John McCauley

Northern born. London based.

[CrémantCommunarde #NION💙🤍🩷 @0Calamity]

Farage wound you all up, lads. Then off he popped to his private club for a spot of lunch and a few glasses of the finest wine.
Then Tommeh set you off, spoke for 15 minutes to make sure you were really, really angry. Then he buggered off as well.
And now there you all are, waiting for the knock on the door as the cops go through all the footage your pals the "auditors" took.
You will do the time.
They riled you to do the time, and will walk away scot free.
They're laughing at you. All of you. Without you, their money-making scams would never work, and they would have to get a proper job instead.
Don't forget to send your money to Tommeh next time he has a little drama, though, will you?

[John McCauley @JMaca]

@Knox_Harrington Brilliant production. Even better player. Always club > self.

[lan Byrne MP @IanByrneMP]

You’ll Never Walk Alone has been sung at funerals, memorials, moments of tragedy and moments of unity across the world.

It’s a song about collective solidarity.

So it’s karma that the worst ever version of YNWA took place at the worst ever place it has ever been sung.

The whole premise of Yaxley Lennon’s march is opposed to the very meaning of YNWA.

Let’s never have a repeat, my soul cannot take it and nor can my ears.

#YNWA

[John McCauley @JMaca]

@GordonFielden @Peston I’d take a balanced and neutral UK press over a change at No.10.

[Gordon Fielden @GordonFielden]

Robert, what you are presenting is not fact, it is a narrative constructed from selective briefings and your own interpretation, and it risks misleading people about where the real balance of opinion lies.

You omit a crucial point from the outset. Andy Burnham is not assured of winning that seat. In fact, it is far more fragile than is being suggested. This is not a safe Labour constituency by any stretch. It sits in an area that delivered some of the strongest support for Brexit in the country, and where recent local elections showed significant momentum for Reform. Opening that seat for a by election is not a routine decision, it is a high risk political gamble.

Reform will target it aggressively, and the Greens will also see an opportunity. This would not be a contained Labour exercise, it would become a multi front contest in a constituency already shifting away from the party. Nigel Farage and his organisation will not miss the opportunity to frame it as a defining moment, and if that seat is lost, they will present it as proof that they, not Labour, understand those voters.

There is also the question of the sitting MP. There is no compelling reason for that seat to be vacated beyond facilitating a leadership manoeuvre. Voters will see that for what it is, and many will resent being treated as a staging ground for internal ambition. They will not take kindly to being used as guinea pigs in a Westminster exercise designed to promote an individual.

At the same time, you fail to address the most important factor of all. If any leadership contest were to take place, it is decided by the members of the Labour Party. Not by commentators, not by briefings, and not by the Westminster echo chamber. And those members are not passive observers. Across the country, they are deeply frustrated, in many cases livid, at the conduct of parliamentarians in this episode. The constant positioning, the public undermining, and the sense of a party turning in on itself rather than delivering on its mandate has not gone unnoticed.

Nor is this confined to members. The wider electorate who voted Labour are watching this closely, and many are saying quite openly that if Starmer is forced out, they will not vote Labour again. That is not an isolated murmur, it is becoming a visible and growing warning. If the party ignores it, the consequences could be severe. No matter who replaces him, Labour risks following the same road as the Conservatives, declining from a party of government into a diminished force in British politics.

There is no groundswell of support among members for Andy Burnham in the way your piece implies. Members know his record. They remember previous leadership contests and the outcomes of those campaigns. There is caution, even scepticism, about presenting him as the inevitable successor, and from what can be seen on the ground, support for him is far from assured. He may well find that the backing being assumed in commentary does not translate into votes when it comes to it.

You also overlook the broader reality. There is no settled consensus around alternative leadership. Different names carry different liabilities, and none are guaranteed to command either party unity or public support. The idea of a smooth transition is far more uncertain than your column suggests.

Under the party’s rules, Keir Starmer remains leader with a clear mandate. The influence of other actors is not what it once was, and to present his departure as inevitable is to move from reporting into assumption.

What is being described as a foregone conclusion is anything but. The reality is more complex, far less certain, and far more dangerous than your analysis suggests. If this course continues, it will not simply damage Starmer. It will damage Labour itself, fracture its support, and open the door to Reform in a way that may prove catastrophic for the country.

[Steve Jones @antoniosteve]

So let me get this right.

- UK economy outperformed expectations, growing in March despite Iran.
- Unemployment down from 5.1 to 4.9%.
- Waiting lists coming down
- Progress finally being made on restoring ties with Europe.

@wesstreeting @Ed_Miliband why derail this now.

[Chris Bryant @RhonddaBryant]

Excellent news. Better than forecast. We have a lot to do to get more cash into families’ pockets but this is superb.

[Angela Eagle DBE @angelaeagle]

Worth investigating surely?

[dave lawrence 🐟🐟🐠 @dave43law]

FARAGE - 'end of days'

At first hearing it seems that all of the 'new' information should be going to both the Standards Commissioner, the Electoral Commission and likely the Police

[John McCauley @JMaca]

I’ll never buy a sticker album again which is a relief as I’m 43

[The Touchline | 𝐓 @TouchlineX]

🚨 𝗕𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚: FIFA breaks their contract with Pannini, the partnership started in 1970.

The 2030 World Cup will be the LAST World Cup album with Panini.

Starting in 2031, Fanatics and Topps acquires the rights.

[John McCauley @JMaca]

@TheFootyFeed Declan Rice doesn’t believe this. Let alone the rest of the adult population with a functioning brain.

[Helena Horton @horton_official]

The CEO of Nigel Farage’s bitcoin company left the board yesterday as it is revealed it is not a new company - it’s a rebranded, failed company which was liquidated last year

https://t.co/gAGgHUOb4a

[jess 💚 @jessasstrophe]

Nigel Farage is a much misunderstood fellow

[Elliot Thompson @Elliothompson02]

This should be played to every single one of them.

[💙 Sophie Socket ♠️ @Socket1Sophie]

Oops! He’s forgotten to swap accounts again 😂

[Jim Keoghan @jim_keoghan]

Probably the best summation of the disparity of treatment between Everton and Chelsea’s (courtesy of @AHunterGuardian)

[John McCauley @JMaca]

Longest VAR decision ever

[Rob Harris @RobHarris]

Confederation of African Football appeal board stripping Senegal of AFCON title relates to them walking off the pitch for more than 10 minutes after a penalty was awarded to Morocco in the final. Was missed & Senegal then won 1-0. Result now overturned in unprecedented ruling

[Scott Van Pelt @notthefakeSVP]

Been at ESPN a long time - this one was an all timer. Before social media, it was as viral as a story can be. I watched it on a tape in the news room. I couldn’t stop watching his teammates.

[slbsn @slbsn]

https://t.co/TUhN0s8RLa

[slbsn @slbsn]

🚨In the Forest PSR case, the Premier League submitted: "that the 50% discount suggested by Forest is too high: it gives too much credit for admission and cooperation and would be both disproportionate to the conduct being rewarded"

Yet in Chelsea agreed co-operation as mitigation for NO sporting sanction.