I've lost count of how many Reform councillors have resigned in the few days since the local elections were held. One of them however was elected in Gateshead. Danielle Cavanagh was one of three Reform candidates elected for High Fell ward. It was clear before polling day however that Cavanagh had withdrawn from the campaign (but remained on the ballot paper) when her picture disappeared
President Macron delivered a landmark speech at France's Atomic Energy Centre, CEA, in Bruyères-le-Châtel last Friday, building on the technological and commercial objectives France is seeking to achieve, as discussed in my article published last Wednesday, "Time for the UK to Engage with Europe on AI Sovereignty." In his speech, Mr Macron set out France's determination to secure sovereignty in computing power, quantum technologies and semiconductors, while also building the capacity to lead the market in these strategic sectors. France, he announced, is committing 1 billion euros immediately to quantum, 550 million euros to advanced semiconductors, and nearly 3 billion ...
One on the most serious problems facing our society is the difficulty young people have in buying or renting at a reasonable price somewhere to live independently. Instead thousands are being ripped off by "buy to let" landlords in often substandard premises. The simplistic view is that the problem is essentially one of supply and demand: build more houses and it will go away. It won't. Hettie O'Brien, in her fascinating account of "The Asset Class" published earlier this year (W&N), vividly compares the problem with the Bengal famine; "[L]ack of food was a minor factor compared with people's inability ...
May 25th marked the sixth anniversary of the murder of George Floyd. His death sparked a global conversation on race that I, like many, hoped would result in serious, systemic change. After the platitudes around black squares, the meaning of taking the knee and the rather depressing debate that followed, it is time for a different debate. What change has actually occurred and how do we as Liberal Democrats play an effective part in delivering systemic and lasting progress? Rob Blackie and Roderick Lynch powerfully outlined how poor our performance was in inner London in the recent elections and, if ...
From the outset of my role in Camden Liberal Democrats Flick Rea has always been there. She (and Roger Billens) led the arrival of the Liberal Democrats as a political force in this crucial flagship London Council. Always having her own way, or recipe, or theory, or system, it was no Focus newsletter for Flick. Oh no, for Fortune Green and for the team that worked with Flick it was Spotlight. The Spotlight header was even still the original hand drawn cartoon if helpful gophers and the word Spotlight designed by Flick's late husband Charles. To know and to spend ...
The forthcoming Parliamentary by-elections in Arbroath and Broughty Ferry and in Aberdeen South, both caused by the previous SNP MP being elected to the Scottish Parliament earlier this month, now have Liberal Democrat candidates. Arbroath and Broughty Ferry: Tanvir Ahmad Tanvir Ahmad commented after his selection for Arbroath and Broughty Ferry: Westminster politics often felt dominated by constitutional arguments and political ambition rather than long-term local economic recovery. People voted for representation for Arbroath and Broughty Ferry. Not a temporary stop on the way to somewhere else... Arbroath and Broughty Ferry deserves long-term commitment and practical leadership focused on improving ...
Tue 26th
08:14
Does it really take a Commission and Alan Milburn to tell us the blindingly obvious truths about tho...
As a very young councillor almost 50 years ago I remember being appalled when we held a disciplinary committee at a school where I was a governor. When challenged about why her 14-year-old daughter had been found with the keys to a brothel the mother's response was, literally, "why the effing hell should I care?" Of course, there was no response from a father who had done the insemination and disappeared. That meeting has stayed with me throughout the 43 years I have been a councillor. It gave me an early insight into the problems faced by you people. I ...
Another of those forgotten passages of Liberal Party history that the old boy so enjoys recalling. I am beholden to regular guest poster Stuart Whomsley for including Ed Davey, a Spacehopper and custard in a message to me, though they appear here in a slightly different arrangement. Thursday The other day I told Ed Davey the story of Norman Wisdom's brief leadership of the Liberal Party in the 1950s. At our lowest point, we hit upon the idea of inviting a star of stage and screen to take the reins and, though there was strong support for Anna Neagle from ...
I was very sad to hear of the death of Flick Rea today. Flick was was leader of the Liberal and then Liberal Democrat group on Camden Council from 1986-2005 and 2014-2020. She was awarded an MBE in 2013 for her services to the borough. After Flick retired she was made an honorary alderman, and you can see the speech she gave on that occasion in the video above. Her Wikipedia entry reveals that Flick was a direct descendant of Sir Robert Peel and that she joined the Liberal Party in 1970. She fought her first election in her beloved ...
The latest edition of my email newsletter about work in Parliament, A Lord's Eye View, is out and you can also read it in full below. But if you'd like to get future editions emailed direct to you as soon as they are published, sign up now: Long-term readers will be familiar with my explorations of how slowly central government moves, especially when it comes to secondary legislation. The lessons from that exploration, and some of the best examples, are wrapped up in a recent podcast episode I appeared on. Read on to find out more. The problem with secondary ...
Niamh McIntyre had been investigating the spike in racist AI videos aimed at British surfers: "It is often young, entrepreneurial men from south Asia. They tend to have zero interest in UK politics, but the content they create often boosts far-right talking points in Britain and contributes to the increasingly hostile atmosphere for immigrants and British Muslims. They're part of a booming cottage industry producing commercial AI slop." Joshi Hermann advises us to stop looking for "Burnhamism". He's bee reporting the mayor of Greater Manchester for six years and has never been able to locate it. "The culls were not ...
Scottish Liberal Democrats have announced that Tanvir Ahmad has been selected as candidate for the Arbroath and Broughty Ferry by-election which was caused by the election of Stephen Gethins to Holyrood earlier this month. Tanvir brings over 20 years of experience leading major projects in the technology and telecoms sectors. He has a proven record of building partnerships with global organisations, bringing new innovations to market, and creating opportunities for growth both at home and abroad. Alongside his professional career, he is a Royal Navy Reservist, a grassroots community campaigner who has managed a youth centre for minority communities, and ...
With all the controversy over Reform's alleged links with Russia, with Nigel Farage saying he admires Vladmir Putin, and the party's opposition to the support offered by the Welsh Government to Ukrainian refugees, now is not the best time for the party's leader in Wales to reinforce people's perceptions about Reform's sympathy towards Putin over his invasion of Ukraine. And yet, as the BBC report, Dan Thomas has backed calls from one of his Senedd members for the Ukrainian flag outside the Welsh Parliament to be removed. For once the Welsh Tories are on the side of common sense, with ...
[IMG: Portrait of Jake Austin] Jake Austin has been selected as the Liberal Democrat candidate for Makerfield in the upcoming by-election, pledging to champion local issues that matter most to residents. Jake is passionate about revitalising our high streets, improving public transport across the North West, and providing affordable homes for the next generation. Jake was born and raised in Hindley, and has lived in Greater Manchester his whole life. Hei is a Liberal Democrat Councillor and works in fundraising. In 2024, Jake was the Liberal Democrat candidate in the Greater Manchester Mayoralty election, increasing the Liberal Democrat vote share ...
Taxpayers are facing a bill likely exceeding £5 million as Labour manoeuvres to bring Andy Burnham back into Westminster ahead of a possible leadership challenge to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. According to ITV News Granada, the combined cost of the Greater Manchester Mayoral Election and the forthcoming Makerfield by-election could "reach £5 million". The report cited official Greater Manchester Combined Authority figures showing the 2024 mayoral election cost £4,719,754, while the Makerfield by-election has an administrative budget of £226,208 before additional freepost and campaign-related public costs are included. However, that estimate did not include the earlier Gorton and Denton ...
We are very sad to say that Camden Liberal Democrat legend Flick Rea has died just 4 days after her 88th birthday. She was incredibly loved by many in the party and will be very much missed. Flick was a Camden Councillor for the Fortune Green Ward from 1986 to 2021 and had two spells as Group Leader. She had started out as an actress, training alongside Glenda Jackson. In 2022, she was appointed an Honorary Alderman of the London Borough of Camden. You can watch her acceptance speech here. https://youtu.be/6_qK-voGIlg?si=7NB0j6h2e6AufKuH We will have a full obituary in due course. ...
[IMG: Portrait of Mel Sullivan] I am absolutely thrilled to say that my friend Mel Sullivan has been selected to fight the Aberdeen South by-election for the Scottish Liberal Democrats. The by-election has been caused by the resignation of the former SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn's election to the Scottish Parliament earlier this month. Mel is a Councillor in Aberdeenshire and is so good at framing her arguments in a way that brings people together. She makes you think about things differently. She does so much for her local community above and beyond being a councillor. She puts her caring ...
Between January 2020 and April 2025, four major British newspapers published 17,000 articles about trans people. That's an average of nine a day, every day, for five years. A rate, Amnesty International UK notes in its new report, entirely disproportionate to the size of the trans population, which represents around 0.5% of people in England and Wales. To understand who was shaping the coverage, Amnesty's researchers tracked which names appeared with enough consistency and regularity to be considered significant presences in the reporting. Not every passing mention, but sustained, repeated prominence across the five years. Of all the individuals who ...
I may have got the idea that Matron is too fond of gin from Sheila Hancock, who played Miss Hannigan that way (to Stratford Johns' Daddy Warbucks) in the first London production of Annie. Wednesday I was sad to see my fellow hereditary peers expelled from the Lords. I am not affected by the recent change in the law because mine is a Rutland peerage and thus I am guaranteed lifelong membership of the House under the provisions of the Treaty of Oakham. I forget quite when it was signed or who signed it, but I have a copy - ...