Mike Harris

Black History Month is more important than ever – but it is being hollowed out Why we're shining a light on Black stories this month. Plus: The latest from Reform Watch, and everything our team is reading, watching and listening to this week.

This month, in the vacuum that should be being used to platform Black stories, that space is instead being filled with swelling hostility. Black History Month matters. In fact, it may be more important now than it’s ever been.

@nmozz.bsky.social

national.thelead.uk/p/black-hist...

Starving children screaming for food as US aid cuts unleash devastation and death across Myanmar U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has repeatedly said “no one has died" because of his government’s decision to gut its foreign aid program.

i desperately want everyone involved in the destruction of USAID to have to, st the very least, answer to the american people for the suffering and misery they have caused apnews.com/article/myan...

The Lead Untangles: The Reform leader’s Russian influence scandal Not unreported, but certainly not given much spotlight, what do the Russian bribes taken by a former Reform UK leader tell us?

EXCLUSIVE: Former Reform leader convicted of taking Russian bribes.

This should be *huge national news* - a direct link between Reform and Russia. #Russiagate

national.thelead.uk/p/the-lead-u...

Kemi Badenoch refusing to acknowledge that Tommy Robinson is "far-right", now on LBC, and refusing to condemn Elon Musk's words. In fact she says what Musk said *isn't* incitement. So what would be incitement then? How violent would his words have to be before he was deemed a threat to this country?

Coming up to 4,000 emails to MPs - you know what to do folks

Tell your MP: Ban Elon Musk from the UK Home Secretary: Ban Elon Musk from the UK

Elon Musk seems to have hit a nerve with readers of The Lead. We're calling on the Home Secretary to place him on the banned list after his vile speech at the 'Unite the Kingdom' rally.

Tell your MP: Ban Elon Musk from the UK Home Secretary: Ban Elon Musk from the UK

Totally agree - would be great if you could reply to constituents signing this and write to the Home Secretary @theleaduk.bsky.social

startafire.co/scramnews/ba...

Tell your MP: Ban Elon Musk from the UK Home Secretary: Ban Elon Musk from the UK

If you do anything today click here to petition your MP to ban Elon Musk from the UK
startafire.co/scramnews/ba...

Tell your MP: Ban Elon Musk from the UK Home Secretary: Ban Elon Musk from the UK

Petition for MPs to ban Elon Musk from the UK here startafire.co/scramnews/ba...

Tell your MP: Ban Elon Musk from the UK Home Secretary: Ban Elon Musk from the UK

Petition for MPs to ban Elon Musk from the UK here startafire.co/scramnews/ba... via @theleaduk.bsky.social

Ban Elon Musk from the UK We call on the Home Secretary to act following Musk's vile words and hatred stirring at the 'Unite The Kingdom' rally. Sign our petition now and get Elon Musk banned.

We call on the Home Secretary to act following Elon Musk's vile words and hatred stirring at the 'Unite The Kingdom' rally. Sign our petition now and get Musk banned.

Not sure what else there is to say at this point

Me for @theleaduk.bsky.social

open.substack.com/pub/theleadu...

Three Lions playing in the pub.

"Thirty years of hurt...."

Overheard: "Sorry - this is the *men's song*"

🔥🔥🔥🔥

This is actual good news and it wouldn’t have happened under the Tories and we who voted Labour should note it.

A year of Labour in power - the report card, part I We rank how Keir Starmer and the government is performing against a progressive agenda on the economy, NHS, housing and education and you give your ratings too

My view is it is far too early to have any view on whether Labour is succeeding or not.

But this report card is a very good start at explaining what Labour has done with its first year in office

national.thelead.uk/p/labour-gov...

Whenever I look into small consumer-facing businesses in London it’s often a shock when they’ve even filed a first year’s accounts on time, let alone actually paid any tax due. Honestly seems you’re a bit of a mug if you bother doing so.

Another day with an almost completely decarbonised grid.

The truly impressive thing is that the tories who are doing it have looked at a government whose ratings are in the toilet and are - charitably - struggling to connect and instead of thinking “bite our tongue, eat shit and apologise and we could be back in in 5 years”, they’ve chosen…this?

So a teacher earning 34k, renting, with 3 kids doesn't get a payment to heat their home

But a pensioner who owns their home on the same money does?

Cool story bro.

It’s sort of reassuring to know the richest man on earth spends his time tweeting and doing ket.

Very good idea that solves the problem.

Also, gets closer to merger of NI / income tax, which would be significantly more sensible way of taxing all types of income - very odd unearned income taxed less.

Today's immigration announcement marks the death of the mission for the UK to have the fastest economic growth in the G7.

International investors now know that the UK govt will put other considerations ahead of economic growth.

And a f-ing terrible one at that.

I honestly despair.

To be clear: immigration is NOT the primary cause of the housing crisis. It has a tiny impact.

Decades of foolishly using property as our primary personal asset class, combined with under investment in social housing, is the cause.

This is an absolutely disastrous framing to adopt. “Immigration beings great gains but it needs to be controlled to maximise benefits” was/is right there on the table. Instead they have opted to lead with the strongest possible “Nigel Farage is right, don’t vote for him” headline.

Our economy desperately needs highly skilled workers in fast developing industries eg AI, film, professional services.

Asking those people to wait *10 years* before they get any form of security is absolutely ridiculous.

Ask Germany how its two-tier labour market experiment went.

A hateful thing to say. People whose approach to life is not faith-based have done enormous good, majority non-religious societies have been some of the strongest proponents of human dignity and solidarity. Why is the BBC just printed this unchallenged? If it's "news", it should be balanced.

Direktzüge nach London rücken näher: Bundesrat Rösti unterzeichnet Absichtserklärung Bundesrat Albert Rösti hat in London eine Absichtserklärung für eine direkte Bahnverbindung zwischen der Schweiz und Grossbritannien unterzeichnet.

The Swiss are *very serious* about #CrossChannelRail trains to London, and this is the latest evidence of it www.watson.ch/schweiz/inte...

There is space in Basel SBB and Zürich HB for terminals, Genève is harder, and rolling stock should be ordered next year

Labour’s election hammering isn’t a cue to drift right – it’s a reminder of what the left is for To win trust, the left must focus on radical economic solutions, not culture wars

My analysis of the locals: Reform's wins are a hard pill to swallow, but a crucial reminder of what the left is for.

@theleaduk.bsky.social

national.thelead.uk/p/labours-el...

Lancashire County Council local election results as they happen The Lancashire Lead is at several count centres across the county today

Reform on track to win majority on once safe Conservative Lancashire County Council after complete Tory meltdown. Labour losing seats too to independents/Green party.
lancashire.thelead.uk/p/lancashire...

Love to see this mate