PharmAndy #FBPE 🇪🇺🇬🇧 💙

Father to 2 girls, Labour 🌹, Pharmacist, European. waspsrugby, BillsMafia

[UKR Embassy to Ireland @UKRinIRL]

The Embassy of Ukraine to Ireland expresses its serious concern regarding the continued export of alumina from Ireland to the Russian Federation.

According to a trade data, this troubling trade flow has increased significantly, with exports rising from €196 million in 2021 to €318 million in 2025, positioning the Russian Federation as the largest destination for Irish alumina exports and surpassing traditional European partners. This represents the highest level of exports to Russia since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

These figures raise serious concerns, as alumina remains a critical raw material for the production of aluminium, which is extensively used by Russia’s military-industrial complex. Aluminium is used in the manufacture of a wide range of Russian military systems, including Iskander-M ballistic missiles, Tsirkon hypersonic missiles, Kh-101 and Kalibr cruise missiles, as well as Shahed-136/Geran-2 attacks unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

The devastating consequences of Russia’s military production continue to be felt daily by the people of Ukraine. Over the past week alone, the Russian Federation has launched more than 2,900 attack drones, nearly 1,560 guided aerial bombs, and more than 150 missiles of various types against Ukrainian cities and communities. Every activity may contribute to sustaining Russia’s industrial and military capacity warrants careful examination.

The Embassy takes note of the ongoing investigation being conducted by the relevant Irish authorities and welcomes the Irish Government’s commitment to establishing all relevant facts. We look forward to the timely conclusion of this process and to any measures deemed necessary on the basis of its findings.

Ukraine fully recognises the importance of protecting jobs, communities, and industrial competitiveness in Ireland and across the European Union. At the same time, Russia’s continued war of aggression requires constant vigilance to ensure that commercial activities do not directly or indirectly contribute to sustaining the military capabilities of a state engaged in a brutal and unprovoked war against a sovereign European nation.

Ukraine highly values its strong partnership with Ireland and deeply appreciates the steadfast support and solidarity demonstrated by the Irish Government and the Irish people since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion. We count on Ireland’s continued leadership in supporting Ukraine, strengthening the effectiveness of international sanctions, and ensuring that European resources, technologies, and supply chains cannot be exploited to sustain Russia’s war machine.

The Embassy of Ukraine remains committed to constructive engagement with Irish partners on this important issue in the shared interests of European security, international law, and accountability.

[Jennifer Stewart @JenniferJS_]

The iconic @Keir_Starmer bringing down the house again.😂My admiration and respect for him has always been high, but it's skyrocketed over the past month and especially this last week. He. Is. Made. Of. Steel. #TenYearKeir #IStandWithStarmer

[Ben Zaranko @BenZaranko]

Lots of good news stories like this at present!

The UK's relative strength in terms of venture capital investment, and how to build on it, probably ought to feature more heavily in the economic debate (might be easier when the politics calms down)

[Faisal Islam @faisalislam]

Q1 2026 G7:

🇬🇧 0.6%
🇺🇸 0.5%
🇨🇦 0.4%
🇩🇪 0.3%
🇮🇹 0.2%
🇫🇷 0%

🇯🇵 (not yet reported but estimates are 0.4%)

[PharmAndy #FBPE 🇪🇺🇬🇧 💙 @waspsandy]

@BethRigby Very misleading. The only relevant number is how many support a single candidate. So it symbolises nothing

[The Labour Party @UKLabour]

Promise made. Promise kept.

A change that will impact so many lives for the better, thanks to this Labour Government.

[Darren Jones MP @darrenpjones]

On @bbcquestiontime tonight @rachelmillward called for more council housing.

But in Green Party led Bristol, they dropped affordable housing targets and supported developers over tenants.

https://t.co/gvam30wXPi

[Metropolitan Police @metpoliceuk]

“Apprehending violent and dangerous criminals is a full contact and messy task which may appear shocking to observers with little experience of policing in the real world.”

Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley writes to Zack Polanski.

[PharmAndy #FBPE 🇪🇺🇬🇧 💙 @waspsandy]

@SamCoatesSky You make this stuff up don’t you? We see you

[Lou D🌹 🇬🇧 🇺🇦 @louderry]

If you want to know why it takes fecking years to get anything done in this country, watch the media fall over themselves defending a civil servant who didn't do his Job vetting candidates for jobs.

[PharmAndy #FBPE 🇪🇺🇬🇧 💙 @waspsandy]

@adamboultonTABB Or maybe she’s just being objective and you’re really biased?

[PharmAndy #FBPE 🇪🇺🇬🇧 💙 @waspsandy]

@adamboultonTABB @SamCoatesSky She has an audit trail and he “forgot” to make any notes. So we will see. Amazing how gullible journalists can choose to be listening to Robbins opinions

[PharmAndy #FBPE 🇪🇺🇬🇧 💙 @waspsandy]

@adamboultonTABB @keirstarmer The point is he wasn’t aware of the vetting red flags and he wouldn’t have appointed him if he had. And certain civil servants deliberately blocked his team from finding out. They 100% are to blame

[Jennifer Stewart @JenniferJS_]

I just listened to a summing up of Olly Robbins' testimony today by @patrickxrbaker who said: "We saw a former civil servant who was master of his brief - "

Hang on a minute. I saw a former civil servant who disregarded the code re recording telephone conversations with No.10 and admitted that there were calls with his office but didn't know who took them or who they were from. How is that being master of your brief?

"- who was able to very calmly and eloquently paint quite a damning picture of a Downing Street that was essentially trying to get this through whatever - "

I saw a charming fellow who used smiles and dimples to mask his anger at Keir Starmer and who painted a clear picture of disregarding the rules and "feeling" under pressure. That's different to pressure coming directly from Keir Starmer and being deliberately applied. It was Robbins' job to discern pressure and ignore it.

And something Baker seems to have missed is that Robbins actually said he did not cave to the pressure. The important question is: did he know about the vetting, and did he tell Keir Starmer? The answers are no and no. Why didn't he know? Again, it was his job. Looked to me like he was protecting someone. Because somebody knew and withheld that information. Whether it was in No. 10 or Robbins' office wasn't clear from Robbins' testimony.

In fact he said he wasn't one to throw colleagues under the bus. Ouch. He's possibly protecting a colleague but also refusing to take responsibility himself, since he was the chief. Pointing fingers at the PM but withholding info that could clear him. Charming. Like I said, he's angry at Stamer. Mad as a snake.

[𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓻𝓵𝓸𝓽𝓽𝓮 @charlotteukcity]

@beneathbluster @Keir_Starmer I think for this week there will be a lot of hate posted about him, so we should flood X with supporting posts. One of the things that hurts me the most in life is seeing someone good being ganged up on. As humans we should be better than that xx

[Dan Neidle @DanNeidle]

@CamillaTominey They are not the subject of legal action. Tice hadn’t identified a single error. Please correct that.

[Ben Judah @b_judah]

This is a really interesting idea: moving bits of NHS screening and testing out of hospitals onto the High Street to increase footfall, occupancy and support local businesses. These are the kind of fresh thinking measures you need to tackle the terrible blight of dead High Streets.

[PharmAndy #FBPE 🇪🇺🇬🇧 💙 @waspsandy]

@ZackPolanski Seriously? You’re suggested we can’t help people defend themselves from attack? You’re even more of a fool than I thought

[PharmAndy #FBPE 🇪🇺🇬🇧 💙 @waspsandy]

@DAaronovitch Fatuous comment. I like him and a lot of other people do as well.

[PharmAndy #FBPE 🇪🇺🇬🇧 💙 @waspsandy]

@JackWDart @NickDelaney9 As