Gordon Riby

[Harry Cole @MrHarryCole]

“Adam’s views do not reflect this channel” says Sky News presenter after his old maid comments were raised live on air by Kent Council leader.

[Ross Kempsell @RossKempsell]

Donors to Labour were awarded around £138 million in govt contracts during Starmer’s first year in office

25 Labour donors have won a staggering £796.43m in govt contracts since 2001

Labour’s donations scandals is vast

The difference is the media is broadly less interested

[Alastair Hilton @London_W4]

This is the City Barge pub in Chiswick right now. What do you notice? It’s 3pm and they’re open. It’s a sunny day. Yes, that’s right; they have had to remove all of the tables and chairs outside. They have had to destroy their own business. Why? Because Rick Rowe, a Green Party councillor on Hounslow council, who lives very, very, very close to this pub and complains about it almost daily, has banned all three pubs here on strand on the Green Chiswick, from having outside tables. I can only assume he hates pubs, hates business and hates the British way of life. This would usually be buzzing with people enjoying their afternoon. However, they’re the wrong sort of people for Rick.

[David Frost @DavidGHFrost]

An extra £15bn in tax *is* a tax rise from the economic point of view, whether it comes from higher rates or more assiduous collection.

It's money that would have been in private hands and is now in the government's coffers.

[David Frost @DavidGHFrost]

How many of these companies would simply stop trading if HMRC suddenly came for them?

The truth is, the country is taxed out, and this is part of the evidence.

[John Redwood @johnredwood]

Last night on GB News Jacob Rees Mogg set out the case against City region devolution, breaking up England. I explained why extra government in City regions would be more cost and regulation, a brake on growth. Tourist taxes all round to put off visitors?

[Andrew Neil @afneil]

So defending the nation is not a public service? This is the sort of Marxist drivel we’d hear from commie fellow-travellers/Kremlin apologists throughout the Cold War. It was designed to undermine us.

[John Redwood @johnredwood]

The Haigh agenda of taxing more and borrowing more will lose us more jobs, keep interest rates higher for longer, harm the economy and lead to early disappointment with the new PM.

[John Redwood @johnredwood]

Net zero zealotry wants to be rid of many of our grazing animals. See my comments on @facts4eu and @GBNews on this attack on our farms and wild ponies.

[Andrew Neil @afneil]

Wow. A billion of taxpayers money. Most of which will be frittered away and never seen again. Meanwhile, across the Atlantic, US AI companies plan to invest £750 billion this year.

[Dominic Cummings @Dominic2306]

All systems working as intended.
Tories and Labour built this system to prioritise criminals.
Sometimes they bleat but watch, it will continue because it reflects MP and Whitehall priorities.
If you want change, ~99% MPs must be retired

[Jeremy Brett Sherlock Holmes Podcast @sherlockpod]

David Burke - Our Dr Watson (1934-2026)

All of us here are devastated to hear the news that David Burke passed away a few days ago. The man who we first saw as Watson and the man we still think of as "our" Watson.

Dear David, thank you. Thank you for all you gave us.

[Geri Scott @Geri_E_L_Scott]

Lots of discussion about which seat Andy Burnham has apparently secured for his route back to Westminster but I'm told it *is* Manchester Rusholme, currently held by Afzal Khan.

As I understand it Khan is prepared to step down but will not make a final decision until after Wes Streeting launches his expected leadership bid.

Khan backed Burnham for Labour leader in 2015 when he was North West MEP. He has publicly campaigned for Burnham’s reelection as mayor of Greater Manchester and they have worked together on constituency issues. He had previously denied he was going to stand aside.

Winning a by-election in the constituency would not be straightforward for Burnham, though. The Greens came in second place in Khan’s seat at the general election and have since surged in the polls,and at last week’s local election comfortably won every ward in the seat – picking up 11,800 votes in the area to Labour’s 6,900 votes.

Khan's position as of tonight is: "At the last General Election, the people of Manchester Rusholme put their trust in me to represent them in Parliament, and that is the job I am focused on doing."

We'll see if that changes tomorrow.

Meanwhile Angela Rayner’s allies said on Wednesday evening she was “watching and waiting” to see what happened.

[Steven Swinford @Steven_Swinford]

Two weeks before the May 7 elections Ed Miliband held a one-to-one meeting with Keir Starmer at which he said he should consider setting out a timeline for his departure

His reasoning? He said he was concerned that Labour would descend into a bitter and damaging leadership contest in the wake of the elections

Starmer rebuffed him

Here's our splash on his intervention from the eve of the elections

https://t.co/WFhgQY6EWf

[Andrew Neil @afneil]

But this is what Starmer wants us to get closer to.

[Net Zero Watch @NetZeroWatch]

The drive to hit green targets was prioritised over patient safety when the beleaguered Queen Elizabeth University Hospital was built in Glasgow. Experts have warned the air cooling system installed in most patient rooms was good at reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but did not meet healthcare standards for circulating air.

Net Zero is being put above people’s health.

[Net Zero Watch @NetZeroWatch]

Read more 👇
https://t.co/wbD4LIJb2A

[Steven Swinford @Steven_Swinford]

EXCLUSIVE from @breeallegretti @patrickkmaguire @Geri_E_L_Scott

Wes Streeting has told allies that he is preparing to resign and trigger a leadership contest as soon as tomorrow

The health secretary confronted Starmer this morning during a meeting ahead of the King’s Speech that lasted just 16 minutes over the turmoil engulfing the Labour Party

Allies of Streeting who have spoken to him directly said that he has made clear that he is “going to go for it”. One said that he is likely to resign on Thursday and mount a formal challenge for the leadership

One Streeting ally who has spoken to him said: “He is going to go for it. He’s going tomorrow.”

Discussions have also been held to prepare for MPs to sign Streeting’s nomination papers, according to one of those with knowledge of the plans.

Another who has spoken to him said that claims by Starmer’s allies that he has “bottled it” are wide of the mark and that he made clear in private that he will make a bid for the leadership

A spokesman for Streeting said: “Wes is the Health Secretary, he is proud of his record of falling waiting lists and a recovering NHS. He is not planning to say anything following his meeting with the Prime Minister that might distract from the King’s Speech.”

https://t.co/tdOdgY1lEt

[Allison Pearson @AllisonPearson]

If our national debt interest repayment were a department it would be the fifth largest in Whitehall. Bigger than all the billions we spend on education!

Mad anti-growth policies by Rachel Reeves and Labour economic cluelessness have caused this ongoing national tragedy.

[Julian Jessop @julianHjessop]

FYI, here is the OBR's debt interest ready reckoner, and an explainer 👇

1⃣ The annual cost of a 1%-point (100bp) increase in gilt yields will rise over time as new borrowing is financed at the higher rate. In year one it is just over £1bn, rising to more than £10bn in year five.

2⃣ The impact of an increase in short rates (the official interest rate set by the Bank of England) comes through more quickly (the Bank financed its purchases of gilts under "QE" by creating deposits on which it pays interest at the Bank rate).

3⃣ An increase in inflation also has a direct impact on debt interest payable, because of the UK's relatively large stock of inflation index-linked debt.

4⃣ Altogether, a sustained 1%-point (100bp) increase in gilt yields, short rates and inflation would add around £15bn to the annual debt interest payable in year one and around £26bn in year five.

(cc @IanMurrayMP 😉)

https://t.co/8bG3fdk892