Ben Lamb

Actor @unitedagents 🇬🇧 Industry Entertainment 🇺🇸; White Queen, Gilded Age, Christmas Prince etc. 🎬 ; IG: @instalambgram; Norwegian student 🇳🇴 ;

[Ben Lamb @therestis_]

Excited for 2022…

[Ben Lamb @therestis_]

2021 sooooo chill vs 2020

[Beth Rigby @BethRigby]

The Wargame, masterminded by the brilliant @haynesdeborah, is coming to your TVs. I’m very excited about this!

[Robert Peston @Peston]

I know we’re mostly inured to Donald Trump’s disregard for institutional norms and proprieties, but pre-announcing the resignation of the prime minister of America’s supposedly most important ally is pretty extreme, even by his standards. UK ministers are genuinely and understandably shocked

[Deborah Haynes @haynesdeborah]

Extraordinarily - and this seems to demonstrate a complete disregard of the seriousness of defence at the heart of government - John Healey was only told what the offer was for additional defence funding on Monday afternoon.

I am told Number 10 then tried to rush and publish the Defence Investment Plan on Thursday.

Then a handbrake was applied by Mr Healey and his military chiefs. The (now ex) defence secretary made clear that racing to release the blueprint without a settlement that had been accepted by him and his team would be a risk for defence and for its soldiers, sailors and aviators.

You can only imagine the tone of the exchange that must have taken place - and I know that people were in the MOD until very late last night.

But John Healey firmly believes the settlement was inadequate and, if left unchallenged, would not enable the UK to keep the country safe or meet its international commitments - such as help defend Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire with Russia.

A key detail is that Mr Healey believes defence spending must be increased to 3% of GDP by 2030, up from 2.3% now. This would guarantee tens of billions of additional pounds for defence.

But - despite the stakes and the position of the defence secretary - the Prime Minister and Chancellor agreed just to inch it up to 2.68% of GDP within that time frame, after hitting a new target of 2.6% next year (which is already being inflated by lumping in the 0.1% that is spent on the intelligence agencies).

Utterly incredible.

What must our allies and our adversaries be thinking, let alone everyone in the UK armed forces and, frankly, everyone in our country?

We all rely on a secure UK to live, work, go to school, enjoy holidays, access healthcare, spend time with friends and families.

This is not a divine right. It happens because we have security - something that might not be apparent until or unless it is compromised...

[Mike Pompeo @mikepompeo]

Within hours of being announced as the nominee to be the U.S. Director of the CIA, I received a hand-delivered message on MI6 stationery congratulating me on my nomination. It was signed simply "C" in green ink. Legendary. I shared it with my son and even he thought I was now cool!

More than that, this note, from Sir Alex Younger, Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service of the United Kingdom, confirmed what I already believed: the work that the CIA and MI6 did together mattered, that the partnership was critical, and that two leaders focused on the mission could save lives and provide tools for our nations to deter our adversaries.

Alex's passing this week brought back so many memories of our time in service together. He flew to Langley to see me the day I was confirmed. We brought our two senior teams together in the UK to plan and coordinate and build in the first several weeks of my time on duty: making clear to them all that this relationship was more than special - it was critical for the security of our two countries.

Alex was a remarkable intelligence partner. When we needed help, it wasn't "let me see;" it was "this matters to you and America we'll get it done." And he and his team always did. I think he knew we would do the same for him and his team and his nation. Many Americans are alive today because of his leadership of MI6, I never knew how to thank him enough.

Alex became a friend as well. In the years since we both left office we would see each other from time to time. He was always so kind, so thoughtful, so smart. His deep love of his country was surpassed only by his deep commitment and love of his family. Decent and proper - and funny as hell - Alex was "C." As espionage requires, he was quiet, not attention seeking. He knew what evil was and he was ruthless in his efforts to crush it with every legal tool at his command. And he knew who his friends were and committed himself to supporting them.

I miss Sir Alex Younger. He was a role model for me and a man with whom every minute I spent was valued and savored. Blessings to you Alex. Praying for you and for your family. Well done and may you rest in peace in His hands.

[Julia Macfarlane @juliamacfarlane]

When you’re doing a political interview, it’s not about you. And in fact, as I found out with Boris Johnson, the moments when they sneer, when they mock, when they start rolling their eyes making condescending noises at you - they reveal themselves, for benefit of your audience.

[Julia Macfarlane @juliamacfarlane]

The UK state pension including the triple lock costs around £140 billion annually, to put that into context

[Julia Macfarlane @juliamacfarlane]

Attn: “lower value human capital” https://t.co/RLyj3fv2qH

[Katie Prejean McGrady @KatiePMcGrady]

“Didn’t I just write an entire encyclical about this tech stuff?”

[Samantha Rose Hill @Samantharhill]

Pope Leo XIV in his first encyclical citing Hannah Arendt's Origins of Totalitarianism to warn AI risks producing the exact condition Arendt identified as the prerequisite for totalitarian domination by destroying people's ability to discern between fact and fiction.

[Julia Macfarlane @juliamacfarlane]

"The machinery that makes this possible is the work of math and science. But how it interacts with the world, how it ought to interact with the world—these are more clearly questions for the humanities, for religion, for philosophy, for society at large." https://t.co/GwzIz1iBsh

[HBO Max @hbomax]

Nothing hits like this.

Check out what's coming this year to HBO Max.

[Pope Leo XIV @Pontifex]

We must, then, avoid the “Babel syndrome,” namely the idolatry of profit that sacrifices the weak, a uniformity that neutralizes differences, and the pretense that a single language — even a digital one — can translate everything, including the mystery of the person, into data and performance. This is the risk of dehumanization: building a future that excludes God and reduces the other to a means.

[Julia Macfarlane @juliamacfarlane]

Baller move of the Pope to quote JRR Tolkien who warned of the corrupting influence of power in the context of AI. Peter Thiel appropriated Tolkien’s name of the telepathic, all-seeing eye “Palantir” for the name of his AI company

[Narinder Kaur @narindertweets]

Jenrick "where are we?"

"You're in a different party"

This is hilarious. What a put down.

[Ben Lamb @therestis_]

Exactly what I’ve always said

[Kekius Maximus @Kekius_Sage]

Physicist Michio Kaku suggests dark matter isn’t matter at all. It is gravity leaking from a parallel dimension.

[Luke Robert Black 🌳 @lukerobertblack]

Reform accounts posting “Uniparty” are actually missing the point here entirely.

Being polite to people is an inherently British trait. It’s a good thing.

I don’t want our politicians unable to have a conversation without screaming at each other or being verbally abusive.

[Karl Turner MP @KarlTurnerMP]

Got to fess, this one is mine. 🤷🏼‍♂️

[Alexandra Rogers @alexrogerssky]

Labour insider: ‘I think the PM stays - Wes has bottled it. Angela not challenging. Burnham going round London meeting people on vibes. It all feels very David Miliband 2009.’

[Dan Bloom @danbloom1]

SCOOP by @TimRoss_1

Buckingham Palace privately asked whether Charles should proceed as planned with the king's speech

People familiar say the king’s team made clear the importance of protecting the monarch from any impression that he is being used for political ends

[Charlie @barbourtwat]

Classic case of “You’ll never be friends with the people you hang out with at the first week of uni”