Ben Bradshaw

Starmer’s position on Iran pleases no one, but that is because there are no good options | Rafael Behr None of the prime minister’s critics engages with the hard strategic dilemmas arising from Britain’s perilous dependency on US power, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr

“The world where Trump is regulated by a British prime minister’s phone calls and chastened by his denunciations exists only in the realm of opposition fantasy.” Brilliant column on Iran by @rafaelbehr.bsky.social

Very good explainer from @gabyhinsliff.bsky.social on the UK’s response to events in the Middle East. #Iran.

Badenoch has made a choice. Either act like a mature leader in the national interest or get in the gutter with her mates on X. She chose the latter.
The Tory party of Whitelaw, Major and Co is no more.

With the irresponsible right saying Britain should have backed US/Israeli offensive action in #Iran & the irresponsible Greens/left saying we shouldn’t support defensive action to protect UK citizens in the Middle East, it feels Keir Starmer & the Government are in the right place, for now.

A brilliant initiative. Like much of Labour's work drowned out by other events.

Rachel Reeves should have a spring in her step as shoots ... Britain’s economy is on the turn and the fiscal situation improving. If the chancellor’s got any sense, she’ll shout that from the rooftops

“After 15 years of almost unending bad economic news, there are signs that the pall of despond hanging over the British economy may be about to lift.”

Have you read what he actually said? Do you disagree with any of it? What does “shifting to the left” mean for economic & fiscal policy? What would the impact of that be on the bond markets, borrowing costs & hard-won stability & how would that impact Labour’s delivery programme?

Keir Starmer’s response to the Gorton and Denton debacle should be a government that truly, finally, reflects him | Tom Baldwin In the past he has been urged to follow strategies that don’t really match his core beliefs. That’s changing, as it must, because he knows the clock is ticking, says the prime minister’s biographer, T...

Found this sane & sensible column among the weeds of @theguardian.com’s comment section. Thanks @tombaldwin66.bsky.social

From Twitter. Worth a share.

Tracking UK migration: Small boats, asylum hotels and visas Use our interactive tracker to explore the latest migration statistics for the UK

More news that won’t make the headlines: asylum claims down 4%, number in hotels down 19%, claims backlog lowest since 2020, returns up 9%, net immigration down 69%. Labour is fixing the broken system it inherited from the Tories.

I wanted an oven with a knob. Instead I got a world of pain | Adrian Chiles My new oven has a touchscreen – and demanded to be connected to my broadband. Now it won’t give me a moment’s peace

This, on the other hand, is brilliant. We need a campaign to bring back knobs.

Lost species to be released as Labour seeks to stave off Greens’ election threat Push for good nature news before polls with reintroduction of white-tailed eagles, pine martens and beavers in England

More nonsense from @theguardian.com as every good progressive Government policy is now interpreted as “an attempt to stave off the Green Party threat”, when it is simply the delivery of what was in our manifesto. 🙄

‘Magic beneath the surface’: pioneering geothermal plant launched in Cornwall A mini power station and lithium extraction plant near Redruth set to bolster energy and jobs

Wonderful to see this Westcountry success story, generating clean energy, creating new jobs & building on Cornwall’s proud mining heritage.

Packed reception at Parliament for LGBT history month. Great speeches from @steveracemp.bsky.social @oliviabailey.bsky.social & others. Thanks @stonewalluk.bsky.social for organising & good to see the new @equalityhumanright.bsky.social chair there & engaging with star MP @racheltaylormp.bsky.social

UK government debt sales set to fall for first time in four years Big banks forecast £247bn of gilt issuance in coming fiscal year amid chancellor’s drive to rein in borrowing

More good news on the UK economy. Message to Labour MPs contemplating leadership shenanigans - “the biggest danger to the economy is political instability.”

Farage and Vance ‘Sherpa’ Attacked ‘Ukraine Brain’ at Oil-Backed Festival James Orr, an ally of Nigel Farage and JD Vance, accused the UK of adopting a “naive and dangerous” approach to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine at an event organised by an oil-funded think tank. Speaking...

Farage’s new head of policy on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. 😳

Pausing puberty blockers trial seems political, not scien... The trial was launched after 2024 Cass review which found that further research into the effects of the drugs on teens was needed

The MHRA have some quite serious questions to answer over this & what made them change their mind.

With so much going on in the world it's sad the BBC flagship political programme (yeah, right) is a breathless interview with a washed up and disgraced Prime Minister trying to resurrect his career.
#BBCLauraK

Reform wants to put public unions ‘under review’, by-election candidate has said Comments late last year indicate challenges Farage faces in courting working-class voters

giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/... Reform wants to put public unions ‘under review’, by-election candidate has said

UK swings to record £30bn budget surplus in January as retail sales surge Improvement in public finances helped by higher self-assessed income tax and capital gains tax receipts

Things are looking up for the UK economy. The Government’s policies are working. giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/... UK swings to record £30bn budget surplus in January as retail sales surge

Turning the page? Labour's recovery in the polls show a path to 2029 victory - LabourList If the government can help people where it matters - their pocket, then along with all the other important work Labour is doing, perhaps we can deprive Farage of the keys to Number 10.

Timely reality check from Labour List, outlining the path to a second Labour term (as long as Labour MPs knuckle down, stop the leadership talk & focus on delivering for their constituents & the country.)

Trump changed mind on Chagos deal ‘after UK blocked use of Diego Garcia for Iran strikes’ US president links deal with military strikes against Iran in connection with Tehran’s nuclear ambitions

Interesting political positioning by the Tories & Reform, competing to be the most supine lap dog in the face of Trump’s mind changing & bullying over the Chagos Islands & actively agitating in Washington against the UK national interest.

Has there been any reporting or analysis by the BBC’s political editor of the impact of Reform’s major policy announcement that it would would get rid of the Equality Act?

Nigel Farage lashes out at a FT journalist and refuses to answer the question.

Is this how Reform UK would ignore media questions if they got into government?

LGBT History Month allows us to reflect on how far we’ve come, but hate crime is on the rise again It’s LGBT History month, and as Stonewall brings together parliamentarians, business leaders and civil society in the House of Commons for its inau...

As we mark LGBT history month, I reflect on how far we have come, but also how hard-won rights & freedoms are now under threat, especially for trans people, and why @stonewalluk.bsky.social & other LGBT rights groups work is more important than ever.

Disability and LGBT hate crimes set to become aggravated offences The proposed change has been set out in an amendment to the government's Crimes and Policing Bill.

Good news, particularly given rising
hate crime against LGBT people. Great work by @racheltaylormp.bsky.social & @stonewalluk.bsky.social & congratulations to the Government for fulfilling another manifesto commitment. 👌

Quite

The Government lawyers who provided the original legal advice & have now changed it surely have some serious questions to answer?

Yeh,Guardian columnist loses plot. Nothing new there.

I thought Johnson chucked you out?