Hugo Bebbington

comms for @POLITICO + @POLITICOEurope, formerly @Twitter + @CNN but still a beleaguered Bristol City fan.

[Sophia Cai @SophiaCai99]

I spent months reporting how the World Cup came to North America.

It’s a 16-year saga that ran through boozy hotel bars in Zurich, Hawaii and Aruba; four U.S. presidents; DOJ raids; and a global lobbying campaign.

Read it here in @POLITICOMag:

https://t.co/yOTTeBx1jD

[Emilio Casalicchio @e_casalicchio]

🚨 SCOOP from our great tech reporter @mizy_judah: Social media curfews for kids are on the table ... and bans are coming on disappearing messages and livestreaming

[POLITICOEurope @POLITICOEurope]

British politics is in crisis. Again.

As PM Keir Starmer tries to hold onto his job, a small district in northwest England is set to decide the future direction of the U.K.

@Jack_Blanchard_ explains how we got here.

Our guide to the seismic vote: https://t.co/hrlGFh0ed7

[POLITICOEurope @POLITICOEurope]

🎥 What is actually going on in Britain?

An “extraordinary week of bitching and backbiting,” that’s what.

POLITICO'S @danbloom1 unpacks the latest twists and turns in the U.K.'s rolling leadership crisis 👇

Follow our live blog for the latest updates: https://t.co/8DQHEbD7lY

[Jonathan Martin @jmart]

This was great fun

Thanks. @TheNewsAgents

https://t.co/QadKxBk1FY

[Dan Bloom @danbloom1]

WE’RE HIRING!

Playbook is looking for a hard-working reporter to join the morning newsletter. Must love politics, policy, gossip and reading the news. If you looked at the last 48 hours and thought “yes please!” then we have questions … but you may be the perfect candidate

[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

[John Johnston @johnjohnstonmi]

SCOOP: One of the major hurdles to Andy Burnham's return appears to be falling away as members of Labour's ruling NEC appear less likely to block him again.

"I think old loyalties that existed before May 7 are all being reassessed," one said earlier.

https://t.co/oc54EIMj0O

[Andrew McDonald @9andrewmcdonald]

NEW: Catherine West has just told me she didn't mean to write "in September" in her letter to MPs calling for a leadership elex.

"I shouldn't have written 'in' [September], I should have written 'by'," she said. She wants a contest to begin "soon" and leader in place by Sept 1.

[The Media Club @themediaclubpod]

Executive Editor for POLITICO, Allison Hoffman, reveals the 3am texts and strange friendships required to run the hugely popular Playbook political newsletter on the Media Club with @matt.

Listen & Watch now:
📺 https://t.co/QoQ08udrjX
🔈 https://t.co/bjPe5QW7cz

#Podcast

[Dan Bloom @danbloom1]

EXCL from @felschwartz and me — King Charles to meet New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani during his trip to the U.S. next week

The unlikely duo will both attend a wreath-laying at the 9/11 memorial in downtown Manhattan on Wednesday

[Corbin Bolies @CorbinBolies]

NEW: I spoke to Politico's @DashaBurns ahead of her new role as its first Global Anchor — the latest example of DC outlets trying to turn their scoop-driven reporters into multiplatform stars.

“It’s the ability to be on your TV, in your ear, in your inbox,” she told me.
https://t.co/VENHlMDXVF

[Sam Coates Sky @SamCoatesSky]

EXC: YouGov / Sky / Politico London elections MRP projection

* Labour look set for big losses across the capital, though not wipe out, as the Greens in particular eat into their once solid London vote
* Reform UK are also expected to perform well, picking up significant levels of previous Conservative support in the outer boroughs, and driving into Labour heartlands in Barking and Dagenham
* The Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats are expected to hold most of what they have, while Independents and other parties look set to make gains particularly in London’s East

According to YouGov's median projection, the following is the number of councils each party is projected to have the highest share of support (compared to 2022)

Labour 15 (down 6)
Tories 5 (down 1)
Lib Dems 4 (up 1)
Greens 4 (up 4)
Reform 3 (up 3)
Too close to call 1

/32 councils:

[Dan Bloom @danbloom1]

NEW: YouGov MRP poll for London projects Greens are set to *very narrowly* become the largest party on 4 councils — Hackney, Lambeth, Lewisham, Waltham Forest

Greens in second place on 12 more councils

Reform largest party on 3 councils — Bromley, Havering, Barking and Dagenham

[Esther Webber @estwebber]

On Keir Starmer's working style:

“He delegates so much responsibility.”

“He is fundamentally pretty uninterested in people.”

“His team don’t trust him because he throws other people under the bus.”

by @TimRoss_1 @danbloom1 and me https://t.co/18bQIrQeE1

[Press Gazette @pressgazette]

In February Politico merged its energy and environment teams from across Politico Pro Energy and E&E News. Then the US strikes in Iran began.

Page views to Politico's energy section were up 142% in Q1 compared to the same period last year.

[Sophia Cai @SophiaCai99]

NEW: Inside FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s desperate attempt to keep Iran in the World Cup
- Infantino bent over backwards wooing Trump, so much that FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafström thinks it’s too much
- And yet Trump has not made Infantino’s life easier during the war, telling me “I ready don’t care” if Iran plays
- Infantino rushed over to the WH to meet Trump but Trump woke up the next morning and posted he doesn’t think Iran should once “for their own life and safety.”
- Infantino then flew to Turkey to work the Iranians at their friendly against Costa Rica, missing the European playoffs. He met head coach and Iranian federation over fruit and cookies, and claimed at halftime “Iran will be at the World Cup”
- FIFA then denied Iran’s request to move the games to Mexico
- Islamabad peace talks failed last night, and Iran is scheduled to arrive in Arizona for training camp by June 10
https://t.co/A3GUWH5PCr

[Joe Bambridge @JoeBambridge1]

SCOOP: OpenAI has exclusively told POLITICO that Stargate UK is on hold, saying it does not think the U.K. currently has the "right conditions" in place to enable long-term infrastructure investment.

https://t.co/Vn18PLABvv

[Dasha Burns @DashaBurns]

I owe much of my professional milestones from this last year to Jonathan Greenberger. His vision brought me to @politico, and his ambition has fueled mine.

I am so excited to work with him in his new role as Editor in Chief, and in my new (additional) role as Global Anchor.

[Jonathan Greenberger @greenbergerj]

As the world gets more complex and more volatile, @POLITICO's trusted journalism is essential.

I'm honored to lead our global newsroom as we work together to accelerate and expand the agenda-setting and market-moving coverage our audience expects.