Peter Walker

The idea of a country being primarily run by people who have never been elected would risk being a complete mess in terms of accountability and scrutiny. I’d be pretty surprised if this happened.

Labour pays estimated £2m to settle claims by 20 people over leaked antisemitism dossier Settlements include payout to former elections chief falsely accused of trying to sabotage Corbyn campaign in 2017

Labour has settled claims from 20 people featured in a leaked internal document about antisemitism in the party, with total costs estimated to be near £2m. They include an ex-Labour election chief accused in the dossier of trying to sabotage the 2017 campaign.

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

They're not opinion pieces. They are interviews with politicians, which thus reflect the opinions of the politicians, which is kind of how it works.

You can argue it various ways, but enough people paid attention for them to go from one to four MPs last year.

I could insert a similarly snarky comment about it being curious how you got to be a councillor without reading stories properly or understanding the media, but that's all a bit Twitter so I won't.

I mean, maybe you think we should have only interviewed them if everyone agreed to do it all together? Might be have been a bit confusing.

Green deputy launches leadership bid with UK ‘eco-populism’ vision Exclusive: Surprise challenger Zack Polanski says party can learn from success of Nigel Farage and Reform UK

It literally links to an earlier interview I did with Polanski. Here's the link, given you missed it.

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

Zack Polanski’s ‘eco-populism’ could put voters off Greens, opponents say Exclusive: Adrian Ramsay and Ellie Chowns say party could slide into irrelevance if it chooses new leader with ‘polarising’ approach

NEW: Green co-leadership hopefuls Adrian Ramsay and Ellie Chowns say the "eco-populism" strategy of rival Zack Polanski is polarising and divisive, and could put off more moderate voters, reversing the party's recent gains.

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

I’d argue that either charities get discounts for all vehicles or none. This is for the congestion charge, and electric cars and vans create just as much of it as conventionally-powered ones. It’s not an emissions levy.

That sort of thing is a big part of a Maga discourse eg Vance’s comments - but I’m not convinced there’s much for a market for it here.

Zia Yusuf in particular can be quite Rupert Lowe-like in that respect.

Particularly the argument made at yesterday’s Reform press conference that it’s a dystopian attempt to censor anti-government views. That’s straight off X.

I can imagine.

In fairness he did identify austerity as an issue for the police.

Keir Starmer on Gaza after talks with Donald Trump: "Images of starving children, in particular, are revolting. and there's a sense of revulsion in the British public." He says there is a need to put pressure on Israel to allow aid in.

As ever, Trump's comments to the press are a mixture of some policy hints, a huge amount of self-aggrandisement, and a fair bit which simply makes no sense whatsoever.

The bagpipe player ended just in time for Trump to answer a question on small boats with: "I know nothing about the boats". He then goes into a broadly far-right rant about migration meaning "you're not going to have Europe anymore". Keir Starmer stands awkwardly next to him.

On Sky News, Donald Trunp is speaking to media over the top of a deafening bagpipe player and you can't hear a word he's saying.

And if I was leading a party going for 30%+ support, I'd keep the likes of Ann Coulter as far away from my events as I possibly could.

That was a slightly curious press conference from Farage. Crime and migration are the sorts of subjects you pick when you're going for 30%+ support, but the very hard right rhetoric and focus on Twitter-type niches like online freedom of speech feels more 10%-15%.

Among the guests at the Reform press conference is long-time US pundit Ann Coulter, a fan of UK far right content and of open racism. Farage says he is "very pleased" to see her there.

Two in five arrested for last summer’s UK riots had been reported for domestic abuse Police data indicates overlaps between public violent disorder and domestic violence and abuse

A counter view:

www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

Farage talks about migrants from "countries in which women aren't even second class citizens", adding: “We will be talking over the next couple of weeks about the direct link between people like that from those backgrounds and the rise in sexual violence against women and girls in this country.”

Farage says that Javier Milei is overseeing "the beginnings of an economic miracle” in Argentina, and that this would be the model for Reform cutting the UK state. One to bookmark for three years from now.

Policing, Sutton says, has been "captured by a liberal ideology". It's quite a coup for Reform to find one of those very rare retired former police officers who has vaguely right wing views and thinks things were better in their day.

This Colin Sutton presentation at the Reform UK press conference is quite... long and freewheeling and is fairly swiftly edging into pub bore territory.

Colin Sutton, the retired detective who has been signed up for Reform UK, has a big idea for paying for more police officers and re-opening 300 police station: cutting diversity and equality programmes.

Yusuf says the Online Safety Act is "the greatest assault on freedom of speech in our lifetime" and the start of a "slip" into authoritarianism. It places freedom of speech "under mortal threat" he says. This all feels a bit niche and aimed at an X-based fringe.

Yusuf: "Elon [Musk] is a hero in terms of freedom of speech.”

Zia Yusuf, meanwhile, says the Online Safety Act "censors anti-government speech" and says it is more onerous than measures which would be used in China.