The Lead

Blind loyalty to Washington will not keep Britain safe Without the rule of law, Britain risks being pulled into yet another conflict not of its making

@zoegrunewald.bsky.social latest column examines the Iran conflict, and what should Sir Keir Starmer do next as he faces increasing pressure, and criticism, from Donald Trump.

"The rule of law, our international obligations, and alliances grounded in shared values are the only safeguards left against being dragged into yet another unnecessary and bloody conflict.”

“Starmer’s supposed lawyerly instinct, to respect precedent and abide by the rules we have bound ourselves to, should be his compass.

A debt to Ukraine repaid by Welsh miners In the Welsh miners' strike in the 80s, Ukrainian miners supported miners in our valleys with food deliveries. Now, people from the south Wales valleys are returning the favour.

Why do miners from the south Wales valleys feel indebted to Ukrainian miners? Read all about it, at The Valleys Lead.

@mickantoniw.bsky.social @alundavies.bsky.social @theleaduk.bsky.social

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Help our local journalism to keep setting the agenda Subscribe to support our original reporting at The Lead and across our growing regional network of journalists.

Subscribe - for less than a fiver a month - to support our original reporting at The Lead and across our growing regional network of journalists.

Epstein, eugenics, and the far right Long after race science fell into public disgrace, Epstein was working to revive its core assumptions – and connecting biological hierarchy to far-right politics. As Dr Annabel Sowemimo uncovers...

The latest tranche of Epstein files reveals a troubling preoccupation with eugenics – heredity, racial difference, ‘intelligence’, and reproductive selection – and a concerted effort from the paedophile financier to embed that fascination within elite institutions.

Government approval for Sefton Council's exceptional budget plan Plus Patrick Hurley MP writes about why he is optimistic for the town's 2026

The government has approved Sefton Council’s request for special allowances to enable it to set balanced 2026/27 budget.

Sefton is one of 37 local authorities to be granted exceptional financial support which does not include extra funding from central government.

Calder Valley MP ready to take on pub giants to secure better deal for landlords Josh Fenton-Glynn wants to tackle problems faced by those running tied houses

Josh Fenton-Glynn wants to tackle problems faced by those running tied houses

Liberty Steel plant in Hartlepool bought by unknown foreign investor Plus: the Darlington nurses back in the headlines, you read it here first though

A mystery buyer has bought Liberty Steel’s Hartlepool plant, just weeks after it was put up for sale.

Nearly 6,000 voices oppose plans to close a specialist palliative care unit in the valleys Thousands of people have signed a petition requesting that the Specialist Palliative Care Unit in Mountain Ash remains open - we tell some of their stories in this edition

Thousands of people have signed a petition requesting that the Specialist Palliative Care Unit in Mountain Ash remains open - we tell some of their stories in this edition

Taxpayer-owned assets in Blackpool could be sold to balance council's books Fears that the tower could be up for grabs appear over the top - but other assets could be on table

Taxpayer-owned “assets” in Blackpool will be sold off to balance the council’s books and address a £5m budget shortfall - and even more could be flogged if the local authority’s arm’s-length tourism company fails to make enough money, it has been suggested.

New group whip for Reform UK at Lancashire County Council Reform UK appoints new councillor to role responsible for party discipline on the same day the local group made national headlines

Good morning - earlier this week our local editions landed in thousands of inboxes bringing original local journalism to towns and communities outside the big cities.

Readers of The Lancashire Lead are no strangers to county councillor Luke Parker. He's been removed as Reform group whip.

What the Hell is actually going on with the Chagos Islands? Framing the Chagos Islands Deal as Labour’s problem is not just hypocritical – it’s plain wrong.

Framing the Chagos Islands Deal as Labour’s problem is not just hypocritical – it’s plain wrong. The latest edition of The Lead Untangles.

Gorton and Denton by-election: The silent majority isn't silent, and it isn't Reform Hannah Spencer’s historic Green victory shows voters are rejecting division and embracing progressive politics

@zoegrunewald.bsky.social on point, as per, in our special edition in the wake of the Gorton and Denton by-election result

But the change they appear to want is not Reform’s angry nostalgia, but progressive politics with credibility, focusing on living standards, public services, climate and fairness.

The lesson, though, is not that Britain is hurtling rightwards. It is that voters want change, and they are increasingly organised and motivated to rupture the two-party system to get it.

Gorton and Denton by-election: The silent majority isn't silent, and it isn't Reform Hannah Spencer’s historic Green victory shows voters are rejecting division and embracing progressive politics

"That is not the behaviour of a society locked into tribal warfare, but a constituency rejecting the right’s attempts to contort multicultural Britain into a series of warring demographics."

@zoegrunewald.bsky.social on the money.

Gorton and Denton by-election: The silent majority isn't silent, and it isn't Reform Hannah Spencer’s historic Green victory shows voters are rejecting division and embracing progressive politics

The “silent majority” has now been tested more than once. And when it is summoned to the ballot box, it turns out the majority isn’t silent. And it isn’t Reform.

@theleaduk.bsky.social

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Can the Greens really go mainstream? Zack Polanski's party is on the up. But the disruptor left-wing party has a mountain to climb to break through the two-party system.

As the Green Party secures a historic win, @zoegrunewald.bsky.social dug into whether they can really go from a challenger party into the mainstream

Gorton and Denton by-election: The silent majority isn't silent, and it isn't Reform Hannah Spencer’s historic Green victory shows voters are rejecting division and embracing progressive politics

Hannah Spencer’s historic Green victory shows voters are rejecting division and embracing progressive politics.

A special edition of The Lead this morning as @zoegrunewald.bsky.social picks through the Gorton and Denton by-election result

A great reminder of the power of local journalism.

Credit to @lukebeardsworth.bsky.social and our sister publication @theleaduk.bsky.social Lancashire who drew attention to this story first!

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Prime Minister calls for deputy council leader to be sacked over death threat to MP social post As The Lancashire Lead first reported, Reform’s national leadership is under pressure to intervene over Simon Evans’ actions on Facebook

See more about the Starmer and Farage exchange, and our reporting on this story

Reform UK deputy leader reshared social media post calling for Labour MP to be shot We reveal how the deputy leader of Lancashire County Council is to face no action for the shocking post he shared on Facebook

This story began life on The Lancashire Lead. From a local newsletter, to PMQs, in 24-hours

Here's the Prime Minister calling for the deputy leader of the Reform-led Lancashire County Council to be sacked after he re-shared a post on Facebook which called for Natalie Fleet MP to be shot.

And Nigel Farage's response...

Prime Minister calls for deputy council leader to be sacked over death threat to MP social post As The Lancashire Lead first reported, Reform’s national leadership is under pressure to intervene over Simon Evans’ actions on Facebook

From a local newsletter to PMQs...

Prime Minister calls for deputy council leader to be sacked over death threat to MP social post As The Lancashire Lead first reported, Reform’s national leadership is under pressure to intervene over Simon Evans’ actions on Facebook

Prime Minister calls on Reform UK to sack their deputy council leader in Lancashire after he re-shared a social post calling for an MP to be shot.

The story was first reported by @lukebeardsworth.bsky.social yesterday in our Lancashire edition.

Reform's proposals for a 'British ICE' would normalise fascism Homes and workplaces would become sites of state coercion under the proposals announced by Zia Yusuf for a UK Deportation Command.

Homes and workplaces would become sites of state coercion under the proposals announced by Zia Yusuf for a UK Deportation Command, writes @zoegrunewald.bsky.social

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Reform's proposals for a 'British ICE' would normalise fascism Homes and workplaces would become sites of state coercion under the proposals announced by Zia Yusuf for a UK Deportation Command.

The words Reform chose are as important as the policy itself. They describe immigration as an “invasion”, talking of “fighting-age men” arriving in small boats.

Words soften the ground for cruelty before a single policy is enacted.

@theleaduk.bsky.social
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