Jessica Elgot

📣 EXC - Assisted dying bill backers are preparing to use the Parliament Act to force through the law if it is blocked by peers.

Tonight in the @theguardian.com
they set out how they can do that.

The move is a significant escalation as Lords looks set to talk out the bill

Can be done two ways, through PMB lottery or govt making time for a presentation bill with a business motion to bypass committee. Not exactly easy..

Assisted dying backers could use archaic procedure to bypass ‘undemocratic’ block by peers Exclusive: MPs backing bill to use ‘nuclear option’ of 1911 Parliament Act if it continues to be blocked by Lords

The full story here - how the Parliament Act could be deployed to bypass the Lords if they stop the assisted dying bill

www.theguardian.com/society/2026...

📣 EXC - Assisted dying bill backers are preparing to use the Parliament Act to force through the law if it is blocked by peers.

Tonight in the @theguardian.com
they set out how they can do that.

The move is a significant escalation as Lords looks set to talk out the bill

Got to stop humming Gorton and Denton to the tune of Eleanor Rigby

Government row breaks out over plan to cut spending for PE in England’s schools Proposed cuts by DHSC and DfE came despite concerns about inactivity among children contributing to obesity

Exc - A row between government departments has broken out after the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) proposed cutting all its funding for physical education in schools, the Guardian understands.

www.theguardian.com/society/2026...

The only region of the country which thinks Keir Starmer would be better than Andy Burnham is the north east. Great to see regional rivalry is alive and well.

On Labour’s soft left, the question isn’t whether to challenge Starmer, but when With Andy Burnham out of the picture, timing is key as rebel MPs weigh up other potential party leaders

MPs are whispering about a non-binding confidence vote - like the one held in 2016 for Jeremy Corbyn- and how that could be part of a strategy for a leadership challenge. But how will the soft left react to one post-May, if their candidates are not ready to run?

www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

On Labour’s soft left, the question isn’t whether to challenge Starmer, but when With Andy Burnham out of the picture, timing is key as rebel MPs weigh up other potential party leaders

Timing is everything - as everyone in Labour frustrated with Keir Starmer is finding out...

www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

As someone who sat outside the meetings of the Brexit "star chamber" convened by rebel Tory MPs I'd say they used the term perfectly

See also - praetorian guard - which as @duncanweldon.bsky.social says - did actually kill Caligula

People need to stop saying psychodrama, that’s not what it means.

He’s from Salford, it’s only 6/7 miles away from where he grew up

Surprised at the Polanski decision not to run. He’s as much from Gorton and Denton as Andy Burnham is (not much, but at least adjacent) and he could do with being in Parliament.

We rang almost every loyalist member of the NEC on Thursday and everyone said they would do this - and they did.

Starmer is pretty committed to being ruthless when it comes to the Labour Party. But this is the riskiest move yet.

**** Labour’s NEC blocks Andy Burnham from standing in Gorton by-election**^^

NEW: Andy Burnham *blocked* from standing in the Gorton and Denton byelection. Of nine voting members on NEC group was 8-1 against him.

Ah never original!

Needs more work this

Burnham would

Actively creating these kinds of conspiracy theories is just evil. This is how paths start to someone getting killed.

Assisted dying bill backers say it is ‘near impossible’ it will pass House of Lords Exclusive: Legislation thought unlikely even to be put to vote before timing out after delay tactics by opponents

EXC - MPs and peers who backed the assisted dying bill now believe it is “near impossible” for it to pass the House of Lords in time because of procedural obstacles used by opponents.

“It is our system at its absolute most dysfunctional,” one MP said.

www.theguardian.com/society/2026...

Re Burnham - A note of caution on the three person NEC panel - yes you can stack the panel.

But the decision of that panel has to get the nod from the full NEC.

The body has intervened to add to the shortlist in the past. So unions will be important. They may decide to show some muscle.

BREAKING - Andrew Gwynne resigns

"It has been the honour of my life to have been an elected representative for almost exactly three decades."

He says his GP has described him as "extremely vulnerable" and recommends his retirement on medical grounds.

Assisted dying bill backers say it is ‘near impossible’ it will pass House of Lords Exclusive: Legislation thought unlikely even to be put to vote before timing out after delay tactics by opponents

EXC - MPs and peers who backed the assisted dying bill now believe it is “near impossible” for it to pass the House of Lords in time because of procedural obstacles used by opponents.

“It is our system at its absolute most dysfunctional,” one MP said.

www.theguardian.com/society/2026...

Burnham hopeful camp says "they always cave." Which is a fair counterargument!

But a couple of Labour sources say that there is a realisation that Badenoch looked strong and decisive when she put the boot into an obvious rival. Starmer might look at that and think maybe a fight is fine?

👇 My experience also. And not just a factional thing: as one Starmer critic on the NEC said ‘we really are broke, it really isn’t an unreasonable ask that we not have a GMCA byelection”. (paraphrasing)

Have asked a number of NEC members to tell me the chances Andy Burnham has of being selected to fight a by-election.

Every single one says zero.

Andrew Gwynne signs Commons deal that could pave way back for Andy Burnham MP’s pension settlement with parliament allows him to potentially retire and call byelection in Gorton and Denton

EXC -

Andrew Gwynne signs Commons deal that could pave way back for Andy Burnham

MP’s pension settlement with parliament allows him to potentially retire and call by-election in Gorton and Denton

from @pippacrerar.bsky.social me and @joshhalliday.bsky.social

www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Breaches include his GB News fees and fees for advertising gold, as well as personal donations