I am so pleased and honoured to announce that Bloomsbury will be publishing my 4th book. Provisionally titled ‘Power Cut’, I’ve wanted to write this exploration of why we don’t learn lessons from scandals for about a decade. https://t.co/sJWuTrfnyL

On Coffee House Shots: It is our solemn duty to inform listeners that David Lammy won deputy PMQs at a canter today. To be frank, it was a low-rent affair. Andrew Griffith was the Tory sent out to question David Lammy while Keir Starmer is in China, and the shadow business

The Deputy Prime Minister was unflappable today though, and clearly enjoyed himself, while Griffith sounded like he was at a departmental questions session, not the set-piece political event of the week. ✍️ Isabel Hardman https://t.co/Ohg1RWQxja

‘The question is whether the decision to block really helps Starmer that much against the other – much more credible – contenders to be leader.’ ✍️ Isabel Hardman https://t.co/bHj1CBud14

Somewhere in the bowels of the Spectator CMS is the alternative post I prepared in 2015 just in case Andy Burnham scored a surprise victory in the Labour Party leadership contest.

On Coffee House Shots: Keir Starmer scored a rare win at PMQs, talking tough on Trump in light of the President’s escalating rhetoric on Greenland and the Chagos Islands. Kemi Badenoch pressed the Prime Minister on foreign affairs and Britain’s relationship with the US president,

https://t.co/ioxqTKsDF3

On Coffee House Shots; It is the first Prime Minister’s Questions of the new year – and Keir Starmer returns to the Commons already under pressure. With major international crises unfolding, Kemi Badenoch used PMQs to question whether the Prime Minister is present, engaged or

This is such a good piece. The stakeholder state ironically often detaches govt further from the people the “stakeholders” purport to represent as well

Happy to help anyone struggling with 16 down in today’s @guardian Weekend crossword.

On today's Coffee House Shots: Today was the final PMQs of the year – and it was certainly not a classic. Despite a promising start from Keir Starmer, it soon degenerated into quips about whether the Prime Minister has ‘the baubles’ and whether Kemi Badenoch will be ‘Home Alone’.

NEW: inquiry into inquiries! I understand ministers are considering overhauling the system of public inquiries. More here

Revealing exchanges from Starmer on violence against women and girls at the Liaison Committee - here’s what I’ve been picking up from behind the scenes. It’s not very encouraging. https://t.co/YGcT2CU4fZ

Another day, another inquiry, and no more change

My great frustration though is that while we are heading for yet another course correction on mental health, we seem to have navigated entirely around people with severe and enduring illnesses with psychotic symptoms who still face huge stigma, poor treatment in understaffed

I don’t post as much about mental health (or anything else) these days, partly because Twitter/X has become rather like a bus station on a Friday night: the sort of place you only go to if you have to and is full of people fighting in a half bored fashion. Also partly I’m lucky

My latest I paper column is on the “over diagnosis” of mental health problems - and who to blame

On today's Coffee House Shots, David Lammy and his plans to reduce the number of jury trials in the UK. Later on in the podcast; The Budget fallout continues and there has been a resignation but it’s not the Chancellor. @oscaredmondson_ @JAHeale @IsabelHardman

Rachel Reeves, committing to staying dry while stabbing holes in an umbrella. My i paper column on the triple lock

On Coffee House Shots: What are the political ramifications of the Covid enquiry? Tap to listen 👇 @Simmons__ @JAHeale @IsabelHardman

Doctors have in fact made major errors in their treatment before and have objected to non-medics raising concerns which turned out to be valid. In the early years of contaminated blood products they dismissed as scaremongering reporting that could have been part of an early