david whitfield

Ex- Farmer now London townie 🙄Working in technology trying (unsuccessfully) to disrupt agriculture @Farm_digital. Middlesbrough fan

[Andy Burnham @andyburnham]

I can confirm that I will be requesting the permission of the NEC to stand in the Makerfield by-election.

I grew up in this area and have lived here for 25 years. I care deeply about it and its people. I know they have been let down by national politics.

Ten years ago, I decided to leave Westminster. Why? Because, after 16 years, I came to the conclusion that our national political system does not work for areas like ours. I learnt this fighting its failure to invest in the Wigan borough, for justice for the Hillsborough families and against its treatment of Greater Manchester during the pandemic.

Over the last decade, I have been challenging this failure from the outside and building a new and better way of doing politics. We have built Greater Manchester into the fastest-growing city-region in the UK and put buses back under public control, introducing a £2 fare cap to help people with cost-of-living pressures.

However, there is only so much that can be done from Greater Manchester. Much bigger change is needed at a national level if everyday life is to be made more affordable again. This is why I now seek people’s support to return to Parliament: to bring the change we have brought to Greater Manchester to the whole of the UK and make politics work properly for people.

Millions are struggling and they need the Labour Government to succeed. It has already made changes to make life better for them in its first two years. After this week, we owe it to people to come back together as a Labour movement, giving the Prime Minister and the Government the space and stability they need as the by-election takes place.

I want to recognise the difficult decision taken by Josh Simons and the sacrifice he and his family are making. I have worked closely with him as Mayor on issues like flooding and illegal waste dumping and have seen first-hand how effective he has been. He has put the communities of Makerfield first, made a real difference for them and should take great pride in that.

Finally, I truly do not take a single vote for granted and will work hard to regain the trust of people in the Makerfield constituency, many of whom have long supported our party but lost faith in recent times. We will change Labour for the better and make it a party you can believe in again.

ENDS

[Jonathan Brash MP @JonathanBrash]

GMT or Moscow time?

[Carole Cadwalladr @carolecadwalla]

My colleagues & I have taken a huge gamble to set up @thenerve_news. We’re trying to build a new independent publication from the ground up. Social media is our only distribution for now.

Sharing this article in your networks would make a huge difference. Thank you! 🙏🙏🙏

[Reform Party UK Exposed 🇬🇧 @reformexposed]

Anyone else think it’s strange that Nathan Gill has admitted to 8 charges of bribery by Russia, and every person around him at the time @Nigel_Farage, @TiceRichard, @ThatAlexWoman, @drdavidbull, @MartinDaubney are all silent on it?

They must have had suspicions at the time, but none have made a statement condemning his actions since 2018. All they did was keep supporting him and promoting him.

He became Leader of Reform UK in Wales.

And even after the arrest, the charges, none of them have spoken.

Makes you wonder if he’s a fall guy or alternatively has done a deal.

[Michael Crick @MichaelLCrick]

It depresses me how much fellow political journalists are down-playing this - a dranatic story not just about Russia corrupting a British politician - as they've done in Germany & France - but also about the character judgement & relationships of Reform leaders Farage & Tice.

[Feargal Sharkey @Feargal_Sharkey]

I'm going to try a little experiment. It's just gone 9:00am, London and parts of southern England are under an "Amber" weather warning, let's how long it takes for the sewage dumping to start and how it progresses over the next few hours.

Oh look, it's only been raining for a few hours and the dumping's started already. Well done to @SouthernWater, @thameswater, @AnglianWater.

[david whitfield @davidwhitfield3]

@DanNeidle Top work

[david whitfield @davidwhitfield3]

@Joey7Barton https://t.co/O9dz4FxLx9

[david whitfield @davidwhitfield3]

@NJ_Timothy So majority by your Conservative Party then….

[david whitfield @davidwhitfield3]

@trussliz New phone who dis?

[david whitfield @davidwhitfield3]

@TomABacon Are you sure 400,000 hectares is correct? What’s the source? Thanks.

[BladeoftheSun @BladeoftheS]

Ben Houchen blocks anyone who RT's this.

[david whitfield @davidwhitfield3]

@andrealeadsom On woman’s crushing enterprise is another woman’s levelling up / deincentivising a poorly designed system that levels many young people unable to get onto the housing ladder.

[david whitfield @davidwhitfield3]

@JamesCleverly @DavidLammy Boring. Off you pop

[david whitfield @davidwhitfield3]

@RoryStewartUK @RestIsPolitics @campbellclaret @AngelaRayner Watched yesterday. Really impressive, came across as smart and very articulate. What a crazy upbringing. Great interview. Gus OD was equally insightful

[david whitfield @davidwhitfield3]

@RishiSunak Enjoy California

[anthony vickers @untypicalboro]

When we buried my dad there were seven of us. In separate aisles. No friends. None of his siblings. No old comrades. No flowers. My wife & daughter watched on zoom in the car park. We couldn't hug my mam. The Tories partied and laughed at us. The rules didn't apply to them.

[Keir Starmer @Keir_Starmer]

If you vote Labour on Thursday, the work of change begins.

[david whitfield @davidwhitfield3]

@lewis_goodall Terrible question that shouldn’t have gotten a response

[david whitfield @davidwhitfield3]

@BorisJohnson Yes we do. Get in the bin you absolute buffoon