Stephen Bush
@stephenkb.bsky.social
Associate editor and columnist @financialtimes.com. Post too often about culture, public policy, management, politics, nerd stuff, Arsenal, wosoc. Try my UK politics newsletter for free here: www.ft.com/tryinsidepolitics
Pinned
Stephen Bush
@stephenkb.bsky.social
· Feb 22
I sat through that so when my column gets factchecked I can say “yes, that line is accurate”. Such is the FT’s commitment to bringing you our best understanding of the truth. Subscribe here: subs.ft.com/products
Reposted by Stephen Bush
This week's New Statesman cover story is my report on how Peter Mandelson came to be appointed as ambassador - who knew what and when, what due diligence was done, how the decision was reached.
Good to hear it mentioned at PMQs. Please give it a read
www.newstatesman.com/politics/lab...
Good to hear it mentioned at PMQs. Please give it a read
www.newstatesman.com/politics/lab...
The Mandelson affair: inside the scandal of a century
Mandelson's fall from grace reveals a very Labour weakness
www.newstatesman.com
February 4, 2026 at 1:15 PM
This week's New Statesman cover story is my report on how Peter Mandelson came to be appointed as ambassador - who knew what and when, what due diligence was done, how the decision was reached.
Good to hear it mentioned at PMQs. Please give it a read
www.newstatesman.com/politics/lab...
Good to hear it mentioned at PMQs. Please give it a read
www.newstatesman.com/politics/lab...
"Getting on really well with New Zealand is not a foreign policy." - marvellous column from Janan about the state of Conservative foreign policy thinking, or the lack thereof:
Britain can’t ignore Europe and China at the same time
Tory criticism of Sir Keir Starmer’s foreign policy shows the party is unserious
www.ft.com
February 4, 2026 at 6:19 PM
"Getting on really well with New Zealand is not a foreign policy." - marvellous column from Janan about the state of Conservative foreign policy thinking, or the lack thereof:
Reposted by Stephen Bush
He'd also certainly win the election. It is an incredibly safe seat, and it is taking a lot of hard work from Number 10 to loose this.
If the "I dont like the Prime Minister" box also has a Red Rose next to it he would easily win.
If the "I dont like the Prime Minister" box also has a Red Rose next to it he would easily win.
February 4, 2026 at 5:48 PM
He'd also certainly win the election. It is an incredibly safe seat, and it is taking a lot of hard work from Number 10 to loose this.
If the "I dont like the Prime Minister" box also has a Red Rose next to it he would easily win.
If the "I dont like the Prime Minister" box also has a Red Rose next to it he would easily win.
Reposted by Stephen Bush
"phew, I don't get to be the returning prince over the water just as the party are crying out for a new leader!"
February 4, 2026 at 5:38 PM
"phew, I don't get to be the returning prince over the water just as the party are crying out for a new leader!"
Reposted by Stephen Bush
I think you could argue that dogs can’t look up
February 4, 2026 at 5:37 PM
I think you could argue that dogs can’t look up
Lol, no.
I think you could argue that not getting selected for the Gorton and Denton byelection is the best thing to happen to Andy Burnham in the last few years
February 4, 2026 at 5:36 PM
Lol, no.
Reposted by Stephen Bush
I have never seen anger like this on the Labour benches in private and in public. This is the kind of territory where things can move very fast.
February 4, 2026 at 1:36 PM
I have never seen anger like this on the Labour benches in private and in public. This is the kind of territory where things can move very fast.
Reposted by Stephen Bush
I understand why Rob is pissed off here but this is the first sign I've seen that the Greens - who historically haven't been great at by-elections - might have the juice
Just a quick note to @greenparty.org.uk and @greenpartyhan.bsky.social - I was not consulted on being quoted on your leaflets and I have not endorsed your campaign (or any campaign in this seat). I think this note, like the bar chart next to it, is misleading and out of context.
👀
February 4, 2026 at 12:57 PM
I understand why Rob is pissed off here but this is the first sign I've seen that the Greens - who historically haven't been great at by-elections - might have the juice
SW1: 'The Keminaissance! That More in Common poll that definitely wasn't an outlier!'
Actual public: 'The party that has people joining it and a clear message is doing better than the one that doesn't'.
Actual public: 'The party that has people joining it and a clear message is doing better than the one that doesn't'.
Voters think defections help Reform UK – and not the Tories
Voters think defections help Reform UK – and not the Tories
Most voters think that political defections by the likes of Robert Jenrick will help Reform UK in elections but not the Tories.
buff.ly
February 4, 2026 at 1:24 PM
SW1: 'The Keminaissance! That More in Common poll that definitely wasn't an outlier!'
Actual public: 'The party that has people joining it and a clear message is doing better than the one that doesn't'.
Actual public: 'The party that has people joining it and a clear message is doing better than the one that doesn't'.
Excellent column by @sarahoconnorft.ft.com though the illustration is haunting me:
No, the public is not irredeemably ignorant
But there is a disconnect between economists’ metrics and people’s perceptions
www.ft.com
February 4, 2026 at 1:02 PM
Excellent column by @sarahoconnorft.ft.com though the illustration is haunting me:
Reposted by Stephen Bush
I'm happy to be quoted in this long read from the @financialtimes.com but in general it's a great overview of the tension between Takaichi's popularity and what's waiting when the campaign is over.
giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
Can Sanae Takaichi govern Japan on star power alone?
The new prime minister has revived the LDP, which had looked as if it might collapse. But if she wins this week’s elections, she will face harsh realities
giftarticle.ft.com
February 4, 2026 at 3:45 AM
I'm happy to be quoted in this long read from the @financialtimes.com but in general it's a great overview of the tension between Takaichi's popularity and what's waiting when the campaign is over.
giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
A good illustration that PMQs is essentially always won or lost outside the chamber. Keir Starmer lost that on 10 February 2025.
February 4, 2026 at 12:22 PM
A good illustration that PMQs is essentially always won or lost outside the chamber. Keir Starmer lost that on 10 February 2025.
Reposted by Stephen Bush
Starmer forced to admit he knew of Mandelson's continued relationship with Epstein after the first convicton when he appointed him ambassador. Eek this is a shocker.
Badenoch has nailed him on this.
Badenoch has nailed him on this.
February 4, 2026 at 12:15 PM
Starmer forced to admit he knew of Mandelson's continued relationship with Epstein after the first convicton when he appointed him ambassador. Eek this is a shocker.
Badenoch has nailed him on this.
Badenoch has nailed him on this.
Today's newsletter: some thoughts on two excellent reports, one by @dsquareddigest.bsky.social and one by @centreforcities.bsky.social that I think provides excellent collateral and a worked example of his thesis about how to get better at building infrastructure:
How to get England building more homes, not ‘bat tunnels’
Croydon’s surge in development on small sites shows how a rules-based system can unlock housebuilding
www.ft.com
February 4, 2026 at 12:02 PM
Today's newsletter: some thoughts on two excellent reports, one by @dsquareddigest.bsky.social and one by @centreforcities.bsky.social that I think provides excellent collateral and a worked example of his thesis about how to get better at building infrastructure:
Reposted by Stephen Bush
Hot Take 2: if this is Mandelson's position, there is no reason for him not to issue a statement to this effect. If he has not issued a statement to this effect, the BBC's "understanding" of his actual position may be inaccurate. Stop letting people play this game.
February 4, 2026 at 9:55 AM
Hot Take 2: if this is Mandelson's position, there is no reason for him not to issue a statement to this effect. If he has not issued a statement to this effect, the BBC's "understanding" of his actual position may be inaccurate. Stop letting people play this game.
Reposted by Stephen Bush
Since I see hacks are doing their self-serving recollections of Mandelson so here's mine: I was made very aware that he regarded me as below the salt. Our only meaningful interaction ended with him saying "off you pop". So Peter, off you pop.
February 4, 2026 at 11:18 AM
Since I see hacks are doing their self-serving recollections of Mandelson so here's mine: I was made very aware that he regarded me as below the salt. Our only meaningful interaction ended with him saying "off you pop". So Peter, off you pop.
Reposted by Stephen Bush
if there is evidence that any other current or former ministers have been leaking market sensitive information then they should certainly be punished in a similar way, but unless we have such evidence it’s a bit odd to underplay the actual scandal here in an attempt to generalise it
Is Mandelson's real sin that he gave confidential information to Epstein? Or that he got caught doing what so many do? Why do Ministers sell access to business people for huge 'donations'?
February 4, 2026 at 11:10 AM
if there is evidence that any other current or former ministers have been leaking market sensitive information then they should certainly be punished in a similar way, but unless we have such evidence it’s a bit odd to underplay the actual scandal here in an attempt to generalise it
Reposted by Stephen Bush
Wes Streeting saying on Today that Mandelson is ‘not the man we thought he was’ but the trouble is, he is exactly the man we thought, just on a much worse scale than almost anyone thought. And there is an alternative world where none of this is this govt’s problem, because they never gave him a job
February 4, 2026 at 8:16 AM
Wes Streeting saying on Today that Mandelson is ‘not the man we thought he was’ but the trouble is, he is exactly the man we thought, just on a much worse scale than almost anyone thought. And there is an alternative world where none of this is this govt’s problem, because they never gave him a job
It's a finely balanced decision. On the one hand, you have the architect of a strategy that is not working, who could not do this job in opposition *the first time*, and buy the PM breathing space. On the other, moving it would involve admitting that some of the PM's old legal buddies were right.
Is the extraordinary Mandelson scandal the final nail in the coffin that is McSweeney’s time in No10? Labour MPs tells our Tom the PLP “direction of travel” is towards Starmer’s CoS having to go. Even some PM loyalists think Starmer may have to remove his close ally to shore up his own position.
The growing Mandelson scandal has resulted in renewed pressure on the position of Keir Starmer's chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, who was instrumental in the decision to bring him into government, reports PolHome's Tom Scotson
February 4, 2026 at 11:03 AM
It's a finely balanced decision. On the one hand, you have the architect of a strategy that is not working, who could not do this job in opposition *the first time*, and buy the PM breathing space. On the other, moving it would involve admitting that some of the PM's old legal buddies were right.
Reposted by Stephen Bush
We're delighted to announce that Nigella Lawson is joining FT Weekend's food & drink pages as a columnist.
Her first monthly column will appear in FT Weekend Magazine on April 4. Until then, you can read what she has already written for the FT here ft.trib.al/Vg2IlEI
Her first monthly column will appear in FT Weekend Magazine on April 4. Until then, you can read what she has already written for the FT here ft.trib.al/Vg2IlEI
February 4, 2026 at 10:05 AM
We're delighted to announce that Nigella Lawson is joining FT Weekend's food & drink pages as a columnist.
Her first monthly column will appear in FT Weekend Magazine on April 4. Until then, you can read what she has already written for the FT here ft.trib.al/Vg2IlEI
Her first monthly column will appear in FT Weekend Magazine on April 4. Until then, you can read what she has already written for the FT here ft.trib.al/Vg2IlEI
Marvellous and thought-provoking piece this on what the policy lessons for today from the period when cities grew at pace are:
Urban expansion in the age of liberalism
Many Victorian cities grew by tenfold in a century. Could ours ever do the same?
worksinprogress.co
February 4, 2026 at 12:45 AM
Marvellous and thought-provoking piece this on what the policy lessons for today from the period when cities grew at pace are:
Reposted by Stephen Bush
All to get this level of sparkling insight.
"remind the Lib Dems who got more votes" yeah I'm sure it hasn't occurred to either party to check that, great job Jeffrey
"why not let the Tories govern in a minority" a decision entirely in the gift of the Labour Party, yes
"remind the Lib Dems who got more votes" yeah I'm sure it hasn't occurred to either party to check that, great job Jeffrey
"why not let the Tories govern in a minority" a decision entirely in the gift of the Labour Party, yes
February 3, 2026 at 7:58 PM
All to get this level of sparkling insight.
"remind the Lib Dems who got more votes" yeah I'm sure it hasn't occurred to either party to check that, great job Jeffrey
"why not let the Tories govern in a minority" a decision entirely in the gift of the Labour Party, yes
"remind the Lib Dems who got more votes" yeah I'm sure it hasn't occurred to either party to check that, great job Jeffrey
"why not let the Tories govern in a minority" a decision entirely in the gift of the Labour Party, yes
Managing women's football teams on Football Manager is a lot more painful, because not renewing the contract of a 33-year old who has won titles for you six years in a row* hits differently when they're paid £120k a year.
*In this house, the NWSL Shield is the superior trophy.
*In this house, the NWSL Shield is the superior trophy.
February 4, 2026 at 12:28 AM
Managing women's football teams on Football Manager is a lot more painful, because not renewing the contract of a 33-year old who has won titles for you six years in a row* hits differently when they're paid £120k a year.
*In this house, the NWSL Shield is the superior trophy.
*In this house, the NWSL Shield is the superior trophy.
Reading some of the coverage on the Tube back, there are some real “the operation to remove his teeth was a success, but the patient died on the table, and also at no point did we try and treat the bullet wound he came in with”.
That was a truly horrible game of football made hilarious by the late Havertz goal.
Sky waxing lyrical over Chelsea and Rosenior playing the long game when they just wasted at least an hour of a game when they were a goal down and had to score.
Tactical disasterclass imo.
Arsenal go to Wembley!
Sky waxing lyrical over Chelsea and Rosenior playing the long game when they just wasted at least an hour of a game when they were a goal down and had to score.
Tactical disasterclass imo.
Arsenal go to Wembley!
February 3, 2026 at 11:17 PM
Reading some of the coverage on the Tube back, there are some real “the operation to remove his teeth was a success, but the patient died on the table, and also at no point did we try and treat the bullet wound he came in with”.