Matthew Thompson

Quite. And you start to see the reasons why…

I swear to God, this bloody country.

I need antibiotics. I ordinarily live in London. But am temporarily resident in Northern Ireland. My GP in England tells me they are unable to send a prescription outside of England.

So what’s the alternative? You guessed it: A&E.

No wonder there’s a crisis.

Evergreen.

I keep playing this over in my head 😂

You can take the man out of politics…

Thank you Emma.

'Ordering a woman to be sexually exploited is as easy as ordering a takeaway': How trafficking victims are being sold online A Sky News investigation uncovers thousands of potential indicators of sexual exploitation on two of the UK's most prominent adult service websites.

My final piece of journalism. And I think it’s an important one.

news.sky.com/story/orderi...

A picture of me in the Sky News autocue pointing at the text “Matt is out, goodbye”

And that, as they say, is that.

It’s been a hell of a ride.

You stay classy, Bluesky.

This is a very good idea… alas too late for me currently!

Believe me, me too. It’s not even a particularly big one. But London 🤷‍♂️

The worst part is my own estate agent trying to convince me I should consider it on that basis.

Honestly. Such a mad system that the people you pay to advertise your flat have such a strong incentive to just get you to sell at whatever price.

Just had a prospective buyer massively lowball our flat, and then try and explain that he “has a LISA and won’t get the Government bonus if he buys a flat over £450k.”

Well, I mean… don’t view flats way over your budget then? It’s not my problem.

Anyone else notice how social media is now absolutely swamped with ChatGPT guff?

Just account after account with their thoughts entirely scripted by AI.

The syntax is so obvious—not to mention the em dashes that nobody actually used until about a year ago.

Driving me mad.

Thank you Mark, that’s very kind.

Thank you- I hope so!

Thank you ☺️

I hope this isn’t goodbye. It may be possible to keep some level of engagement on here in my new gig, but I’ll have to see.

For now, thank you. I’ve learned so much from reading and speaking with you all over the years. It’s made me a better journalist, and a better person.

I’ll miss it terribly.

Thank you to all the people who made it possible, and to all the people who let me tell their stories along the way.

I’ve always tried to make it about you, rather than me. I hope I managed that, and that I did the privilege justice.

As for next steps… I’ll be able to say more in a month or two.

I won’t subject you all to a self-indulgent run through of my career highlights.

But suffice to say it has been the privilege of my life to spend these last 12 years or so as a journalist. To work with some of the best in the business, and to talk to all of you.

Some personal news.

In a couple of weeks, I am leaving Sky News. And indeed, leaving London, and journalism altogether.

It’s not a decision I’ve taken lightly, but it’s one that’s best for me and my family.

I’ll be moving to Edinburgh, and into the world of finance.

Going to assume this is a joke rather than that you are truly so simple…

BREAK: Police have charged a member of the Irish rap group Kneecap with a terror offence.

Liam O’Hanna has been charged with displaying a Hizbollah flag at the O2 Forum in London last November.

He’ll appear at Westminster Magistrates Court on 18th June.

Thanks. Glad you enjoyed it.

In the gym. Forgot headphones. Big mistake.

Now listening to two enormous blokes segway *seamlessly* from discussing the benefits of taking steroids, to how they never took the COVID jab, because, and I quote “I’m not having anyone inject any old shit into me”.

Beyond parody.

Kneecap are so popular even my Unionist friends love them.

Ahhh this makes so much more sense. Thank you!

Before dawn, four and a half hours before the race starts??

It’s 5am. I’m driving to work, and there are *scores* of people out jogging. Some in fancy dress. Clearly it’s marathon related, but why?? Why are people jogging before dawn when they’re about to run a literal marathon?

Ahh, I see. Sarcasm. Not weirdly ethno-nationalist discussion amongst American liberals. Now I get it. Totally checks out. 😬

Just amazing how American liberals can essentialise weird racialised views about being British in ways they would never never tolerate in America.