Josh Self
@Josh_Self_
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Editor, @Politics_co_uk ✍️ | DMs open for PCH coffees & op-ed pitches | [email protected] | Subscribe to my Mon-Sun daily newsletter 👇
Joined November 2022
Just Elon Musk quote tweeting the co-leader of far-right party, Britain First, who is sharing a fake Telegraph headline . Seen by almost 1 million people in 15 minutes. Utterly dystopian
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🚨 Keir Starmer to Nigel Farage in the commons:. “Can I just remind him - Russia is the aggressor. Zelenskyy is a war leader whose country has been invaded. And we should all be supporting him, and not fawning over Putin.”
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NEW: Former prime minister Theresa May, or Baroness May of Maidenhead, has just been introduced to the House of Lords
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🚨 NEW: Fiery exchange as @WesStreeting hits backs at accusations of Labour cronyism . “If she wants to lead with her chin and talk cronyism, let's talk cronyism. Why don't we talk about Owen Paterson, . Lord Cameron. ?”. Prompts Tory point of order which the chair dismisses
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GB News presenter asks GB News presenter to join his party, of which the honorary president is a GB News presenter — according to GB News scoop.
NEW . Richard Tice has effectively issued a 311-word invitation to Lee Anderson to join the Reform UK party. 👇.
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Increasingly clear that Rishi Sunak consciously chose not to act on the prisons crisis — and that his decision to call a July election was, in part, to avoid implementing early release measures himself. You get the sense that Starmer's anger on this point is very genuine.
Excl: Rishi Sunak ignored a direct plea from Britain's most senior police officers who wrote to him a week before the election urging him to announce the SDS40 early release measure. They warned that failure to act would leave criminals exploiting the prisons crisis and police
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NEW: The Lib Dems launch a new attack ad on Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch. A good week for the party
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Keir Starmer to Nigel Farage at #PMQs: “I'm glad to see the honourable member making a rare appearance back here in Britain. “He's spent so much time in America recently, I was half expecting to see him on the immigration statistics.”
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Keir Starmer at #PMQs: “I got a letter this week from a Tory voter in a Labour seat. It was Liz Truss…. “She was saying that claiming she crashed the economy was damaging her reputation. It was actually crashing the economy that damaged her reputation.”
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After over 30 minutes, Musk appears to have finally deleted the post . No acknowledgement yet . This was my last screen-grab, which records just under 2 million views:
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Musk has been tweeting relentlessly about the UK govt for 7 hours straight. This is an incoming adviser to the US admin lest we forget, who basically lives in Mar-a-Lago. Musk’s radicalisation is intensifying, and still little sign Trump will dislodge him from his inner circle
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Lee Anderson at #PMQs: "Does she agree that this decision should be thrown in trash alongside 'Rachel from accounts'' CV?". Angela Rayner: "He talks about CVs. once a Labour councillor, then Tory MP and now Reform chief whip. Every time he switches party he gets a promotion."
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NEW: Labour will introduce citizens' assemblies to decide contentious issues, such as Lords reform and housebuilding. Sue Gray has told @TomBaldwin66 of the “transformational” success of bodies in Ireland that built consensus for constitutional change.
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.@JohnHealey_MP: “Previous defence secretaries answered just 2 urgent questions in the whole of the last 5 years. While I can't promise to answer every future UQ, I wanted to come today to underline just how seriously I take this dept's responsibility to report to this House”
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🚨 NEW: Labour calls for investigation into Robert Jenrick’s Tory leadership campaign, raising concerns about the legality of donations . @elliereeves has written to the electoral commission
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Lee Anderson at #PMQs: “I come to this House to ask sensible questions”. *Laughter*. He adds: “If we became net zero tomorrow, by how much would we reduce the Earth’s temperature by?”. Starmer: “[Farage] wants to be PM. He can’t even lead a party that fits in the back of a taxi”
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Full context: . Elon Musk deletes post spreading fake news about UK ‘detainment camps’.
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#PMQs: Speaker intervenes after shadow home secretary Chris Philp heckles the prime minister. Keir Starmer responds: “He was Liz Truss' right-hand man so we wouldn't expect anything else.”
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Tom Tugendhat on Sue Gray:. “To be fair to Sue Gray, she really is an impartial civil servant. She brought down one prime minister, who was a Conservative. And now she’s bringing down another one, who happens to be Labour”
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If Labour does fear Farage, the next obvious line of attack would be to associate him with Liz Truss' economic policy. Farage described the mini-budget as the “the best Tory budget since 1986”. “Truss' mini-budget, which Farage backed, crashed the economy” - Labour, soon probably
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NEW: Keir Starmer “wipes the floor” with all Tory leadership hopefuls on who would make the best PM, according to @Savanta_UK polling. Cleverly comes the closest, scoring only 23% in his match-up versus Starmer — versus 47% for the PM. Full results 👇.
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#PMQs Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle ticks off Sunak before calling Keir Starmer 'prime minister' (again)
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NEW: Four out of five members of the new Independent Alliance group voted *in favour* of retaining VAT tax breaks for private schools. Jeremy Corbyn was the only member of the anti-war, anti-austerity caucus not to vote for the Conservative motion this afternoon
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Was “Captain hindsight” really “Admiral foresight”?. Why history will remember Keir Starmer’s role in Boris Johnson’s downfall 👇.
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This is a serious problem right now:. — Sunak can’t do interviews because, well, Sunak can’t do interviews .— Holden tainted by 🐓 run.— Can’t trust Badenoch, Mordaunt to stay on message. Leaves Trott, Stride, Harper etc. Sunak lackeys who have hardly set the race alight so far.
Both the PM and party chair are hindered in this campaign by their own missteps. In their absence, who will serve as an effective Tory attack dog?.
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Keir Starmer at #PMQs: “If we make this a political football. then we end up with the spectacle of a decent man, the previous PM, diminishing himself at this despatch box by making trans jokes whilst the mother of a murdered trans teenager watched from the public gallery.”
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Keir Starmer at #PMQs: “She didn't feature in my thinking at all. I was so busy over the weekend I didn't even see her proposal. “She's appointed herself saviour of Western civilisation. It's a desperate search for relevance.”
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History will remember Keir Starmer's role in the Conservative Party's downfall. Starmer's political steeliness means the Conservative Party's decline is not solely a story of self-destruction — latest for @Politics_co_uk 👇.
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NEW: The PM's bet with @piersmorgan over Rwanda flights has been raised in the Commons as a potential standards issue. In a point of order, @amcarmichaelMP said: “Can you confirm,. that a £1,000 direct pecuniary personal interest is one which should be registered and declared?”
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🚨 NEW: At press gallery drinks in No 10 this evening, Rishi Sunak tells lobby journalists to look forward to a general election that “WILL be in 2024”. Ruling out a January 2025 election, and suggesting he may already have a date in mind….
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👀 @PennyMordaunt: “I am not about to defect to the opposition benches. They wouldn't be interested in me - I'm too left wing”
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Responding to Boris Johnson appearing at a Conservative Party rally, Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader @libdemdaisy said:
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.@jessphillips: “I would certainly welcome Taylor Swift's mother to stand for the leadership of the Conservative Party.”
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This dismissive attitude to a perfectly reasonable line of inquiry is deserving of real disdain . It’s not journalists’ fault for the Hester story continuing to rumble on, it’s the govt’s maladroit handling. No sign of that latter point changing - based on this risible exchange.
Jon Kay: How did it make you feel when you read Frank Hester's comments for the 1st time?. Kemi Badenoch: It didn't make me feel anything in particular. JK: You said these comments were racist. KB: That was a week ago. he's apologised. move on. #BBCBreakfast
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“The government does not run this country — politicians need to take back control”, @Jonathan_Hinder writes for @Politics_co_uk. The Labour MP goes onto question the role of the OBR, the ECHR, the Sentencing Council, even the Bank of England. Full piece 👇.
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In a rare speech, (Blue) Labour peer Lord Glasman says:. “If Scunthorpe could become the European leader in steel production, then I believe that we would have a proper Labour govt. ”. “If we could only hear that beautiful word 'nationalisation'. ”. @blue_labour
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Conservative MP @Simon4NDorset at #PMQs:. “Will the PM undertake to raise with president Trump that Canada is a valued, respected and much-loved member of both NATO and our Commonwealth?. “This childish nonsense of a 51st state should be called out by the PM for what it is”
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New shadow chancellor @MelJStride in the commons: . “As you step over the fallen — the former farmers, the pensioners, the onetime businesspeople, the poor and the vulnerable — there you will find the shattered remains of the working people of this country”
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Newly elected Labour MP @jackabbott90: “We’ve got much to be proud of in Ipswich … unlike our friends over the border in Norfolk we now have a Premier League football team again.”. @Keir_Starmer: “Can I congratulate Ipswich on their promotion?”. Hear, hear! #ITFC #COYB
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No pre-#PMQs defection, but that didn't stop Labour MPs from having some fun. A number going 'woooooh' as Conservative MPs walk down the commons aisle (including the chief whip) — prompts a speaker comment
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NEW: £20bn budget “black hole” is the same size as Rishi Sunak's pre-election tax cuts, leading economist says. @PJTheEconomist: “If those cuts were implemented in the knowledge that there was this kind of hole, that is not good policy to put it mildly”.
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NEW: The @LibDems respond to Kemi Badenoch’s ARC speech . Deputy leader @libdemdaisy says:
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On 28 April 2021, @Keir_Starmer challenges Johnson: “The Ministerial Code says — and I quote — ‘ministers who knowingly mislead parliament will be expected to offer their resignation’. … I’ll leave it there, for now”.
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🚨 NEW: Lee Anderson loses Tory whip after ‘refusal to apologise’ for Islamist claim. Questions over what happens next:. — Will the whips have words with Truss or Braverman?.— How will Anderson's allies, New Conservatives/fellow red wallers, respond?.
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NEW: Exchange on plan to exempt Afghan nationals who supported UK troops from Rwanda plan. “How many more immigrants does he want to come to the UK from Afghanistan?” - Conservative MP Alexander Stafford. “All of those… who risked their lives to help us in a war” - @eastantrimmp
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Keir Starmer at #PMQs: "A one nation experiment in open borders under the last government — and she was the champion"
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Consider for a moment how recent stories will play in the public at large:. — Tories suffer heavy losses at locals.— MP defects to Labour (BBC push notification).— Former chancellor to quit (BBC push notification). Each befit the prevailing narrative of Tory decline and decay.
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Labour Party spokesperson responds to Nigel Farage confirming he is on holiday:
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Jay inquiry report author speaking to MPs this morning: . She expresses serious disdain for the last government's response, or lack thereof, to her recommendations . And is especially scathing of Suella Braverman's alleged lack of interest.
“It was inconsequential, unsubstantial, committed to nothing.”. 🗣️ Professor Alexis Jay, chair of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, rubbishes the last govt's response to her recommendations
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.@TheGreenParty MP @EllieChowns' proposals for commons reform. — Electronic voting.— ‘Get rid’ of the voting lobbies & double size of the chamber.— Each MP given a desk.— Remodel the chamber as hemicycle.— Speaking time allocated in advance. Full piece 👇.
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NEW: Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle doesn't seem entirely pleased that Lord Cameron has become foreign secretary 🚨. “Given the gravity of the current international situation, [it] is especially important that this House is able to scrutinise the work of the FCDO”
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Newly elected Labour MP @Lola__McEvoy mocks Nigel Farage's “polished” maiden speech “that he's had 21 years to prepare”. “Fair point”, responds @Nigel_Farage
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This is just peak Conservative Party — and I’m afraid Rishi Sunak. Sending out ministers to defend an untenable line that subsequently changes. Heaton-Harris, Keegan et al. have very real reason to feel aggrieved today. Reeks of Paterson-gate, Party-gate — you name it.
BREAK: Conservative Party withdraws support for gambling scandal candidates 🚨.
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🚨 Some personal news if you will indulge me:. Thrilled to become Editor of @Politics_co_uk after almost a year of writing for the site full-time. We have some big plans which will come into fruition next week (🧵1/3). But here is my first article in post:.
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72 MPs and the third largest party in the commons, but some things about the @LibDems will never change:
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Before you get to the substance of these proposals, there is something really quite unseemly about the Conservatives planning to introduce national service for a demographic that just does not vote for them. Interesting implications for the UK's social contract 📃.
🚨 NEW: The Conservatives have unveiled plans to bring back mandatory national service if re-elected. Sunak says the plans, which would see 18-year-olds choose between service in the forces and community volunteering, will inspire “pride in our country”.
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NEW: Questioned by @neill_bob, Justice secretary Alex Chalk confirms the government is scrapping Dominic Raab's bill of rights plan 🚨
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👀 On the day Liz Truss releases her new book, Ten Years to Save the West, @JonAshworth tours the press gallery handing out Labour's version of events.
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In other words: the complete GB Newsification of the Conservative Party.
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David Lammy to Priti Patel:. “It seems the [Conservative frontbench] is refusing to confront the appalling reality of what is happening in Gaza and what the Netanyahu govt is doing. “It is wrong. It is appalling. Will she condemn it?”
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Ed Davey at #PMQs: “The PM has shown commendable leadership over Ukraine with his plan for a military coalition of the willing. “Will he now provide similar leadership with an ‘economic coalition of the willing’ against Trump’s tariffs?”
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Keir Starmer at #PMQs: “[The Conservative Party] is reduced to a kind of brain rot — a once great political party is sliding into brain-dead oblivion.”
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.@EdwardJDavey: “Given the huge damage Trump's tariffs have done to the British steel industry. any member of this House that actively campaigned for [his] election and cheered him on has behaved shamefully and unpatriotically and should apologies to British steel workers.”
.@alexburghart : “The truth is that the govt has made a total pig's breakfast of this whole arrangement. “Anyone who has been paying close attention to this story over the past few months has known this was coming down the track.”
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This exchange perfectly encapsulates Reform's challenge this parliament. A pompous “Gotcha”-style question responded to with the usual, dry Westminster-speak from the minister — in this case Angela Rayner. Another instance of Labour refusing to rise to Faragist/Reform bait 1/. .
Unbelievable . The Labour Party keep saying they are going to root out Islamophobia. Today I asked the Secretary of State for their official definition of Islamophobia. You couldn't make this up 👇
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How Keir Starmer governs. The new prime minister's strong start suggests his political honeymoon will be rather longer than some doomsters contend. My latest long-read for @Politics_co_uk 👇.
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Ed Davey at #PMQs: “The spectre of [Musk] trying to buy a British political party should give us all pause for thought.”. Starmer: “I think we all had a smile on Sunday when . Musk said [Farage] should be removed. “We are looking at the question of funding more generally.”
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NEW: Labour MP Clive Lewis has been made to swear in again, having taken the House of Commons oath “under protest” last week. In his initial rendition, Lewis also *forgot* to swear allegiance to King Charles' “heirs and successors” — which I suppose was a no no. Attempts 1 & 2:
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🚨 NEW: Punchy statement from borders minister @angelaeagle as asylum bill passes its first commons hurdle by 331 votes to 108, with Reform and Tories voting against. “Nigel Farage would rather sound off in TV studios than actually do anything to tackle the issue.”
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Nigel Farage: “Does the prime minister understand that there is a growing feeling of anger in this country that we are living through two-tier policing?”. Labour MPs: “Shame!”. #PMQs
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'The Bibby Stockholm is a floating case study in political failure' | Latest article for @Politics_co_uk 👇.
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.@libdemdaisy responds: “If the PM had any bottle he would suspend the whip from Rees-Mogg and rule out Nigel Farage being allowed into the Conservative Party”.
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Alex Burghart at #PMQs: "What is the government doing to bring down inflation?". Angela Rayner: "Many people might not know but [Burghart] was the minister for growth under Liz Truss when inflation was 11.1% and growth flatlined. So we're doing much better than he did."
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On a point of order, Labour MP objects to Danny Kruger's 'offensive' use of the word 'suicide'. Kruger: "The value of actually have a bill in black and white is that we do need to see what the law really is: what this bill would do, it would amend the Suicide Act of 1961."
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'One year in, the Conservative Party has a problem: Sunak isn’t working' | Latest article for @Politics_co_uk 👇 .
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No wonder he didn’t make the final two
Celebrating what would’ve been Margaret Thatcher’s 99th birthday.
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Riots response strengthens Keir Starmer's claim Labour is ‘political wing of the British people’. Long-read on the political lessons of the riots and the response to them, including why the Farage playbook is failing — for @Politics_co_uk 👇.
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One reason this is so striking is it reveals, once again, how much the Conservative Party misunderstands Farage's politics, motivations & strengths. After decades of exile, *nothing* in the Farage playbook suggests he will ride to the Conservatives' rescue.
NEW: Jacob Rees-Mogg's multi-point plan for Conservative election victory. — Election pact with Reform.— Nigel Farage to be appointed as minister.— Richard Tice and Ben Habib to be candidates.— Boris Johnson to return as foreign secretary. Full story 👇.
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NEW: Scott Benton resigns triggering by-election in Blackpool South 🚨. — All factors point to a Labour GAIN .— Expect little Tory campaigning as per Wellingborough, Rochdale, Kingswood.— Also a big test for Reform. In 2015, UKIP came third here on 17.3%.
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🚨 BREAK: SNP Westminster leader @StephenFlynnSNP confirms his party’s King’s Speech amendment on the two-child benefit cap will go to a vote, after being selected by the Speaker
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NEW: Rwanda’s opposition leader @VictoireUmuhoza told Sky News that the deal between Rwanda and the UK is “illegal” because Rwanda is “not a free country”. “Rwanda is not ready or the right place to receive asylum seekers from . the UK”, she said.
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NEW: David Cameron references “friend” Nick Clegg and takes swipe at Boris Johnson in maiden Lords speech. “I leave all classical allusions, and indeed illusions for that matter, to another former prime minister with whom I shared a number of educational experiences.”
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Keir Starmer tells the press gallery annual reception:. “Tonight will be a long night looking across the water. It is going to be a marathon not sprint. As I say to the cabinet ever week, tweet responsibly. Not always headed.”
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Fair play to @MayorofLondon’s comms team. Press release pinged out the second the final whistle was blown:
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‘History will remember Keir Starmer’s role in Johnson’s downfall’ | Latest article for @Politics_co_uk 👇.
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The most striking thing about the Tory exodus, expedited by the election, is that there is very little commonality among those standing down — in terms of ideology, majority, even age to an extent. That, in the end, is what should most worry Sunak. The party just seems done.
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Conservative splits and sleaze spell Major doom for Rishi Sunak. “Nobody elects a divided party” or rewards “weak leadership, sleaze [and] a poorly run campaign”, a 16 year-old Rishi Sunak wrote in 1997 — he was right. My latest for @Politics_co_uk 👇.
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NEW: David Cameron has urged the govt to impose sanctions on two “extremist” Israeli ministers, Bezalel Smotrich & Itamar Ben-Gvir. The ex-PM said he planned to do so as foreign sec. Lammy, his successor, presumably has all the legal advice that prompted Cameron's decision.
NEW: Lord Cameron says he was planning to sanction two “extremist” Israeli ministers during his time as foreign secretary. Cameron said the sanctions would have been a means of putting “pressure on Netanyahu”. Story 👇.
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.@jessphillips today, reading out the names of women killed by men in the UK over the last year:. “I am tired of sticking plasters”. “I am tired that women’s safety matters so much less in this place than small boats”. “This list . is a testament to our collective failure”
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NEW: Only two Conservative MPs, Jeremy Wright and @RobertBuckland — both former cabinet ministers — voted in favour of Lord Hope's amendment . The amendment sought to establish a monitoring committee to adjudicate on whether Rwanda is safe
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NEW: Sir Keir Starmer has said he would not have his own resignation honours list as PM. The Labour leader explained one would be “very hard to justify”, citing the example of Tony Blair who also declined to take a resignation honours list.
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SDLP MP @columeastwood at #PMQs:. “After fourteen years of Tory government that many of us wanted to see the back of, can the prime minister answer one question: what was the point if Labour are going to do this?”
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NEW: Jacob Rees-Mogg's multi-point plan for Conservative election victory. — Election pact with Reform.— Nigel Farage to be appointed as minister.— Richard Tice and Ben Habib to be candidates.— Boris Johnson to return as foreign secretary. Full story 👇.
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From ‘Dishy Rishi’ to ‘Dr Death’: Sunak should fear the Covid inquiry | Latest article for @Politics_co_uk 👇.
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🗳️ NEW: The Conservative Party is lagging behind Labour and the Liberal Democrats with its election candidate selection. 🔵 The Conservatives have selected 77% of their “prime candidates”.🔴 Labour is on 89%.🟡 And the Lib Dems lead with 95%. Full story 👇.
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As Labour leader, Keir Starmer has picked his battles tactfully and, for the most part, won them. He's shown a political steeliness and strategic savvy that has neutralised attacks from rivals. On Starmer's role in the Conservative Party's downfall 👇.
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The @RMTunion's Mick lynch has accused the government of "sabotaging" a pay deal with eleventh-hour clauses on driver only operations. "They wanted the Christmas rail strikes to go ahead", he says.
"It’s just not very bright. Why would you wait until a Sunday afternoon at 4:00 to put nine clauses into a document which weren’t in the previous version?”. The @RMTunion's Mick Lynch has rubbished DfT's approach to pay talks 🚉. For more Commons clips: ✅
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I find the divergent paths trodden by Truss and Kwarteng since the mini-budget pretty fascinating. Truss is unrepentant, while Kwarteng is relatively candid about his role. “Kwasi Kwarteng feels 'partially responsible' for Conservative Party’s struggles”.
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