It’s amazing the bbc likes to do that “oh it’s so nerdish” about simple political events but then runs an incomprehensible story as it’s lead for 12 hours now. “Allies of the PM are making it clear he would fight any leadership challenge”

So excited. A new Alan Allport book arrived in the post on release day & I had forgotten I’d even ordered it.

Tory politicians have it so easy. It’s been only 18 months since Jeremy Hunt wowed commentators with his plans to scrap NI. Almost identikit reaction to yesterday’s Badenoch plan to scrap stamp duty.

Faulding’s gone. We’ll never forget where we were when we heard that news.

on.ft.com/4mtJju0 Senior Labour fixer to stand down in latest departure from Starmer’s team

Have to conclude Starmer is in big trouble. We wearily now cross off “hiring skills” from the list of his competencies.

This sort of thing isover complicated. The simple point about Farage is he always makes things worse on his own terms. His overriding passion, Brexit, happened, Brexiters won every issue, and nearly 10 years on the country is widely held to be ‘in its worst state ever’.

Of all the lithium battery products I’ve bought, the cordless lawnmower is the least successful (& I bought a good one). Not as powerful as a petrol one and no more manoeuvrable (in fact less - very heavy) than those or even corded ones (unless massive garden I suppose).

Cambridge has changed since I was last there

I find the way the tariff debate presented odd. By far the most likely outcome of US tariffs and a rebalancing of trade will be more consumption outside the US and less inside it. This might help achieve US distributive or geopolitical aims but it’s not like the benefits are one way.

Pretty sure this is impossible

I don’t know to what extent it’s Starmer, Reeves, or their advisors but feels like Labour’s first 100 or so days will go down in history as how not to do it.

But he’s really good. All the political insiders said so.

This is of course possible (i think untrue) but a very poor way to present the data. Net additions best not expressed as %s, hard to grasp what the opposite negative is and could easily have 1,000 or 100,000%.

“Laces into” is a phrase I’d never heard before today

Test!