Millions more appointments. Greater choice and convenience for patients. NHS staff once again able to give the standard of care they desperately want to. Our elective reform plan will end the backlogs and make our NHS fit for the future.

Crikey, this is quite powerful. But I have seen 19th century paintings with both, so I wonder when the transition began?

Delighted to see my old friend @SadiqKhan has been knighted! Well deserved for all his work as #LondonMayor

@RpsAgainstTrump I can’t believe that it’s 2024, almost 2025, and we are seriously debating whether we should seize Greenland from its historical association with Denmark. This is like lebensraum, Republican style. There is ZERO legitimate historical American claim to that giant island. Enough.

Let us pray so that at Christmas there may be a ceasefire on all war fronts, in Ukraine, in the Holy Land, throughout the Middle East and the entire world. May weapons be silenced and Christmas carols resound!

My piece on #politics in the #North now.

Mark Rylance - 'The Swan' -Art and Nature https://t.co/opLAokpTeq via @YouTube

Our Green Industrial Partnership with Norway is about allies joining forces to deliver for working people. My government's Plan for Change will seize the opportunities of clean energy to lower bills, secure supply, and create jobs.

Drama of the absolute highest order. Mark Rylance’s towering portrayal of Thomas Cromwell will be spoken about for decades. It is a privilege to watch this man act. Deserves all the plaudits. Subtle, sensitive and devastating in equal measure. Floored me. #WolfHall

I cannot understand how the @BBCNews have lost @MishalHusain .

What a great broadcaster #SeanRafferty has been on @BBCRadio3 on @BBCInTune . Just caught the last episode on iplayer. Not a dry eye. And all the plaudits from musicians like @RachelPodger and @alexmariescu totally well desrved.

The system is broken, but it’s weighted against claimants, not in favour of them. We need fundamental reform to increase transparency in the disability benefit assessment and decision-making process, and an urgent plan to increase the basic rate of universal credit. (5/5)

Research shows that disability benefits are well below the level actually needed to maintain a reasonable standard of living or cover the extra costs of disability. The basic rate of universal credit is also very low, at just £91/week. (4/5)

Despite this, @DWPgovuk consistently, and often wrongly, turns down people’s claims. 80% of the appeals brought by disabled people against DWP decisions are successful. (3/5)

Contrary to the insinuations we have seen in the media this weekend, accessing disability benefits is extremely difficult. Disabled people are required to supply extensive medical evidence to support their claims. (2/5)

We feature in tonight’s @C4Dispatches documentary about the benefits system, setting out how the benefits system punishes disabled people who want to try working. (1/5)

Here are the famous Advent tapestries of Strasbourg cathedral, which I saw 2 weeks ago. Commissioned by Richelieu, they were originally intended for Notre Dame. They tell the whole life of Our Lady and are only displayed in Advent.

Two Iranian women have been sentenced to death by the lslamic regime for advocating for women’s rights. Bakhshan and Sharifa were found guilty of ‘spreading corruption’ and are now going to be hanged by the Islamic regime.

This is breaking my heart tonight. Despite every international forum and institution set up to protect human rights, women’s remain a secondary priority. Where’s the ICC on Taliban leadership? Where is the UN? Where are the signatories to the ECHR? Where is ANYBODY?

Kingfisher (female?), on the River Wear in Bishop Auckland today @teesbirds1 @DurhamBirdClub @Natures_Voice @BBCSpringwatch