSwt4VDu

[Paul Johnson @PJTheEconomist]

Great as ever from @BenZaranko drawing on the @TheIFS Deaton Review.

Do buy “Challenging Inequalities”, the final output of that review by me and co-authors, published last week by Princeton University Press.

[Torsten Bell @TorstenBell]

There’s no “accused” about it - a politician being handed £5m IS a conflict of interest. Accepting such a gift is an open and shut case of not being interested in, let alone fit for, public service https://t.co/yVmoUkwpSE

[Fraser Nelson @FraserNelson]

What's to celebrate? Harborne lives and pays his taxes in Thailand - his 'charity' involves a secret £5m (!) to Nigel Farage personally.

This degree of personal bankrolling and enrichment is unprecedented in our democracy. A scandal hiding in plain sight https://t.co/maRks88jMO