Steve Whitehead

[BBC Newsnight @BBCNewsnight]

"I think a lot of this... is pretty phony."

Speaking about Andy Burnham's first interview since he launched his bid for No 10, Times columnist Matthew Syed says people will only find out whether Mr Burnham is a good leader when he says things that are "unpopular".

#Newsnight

[Ben Graham @BenGrahamUK]

Lisa Nandy had no problem using X when it helped Labour get elected. She's posted on here over 10'000 times in total since 2009.

Now she's in government, facing far greater scrutiny, she's suddenly decided the platform is the problem.

After being Community Noted multiple times and turning off replies to many of her posts in the last 12 months, walking away from X looks less like a principled stand and more like an attempt to avoid criticism.

If you're in public office, scrutiny comes with the job. Running away from it is spineless.

[FourthDrawerDown #MDANT 🏅 @itaintwhywhywhy]

Might be the worse one yet?

[Fraser Nelson @FraserNelson]

The idea that devolution seriously improves public services has been robustly tested in Scotland and Wales.

Perhaps why 9 out of 11 English cities rejected the idea of mayors in the 2012 referendums.

To double down on this model is a risk…

[Saul Staniforth @SaulStaniforth]

Why did Keir go from a "landslide victory" to being so disliked?

Trevor says its because he scrapped the 2 child benefit cap, didnt cut welfare & wasnt tough enough on migrants

No mention of freebies, Mandelson, genocide, being a compulsive liar or the complicity of our msm

[BBC Newsnight @BBCNewsnight]

"You're spending something like £65 billion on defence and £360 billion on welfare. Lucky you, you must not feel any danger..."

Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski on Britain's defence spending.

#Newsnight

[Angela Rayner @AngelaRayner]

Rishi Sunak has been crowned by Tory MPs. It’s a coronation not an election.

All without saying a single word about what he’d do as Prime Minister to address this Tory crisis. He has no mandate and the British people have had no say. #GeneralElectionNow

[Angela Rayner @AngelaRayner]

The Tories have crowned Rishi Sunak without him saying a word about what he would do as PM. He has no mandate, no answers and no ideas. Nobody voted for this.

The public deserve their say on Britain’s future through a General Election. It’s time for a fresh start with Labour.

[Liam Tuffs @liamtuffs1]

Imagine living in a country where you go straight to jail for a tweet, but get bail after being arrested for ‘allegedly’ throwing a 3 year old baby into a crocodile enclosure! The world is watching is disbelief!

[Pulp Librarian @PulpLibrarian]

This is Spielberg level film blocking. 10/10 no notes. The BBC were masters of this.

Pan's People, Top of the Pops June 1975: "Do The Hustle."

[Jeremy Lawrence @topmanjem]

I had a look for tickets for England v NZ. Had I have bought a ticket for yesterday, I would have had to pay £145. There were 59 overs bowled yesterday out of 90. No refunds. Cut off point is 30 overs bowled. £2.45 per over. Is it me or is that just mad? @HomeOfCricket #EngvNZ

[Konstantin Kisin @KonstantinKisin]

"It's very important not to politicise a personal tragedy."

[Cllr Rob Kenyon @RobKenyonReform]

The Green Party don't get that the more people you have in a country the more houses you will need.

[Guido Fawkes @GuidoFawkes]

PAT MCFADDEN: EVERY MEETING I HAVE IS "WHO CAN WE TAX IN ORDER TO PAY BENEFITS TO OTHERS"

[Simon French @Frencheconomics]

Ouch. A very large reduction in payroll employment of 100,000 in April, vs March data. Should be treated with caution as subject to regular revision, but the first data of FY25/26 amidst impact of employee rights act and Iran conflict.

[Cut My Tax @CutMyTaxUK]

Andy Burnham is a high tax obsessive & high spender who has run up a lot of debt in Manchester. On tax he wants:

The top rate to be hiked to 50%, even though that will lose revenue
A wealth tax
A holiday tax
Council tax revaluation, so some "will have to pay more"
A 10% social care levy on top of inheritance tax
New local taxes to pay for infrastructure & social care
A graduate tax

On spending he opposes welfare cuts & wants:

£40bn of new borrowing to build council houses
More borrowing powers for councils to build council houses
New borrowing to pay for defence
A new "free" National Care Service / more social care funding
More homelessness and rough-sleeping funding
More bus subsidies & "free transport for teenagers"
Widespread nationalisation, inc energy, "rolling back the 1980s"
Abandoning the fiscal framework because Britain has "got to get beyond this thing of being in hock to the bond markets"

[David Parry @davidparry100]

My hunch:
- Burnham wins and becomes PM
- meanwhile financial position worsens
- new Chancellor is told you need to find £30bn of tax rises / cuts. Goes after wealth.
- Budget massively unpopular - business leaders start bailing. Fails to stem bond crisis
- crisis. Election 27.

[Simon French @Frencheconomics]

11bp jump on the 10-year Gilt at the market open to 5.11%. The dynamic of this Makerfield by-election will be Andy Burnham making Green Party-appeasing noises, the Gilt Market will see yields jump, Burnham will have to qualify his comments. Rinse. Repeat. For Six Weeks.

[Finumus @Finumus1]

For once she's got something right..... MPs may as well go home.

[What is Zak Crawley doing? @ZakCrawleyFan]

Hundreds this calendar year:

Zak Crawley: 0
Ricky Ponting: 0
Virat Kholi: 0

Sir David Attenborough: 1

A generational talent 🌟