Wednesday, October 21, 2026
More ministerial dissent over Labour's immigration policies
The paper says that Miatta Fahnbulleh said that extending the time that foreign citizens had to wait before being granted indefinite leave to remain threatened “the process of building cohesion”, she also warned that Labour needed to “raise the level of the debate” around migration and “challenge divisive political rhetoric”:
Under plans set out by Mahmood last year, foreign citizens would have to live in Britain for 15 years before they could be granted permanent settlement, up from five years at present. Migrants would be able to shorten the wait if they received a salary at a certain level or contributed to their communities, such as through voluntary work.
Opponents of the plans have criticised the impact they would have on social care workers in particular, many of whom are migrants and poorly paid.
In an interview with The Times last month, the housing secretary Angela Rayner said the plans were unfair because they would “change the goalposts” for migrants already in the UK.
Andy Burnham is also understood to be concerned about the proposals, which are expected to be watered down by the Home Office later this year.
Writing to voters in her Peckham constituency, Fahnbulleh suggested the proposed changes to the rules lacked compassion and that there should be a “much stronger focus on integration”.
In a post on her constituency website seen by The Telegraph, Fahnbulleh said her own area of southeast London was “a good example” of what can happen when “people are given the opportunity to integrate and participate”.
“Ultimately, I want to see a system based on control and compassion, with a much stronger focus on integration,” she wrote. “If we continually prolong the time people have to wait for settlement, we can also prolong the process of building cohesion.
“We need to raise the level of the debate, challenge divisive political rhetoric and make the case for communities like the one we have in Peckham. That means talking about immigration with care, control and compassion.”
Fahnbulleh, who is seen as being on the left of the Labour Party, is the latest senior figure to criticise the plans that were championed by Mahmood and the former prime minister Sir Keir Starmer.
Fahnbulleh is not alone in her concern, more than 100 Labour MPs, as well as trade unions, have come out in opposition as well.
Tuesday, October 20, 2026
A U-turn too far
The news site adds that Transport Action Network (TAN) Cymru said public transport improvements should take priority in tackling congestion around Newport, ahead of a Senedd debate tomorrow.
Labour’s motion calls on the Welsh Government to begin work on a new relief road and rule out closing junctions 25, 26 and 27. Given their record on this issue it feels like opportunism on their part:
Welsh Labour leader Ken Skates has backed an amended version of the previously proposed black route south of Newport.
TAN Cymru transport campaigner Gwynfor Edwards said: “A new motorway is the wrong answer for Newport. Building more road capacity risks generating more traffic, while the financial and environmental concerns that led to the scheme being scrapped in 2019 have not gone away.”
Mr Edwards called for the South East Wales Transport Commission’s recommendations to take priority.
“The South East Wales Transport Commission set out a better way forward, with public transport alternatives that could improve connectivity between Cardiff and Newport, including new rail stations,” he said.
“These options should be prioritised before committing to another major road scheme.”
However, the group backed Labour’s opposition to junction closures.
“Ruling out junction closures, however, is the right decision. Closing junctions would simply push traffic onto local streets,” Mr Edwards said.
“Whatever Members decide, people in Newport deserve more than another delay. They need a clear timetable, a properly funded plan and practical action to tackle congestion.”
Then first minister Mark Drakeford cancelled the relief road on cost and environmental grounds. His government subsequently established the commission, also known as the Burns Commission, to examine alternatives.
The current Plaid Cymru government has ruled out reviving the black route but announced an 18-month study into other roads-based options, after which it intends to select a preferred scheme.
Ministers say a review found that no single measure would resolve congestion and that road improvements were needed alongside other changes.
A five-year programme will include motorway maintenance, changes to traffic management, targeted road and junction improvements, and measures to encourage freight operators to use alternative routes such as the A465.
Public transport plans include accelerating delivery of Cardiff Parkway and Magor and Undy railway stations, improving access to Severn Tunnel Junction station and better bus connections between Newport and Cardiff.
I am with the environmental lobby on this issue. I am also against the closure of junctions. When they tried that in Port Talbot a decade or so ago, it caused chaos.
Welsh Labour leader Ken Skates has backed an amended version of the previously proposed black route south of Newport.
TAN Cymru transport campaigner Gwynfor Edwards said: “A new motorway is the wrong answer for Newport. Building more road capacity risks generating more traffic, while the financial and environmental concerns that led to the scheme being scrapped in 2019 have not gone away.”
Mr Edwards called for the South East Wales Transport Commission’s recommendations to take priority.
“The South East Wales Transport Commission set out a better way forward, with public transport alternatives that could improve connectivity between Cardiff and Newport, including new rail stations,” he said.
“These options should be prioritised before committing to another major road scheme.”
However, the group backed Labour’s opposition to junction closures.
“Ruling out junction closures, however, is the right decision. Closing junctions would simply push traffic onto local streets,” Mr Edwards said.
“Whatever Members decide, people in Newport deserve more than another delay. They need a clear timetable, a properly funded plan and practical action to tackle congestion.”
Then first minister Mark Drakeford cancelled the relief road on cost and environmental grounds. His government subsequently established the commission, also known as the Burns Commission, to examine alternatives.
The current Plaid Cymru government has ruled out reviving the black route but announced an 18-month study into other roads-based options, after which it intends to select a preferred scheme.
Ministers say a review found that no single measure would resolve congestion and that road improvements were needed alongside other changes.
A five-year programme will include motorway maintenance, changes to traffic management, targeted road and junction improvements, and measures to encourage freight operators to use alternative routes such as the A465.
Public transport plans include accelerating delivery of Cardiff Parkway and Magor and Undy railway stations, improving access to Severn Tunnel Junction station and better bus connections between Newport and Cardiff.
I am with the environmental lobby on this issue. I am also against the closure of junctions. When they tried that in Port Talbot a decade or so ago, it caused chaos.
Whatever road the Welsh government builds will fill up quickly as happens with virtually every other major road scheme. The only solution is to get local traffic off the M4 by providing reliable alternatives.
Monday, October 19, 2026
Green leader doubles down on Zionism is racism policy
They add that Polanski did not attend the vote, prompting accusations of a lack of leadership, but he made clear he agreed with the broad thrust of it even if he felt it was unhelpful to have what he called a “debate about semantics”:
Asked by the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg whether he thought Zionism was racist, Polanski said: “I don’t think this is actually controversial.
“What’s controversial is that 75,000 Palestinians have been murdered in the last few years, including more child amputees than ever in modern history. So when you take that to account, the fact that they’re being murdered because they’re Palestinian – that’s very obviously a racist ideology.”
He added: “I think Zionism is racism in the practical application of it. Now the conference had a debate about the motion, about the word. I said I think debates about words are unhelpful, and I still think that.”
Asked whether he believed Israel had a right to exist, Polanski, who is Jewish, said: “I don’t think any state has a right to exist under international law,” adding that the idea of a two-state solution was “for the birds” given Israel’s opposition to it.
The Green leader also insisted he had no regrets about the way he had handled the recent controversy, despite criticism from some prominent Jewish Green members, including Vivien Lichtenstein, the head of the Jewish Greens.
“I’m not sorry at all,” he said. “Vivien is someone I’ve had respect for and do have respect for, and partly co-founded the Jewish Greens together … Actually, when the Jewish Greens were surveyed about this motion, a majority supported it.”
How this will go down with the Green MPs who regretted the passing of the motion and who believe that Polanski should have been there to speak against it, will have to be seen.
Sunday, October 18, 2026
Farage let off Reform staffer accused of racist slur
The paper says that secretly filmed footage showed Farage telling his director of communications, Ed Sumner, that the party’s mayor candidate for Hampshire and the Solent, Chris Parry, must apologise to David Lammy for a social media post in which he said the then-deputy prime minister should “go home to the Caribbean”. However, the apology was a compromise that fell short of what should have happened:
The footage cuts to Mr Sumner saying to Mr Farage “you’re protecting him”, before the party leader says: “It’s showing a bit of... bit of sorrow. Look, ‘I’m sorry’ is probably a good thing to hear. Just take the f***ing deal.”
In Mr Parry’s social post in January over speculation that the government could be considering talks about reparations for slavery, he wrote: “Lammy must go home to the Caribbean where his loyalty lies.”
At the time, Labour described the remarks as “racist and grossly offensive”. Mr Parry later apologised “for any distress or offence” caused.
The new footage, part of a documentary by ITV Exposure to be screened on Sunday night, captured the conversation between Mr Farage and Mr Sumner following a press conference where the party leader said Mr Parry should apologise.
It showed Mr Farage saying Mr Parry “must apologise to Lammy”, before Mr Sumner tells him they had written him a text that he’s “not too happy with”.
Mr Farage said: “No, I'm sure, but he must do it and move on…Tell him that from me.”
When the Reform UK leader left, Mr Sumner said: “He's lucky, if it was up to me, I'd have kicked him out f***ing months ago.”
Mr Parry was later suspended after he appeared to liken a Jewish neighbourhood watch group to “Islamists on horseback” following an arson attack on Jewish community ambulances.
Mr Sumner told ITV News: “Nothing in the excerpts [of filming] discloses any wrongdoing, criminal activity or breaches of Reform UK policy by me… I do not endorse extremism or bigotry, or any concealment of extremism and bigotry”.
Labour has condemned the footage as “shocking and deeply disturbing”, and told Mr Farage he needs to “urgently explain why he allegedly stood by [Mr Parry]..... instead of kicking him out of his party”.
“These latest shocking and deeply disturbing revelations go right to the top of Reform UK, Nigel Farage needs to wake up and realise the buck stops with him,” Labour party chair Bridget Phillipson said.
“Time and again Farage has had every opportunity to demonstrate leadership and get Reform’s house in order and every single time he has failed.
“In Reform’s own words: they’re defending the indefensible. They are completely unfit for office.”
The paper adds that other revelations, which come a day after the same investigation secretly filmed councillors calling Muslims “parasites” and describing Black children as “animals”, include Reform MP Sarah Pochin saying senior party officials “just exclude you if you are a woman”:
Speaking at a time she was the party’s only female member of parliament, Ms Pochin said in response to being told a new female press officer was starting work: “Oh thank f*** for that. God! We so need women press officers… They are so f***ing chauvinistic.
“I go out on all the shows and go ‘Oh no, it’s lovely, oh they’re all so welcoming’. Sh**... they just exclude you if you’re a woman...
“It’s really tough being a girl with all of this alpha male sh** going on.”
A Reform UK spokesperson said Ms Pochin had raised concerns about her experience, and “those concerns were taken seriously”.
“Reform has come a long way as a party. We’ve grown enormously in a short space of time, and we’ve been working to address issues as they arise,” they said.
An undercover reporter was also told to delete their social media account if they were considering running to be a Reform UK councillor.
In a vetting interview with the chair of a local Reform branch in Chester, Ian Frost, the reporter told him he had posted on social media in support of Tommy Robinson.
Mr Frost replied: “Anything where you've got, things, Tommy Robinson or anything like that, okay, I would delete the account and I'd start again.”
This is the reality of Reform UK and why they are unfit for office.
Saturday, October 17, 2026
The pub with no name and the Swansea poet
These subterranean levels—known today as The Vault—were built in the 1600s as wine and spirits cellars. They feature parallel brick-arched rooms separated by old cast-iron columns, alongside an antique gantry crane on rails once used to hoist heavy casks of liquor.
The cellars were famously immortalized as the "Wine Vaults" in poet Dylan Thomas's short story "The Followers", during an era when the bar was a bohemian gathering spot. Today, the historic cellars operate as a large capacity space hosting live music on weekends, events, and private functions.
It was a legal requirement for each public house selling alcohol to have a recogniseable sign. However as the building was a bar and not a public house, a sign had not been allocated. This was soon rectified and the premises was officially presented with the title of “No Sign”. As for the building itself, it is listed as Grade II and was “the first site of Swansea’s Chamber of Commerce and one of the first recorded libraries in Swansea.” It has been licensed throughout its recorded history being in turn brew house, brewery, wine and spirits merchants and Public House.
The 1930s was a golden era for the City of Swansea and with musicians, writers and artists among its regular patronage, the No Sign became a significant creative bohemian hotspot. Most notably of these was the Welsh poet and beloved scoundrel Dylan Thomas. He and his creative contemporaries became known as “the Kardomah gang” and would be frequently found reveling in the image of the drunken artist. As a result the No Sign is one of the significant venues included in the cultured literary pub crawl by the Dylan Thomas Experience.
“I liked the taste of beer, its live, white lather, its brass-bright depths, the sudden world through the wet-brown walls of the glass, the tilted rush to the lips and the slow swallowing down to the lapping belly, the salt on the tongue, the foam at the corners.” ―Dylan Thomas
Labels: lochist
Friday, October 16, 2026
Labour to shun pacts with Greens
The paper says that although Andy Burnham has ruled out a future power-sharing deal with the Green Party, it was unclear whether this would extend to local councils.
However, the party has now asked its councils in joint administrations with Zack Polanski’s party to “review” its arrangements, saying if Green groups did not issue a “clear and unambiguous statement” condemning the motion within seven days, any local power-sharing arrangement will end:
Labour Party chairwoman Bridget Phillipson said: “The prime minister has been completely clear: this policy is wrong and antisemitic, and has no place in British politics.
“Where local Labour Parties currently have an arrangement with the Greens in local government, we expect their Green counterparts to make clear that they reject this position and to call on their national leadership to reconsider the policy.”
The ultimatum will impact 17 councils across England and one in Wales, according to the Labour Party, also will urge their Green partners to call on the party’s national leaders to condemn the motion.
The Greens hit back at the decision, calling it “undemocratic” and “disappointing.
“For the Labour Government to conflate criticism of Israel with antisemitism is disappointing and wrong,” a spokesperson for the party said.
“Trying to tell local parties what to do and who they can work with is undemocratic.
“Whilst Labour continue to try to meddle in our internal democracy, arm a genocide and lock up protesting pensioners, we will not take lectures from them.”
But Ms Phillipson added: “We have asked local Green groups to respond as a matter of urgency. Where they are unable to provide that assurance, Labour will bring any such local arrangement to an end. This isn’t an issue of party politics; it’s about doing what is right and upholding the values anyone holding public office should share.
“The Labour Party fought hard to address antisemitism within our own party and ensure it had no place in our politics. We have a responsibility to uphold those same standards in our relationships with other parties.”
The Liberal Democrats are much more decentralised than Labour and this sort of command and control instruction from the centre is not part of our culture, but I think it would be wise for those administrations, where the party is in control with the Greens, to start asking for the same assurances.
Labour Party chairwoman Bridget Phillipson said: “The prime minister has been completely clear: this policy is wrong and antisemitic, and has no place in British politics.
“Where local Labour Parties currently have an arrangement with the Greens in local government, we expect their Green counterparts to make clear that they reject this position and to call on their national leadership to reconsider the policy.”
The ultimatum will impact 17 councils across England and one in Wales, according to the Labour Party, also will urge their Green partners to call on the party’s national leaders to condemn the motion.
The Greens hit back at the decision, calling it “undemocratic” and “disappointing.
“For the Labour Government to conflate criticism of Israel with antisemitism is disappointing and wrong,” a spokesperson for the party said.
“Trying to tell local parties what to do and who they can work with is undemocratic.
“Whilst Labour continue to try to meddle in our internal democracy, arm a genocide and lock up protesting pensioners, we will not take lectures from them.”
But Ms Phillipson added: “We have asked local Green groups to respond as a matter of urgency. Where they are unable to provide that assurance, Labour will bring any such local arrangement to an end. This isn’t an issue of party politics; it’s about doing what is right and upholding the values anyone holding public office should share.
“The Labour Party fought hard to address antisemitism within our own party and ensure it had no place in our politics. We have a responsibility to uphold those same standards in our relationships with other parties.”
The Liberal Democrats are much more decentralised than Labour and this sort of command and control instruction from the centre is not part of our culture, but I think it would be wise for those administrations, where the party is in control with the Greens, to start asking for the same assurances.
Thursday, October 15, 2026
Senedd bans poem by Wales National Poet
So I was interested in a story in Will Hayward's latest newsletter, one that does not reflect well on the Senedd Commission, who are responsible for running the parliament and arranging the official opening.
He tells us that the National Poet of Wales has been barred from reading a poem in front of the King at the opening of the Senedd today because it is “too political":
Hanan Issa, who has been Cymru’s national poet since 2022, was commissioned by the Senedd to produce and read a poem ahead of the official opening of the seventh Welsh Parliament tomorrow. Her planned appearance in front of the King, Queen, First Minister and Senedd Members was, as of last week, widely publicised.
The brief that she was given was “to celebrate Members and their achievements being elected” but also to serve as “a reminder of their commitment to the people of Wales”.
It also added:
“We are happy for Hanan to execute the poem as they wish. It can be a solo piece or it could have a community focus, potentially gathering and crafting views from across 16 constituencies on people’s hopes for Wales’ future and turn this into a poem to be read in the Siambr.”
So in summary, Cymru’s national poet was commissioned to remind politicians of their commitment to the people of Wales however she wished.
Ms Issa spent time speaking to people in Wales about the issues they felt mattered to them and produced a powerful poem called “To Grow” (you can view it at the bottom of this newsletter).
In it she referenced a wide range of issues including the recent wildfires, cuts to women’s health services, Welsh water being guzzled up by new data centres and the atrocities committed in Gaza.
Upon submitting this poem, this newsletter understands that she was told it was too political for the opening of parliament. Following this, she compromised by making these references less overt. She then submitted a second version of the poem.
However, this too was rejected with the comment that while the Senedd Commission are “mindful of respecting the poet’s artistic independence and freedom of expression” they feel that “some aspects of the poem may still not align with the brief”. It’s worth bearing in mind that this is not a decision made by the Welsh Government but rather by the Senedd.
Will Hayward reproduces both version of the poems on his substack, suggesting that if the ears of politicians are too delicate to hear issues affecting the lives of Welsh people in a poem, what hope have we got for them to listen in real life?. I have reproduced the revised one at the top of this post, which in my view is actually a better poem. You can read the original version by clicking on the link above.
When will reality bite in Wales?
However, Cardiff University academics Ed Gareth Poole and Owain Cynfab believe that the deal is just a stopgap that leaves wider pressures on Welsh public services unresolved.
Nobody expected Welsh finances to be sorted by a supplementary budget of course. Its purpose is to just move money around in year, pulling some from reserves, from additional Barnett allocations and reprioritising spending to meet the expectations of the new government.
But the analysis, published by Wales Fiscal Analysis at the university’s Wales Governance Centre, warns of far more difficult decisions ahead.
Ed Gareth Poole and Owain Cynfab for example, calculate that core NHS spending will fall by roughly 0.4% in real terms this year, despite an additional £100 million for waiting times and elective care and predict rising costs across public services that will make Plaid's uncosted commitment to expand childcare that much harder to achieve.
They note that Additional Learning Needs (ALN) spending is heading towards £1 billion a year and, according to ministers, has grown 2.5 times faster than overall education spending over the past decade.
The news site quote Poole and Cynfab as warning that the energy price shock linked to the conflict in Iran is increasing the cost of pay, services and infrastructure.
It adds that for Wales, much will depend on whether Chancellor John Healey compensates English departments for those pressures in his forthcoming budget, but he has his own problems namely £35bn worth of spending pressures.
All the indications are that Welsh budgets will struggle to keep up with inflation over the next few years, meaning that the new Finance Minister will be firefighting to keep the show on the road while struggling to meet her election promises.
Ed Gareth Poole and Owain Cynfab for example, calculate that core NHS spending will fall by roughly 0.4% in real terms this year, despite an additional £100 million for waiting times and elective care and predict rising costs across public services that will make Plaid's uncosted commitment to expand childcare that much harder to achieve.
They note that Additional Learning Needs (ALN) spending is heading towards £1 billion a year and, according to ministers, has grown 2.5 times faster than overall education spending over the past decade.
The news site quote Poole and Cynfab as warning that the energy price shock linked to the conflict in Iran is increasing the cost of pay, services and infrastructure.
It adds that for Wales, much will depend on whether Chancellor John Healey compensates English departments for those pressures in his forthcoming budget, but he has his own problems namely £35bn worth of spending pressures.
All the indications are that Welsh budgets will struggle to keep up with inflation over the next few years, meaning that the new Finance Minister will be firefighting to keep the show on the road while struggling to meet her election promises.
Wednesday, October 14, 2026
MI5 chief confirms Russian interference in Brexit referendum
However, McCallum has cautioned against aiding Russian propaganda after Andy Burnham outlined Moscow’s attempts to meddle in the 2016 Brexit referendum, warning that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s online trolls would be "delighted" should the controversy surrounding the Prime Minister’s statements continue:
The spymaster verified that Russia targeted the vote, whilst simultaneously pointing out the "comparative unimpressiveness" of such operations.
He added that Britain must avoid trying to "play into our adversaries’ hands" through exaggerating the influence of Russian trolls.
Addressing MPs on Monday, the Prime Minister stated Russia attempted to interfere in the 2019 general election "and we think it is inconceivable that this was the first time".
Mr Burnham earlier told The Rest Is Politics podcast he learned upon arriving in Downing Street that it was "clear" Moscow had aimed to disrupt the vote.
Opponents saw those remarks as a strategy to question the referendum's legitimacy – an intention the Prime Minister has strongly rejected.
Speaking at MI5’s Thames House headquarters, Sir Ken said: “There is a really important difference between interference attempted and outcome swayed… It’s quite important to focus on the difference between what may have been attempted and what actually resulted.
“It is a matter of public record including in select committee reports published in 2019 – the DCMS Committee did a bit and the Intelligence and Security Committee did a bit also – that in 2016, before you even get to any secret intelligence… it is openly on the record that Russia Today and Sputnik and other Russian media organisations came in pretty strongly around the referendum.
“And it is also a matter of open source record that there was a certain amount of interference attempted through trolls and bots and so forth.
“I agree strongly with what the Prime Minister said yesterday, we did see a hack and leak thing inside the 2019 general election campaign.”
But he added he was concerned about the ongoing debate about Russian interference.
“It is kind of up to us how far we allow our various adversaries to divide us,” Sir Ken said.
“And I’m a little bit worried that if we all stay in this debate for another few days that Russian trolls who didn’t appear to do all that much at various points over the years, they’ll be delighted because they are front page news again despite the comparative unimpressiveness of what they do at all points along the journey.
“I am a little bit anxious that we don’t play into our adversaries’ hands by making these trolls look 10ft tall.”
In many ways it is no point revisiting this, the past is the past, but it does highlight the danger facing democratic processes throughout the world and the need to be alert to this sort of interference in future.
Tuesday, October 13, 2026
IFS warn on the budget
The paper says that as the war in the Middle East rattles the public finances, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has said that the damage from higher inflation meant the chancellor would need to either top up funds for his current government spending plans or impose deep real-terms cuts by the end of the decade:
Against a febrile backdrop in the bond market, the thinktank warned Healey that failure to address the issue at his 28 October budget risked leaving the impression that Labour was setting unrealistic spending plans.
Helen Miller, the director of the IFS, said: “Simply pencilling in implicit cuts that he has no intention of delivering would make the budget a work of fiction.”
Her comment echoes a criticism levelled at Jeremy Hunt, the former Conservative chancellor, who before the 2024 general election was accused by the then head of the Office for Budget Responsibility of setting unrealistic spending plans.
Publishing its influential “green budget” report, which analyses the public finances before Healey’s speech to the Commons, it called on the chancellor to avoid announcing a “steady as she goes” budget that delayed decisions until next year’s spending review.
“If John Healey sets out spending envelopes for public services that he would not be willing to live within, his plan for meeting the fiscal rules will not be credible,” it said.
Last week, the governor of the Bank of England, Andrew Bailey, said fiscal policy “must be credible and be seen as such by financial markets”. The following day, the Times quoted a government source as saying: “Andrew Bailey needs to focus on doing his job.”
Miller said the Treasury adopting an assumption that “everything can be kicked forward” to next year’s spending review risked undermining the chancellor’s credibility.
“We would be better served by a chancellor who hopes for the best, but plans for the worst, rather than sets out plans that either say, ‘I hope it’ll be fine and some money will come in’, or ‘I’ll get a plan in a year’s time’.”
Attention before the budget has largely focused on the hit to the chancellor’s headroom against Labour’s main fiscal rule to balance day-to-day public spending with revenues in 2029-30.
With the war in the Middle East fuelling a dramatic sell-off in the market for government debt, higher borrowing costs are expected to erase a significant chunk of the £24bn buffer left by the former chancellor Rachel Reeves at the spring statement.
Leading economists have predicted the market moves since the start of the war in February could wipe out about half of the headroom, adding to nerves in the Treasury over the risk of a market backlash.
The IFS said that although the surge in debt interest costs could add £10bn to borrowing in 2029-30, the exchequer would benefit from higher inflation boosting tax revenue – meaning Healey could see headroom cut by only £4bn.
However, it warned against focusing on this buffer because the inflation shock rippling from the Middle East would also dramatically hit the government’s plan for funding public services.
Higher inflation squeezes public spending power, forcing the government to choose between accepting real-term cuts and finding efficiency savings or topping up departmental budgets either by raising taxes or allowing an increase in borrowing.
The IFS said a choice to leave spending totals unchanged at the budget would implicitly mean allowing the quality or quantity of public services to fall. However, it said compensating for the inflation shock, and funding Healey’s pledge to raise defence spending to 3% of GDP by 2030, would require tax rises or benefit cuts of about £35bn.
How Burnham and Healey deal with these issues could make or break this government.
Monday, October 12, 2026
What is Christian nationalism?
Faced with studied indifference by the owners, the council has twice now painted over these tags, and the culprits appear to have moved on to defacing walls in nearby parks. However, I noticed the other day that a makeshift wooden cross (pictured) has been erected above the billboard in a clear attempt to differentiate the perpetrators from the multi-cultural society we now live in.
The Ku Klux Klan of course, used to brandish burning crosses as they murdered black Americans, thankfully it hasn't come to that here, yet.
The Guardian carries an interesting article about the sort of people responsible for this type of vandalism, labelled as Christian nationalists. They describe this group as being driven largely by people who rarely attend church and are more concerned with defending the country’s Christian heritage.
They focus on a report, by the thinktank Theos, which has identified five different groups within the UK in a survey that looked at their attitudes to Christianity and Britishness. They say that the group whose views most closely resembled Christian nationalism, termed “identity integrationists” by the researchers, accounted for 11% of respondents, making it the smallest of the five groups:
Although 81% of this group identified as Christian, just 13% attended church weekly, only slightly above the 11% average across the population surveyed. Less than a third (31%) prayed weekly, while 47% expressed an interest in the Bible.
The group was strongly hostile to immigration and Islam. Just 19% agreed that Christian values required welcoming and supporting asylum seekers, while 30% supported the equal treatment of religions in public life.
In contrast, another group in the survey with high levels of Christian affiliation, were considerably more religiously observant and less hostile to immigration and religious diversity. They comprised 13% of respondents.
Among these “belief integrationists”, 31% attended church weekly, 46% prayed weekly and 62% expressed an interest in the Bible.
Almost half (48%) agreed that Christian values required welcoming and supporting asylum seekers, while 63% supported the equal treatment of religions in public life.
Although they are the group containing the highest proportion of practising Christians, only 18% of belief integrationists think that defending Britain’s Christian culture and heritage is important for being Christian, compared with 90% of the Christian nationalist group.
At a time when crosses have been carried at Unite the Kingdom rallies and crowds have chanted “Christ is King” at protests, the research challenges the idea that the growing prominence of Christian nationalism in Britain reflects a revival of Christianity.
Instead, the findings suggest that Christianity is increasingly being invoked as a marker of British identity amid wider anxieties about immigration, Islam and cultural change.
These agitators and nationalists are not Christian in any sense of the word, though I am sure that some of them think that they are carrying on the work of Pope Urban II, who initiated the first crusade. But we should give the final word to the Rev Dr Helen Paynter, a theologian who has researched the far right’s use of Christianity:
“The church is and has been since its inception a multi-ethnic, multinational group, and may not rightly be equated with any nationality or ethnicity. In fact, the ‘average’ Christian in the world today is poor, female and black.”
For Paynter, one of most important findings is the starkly different attitudes evidenced by those who are practising Christians, compared with those who claim the label.
“The Christian faith is not just an identity that we can put on like a coat; it involves an encounter with transcendence which must be transformative of all our values.”
If these protestors really embraced Christianity, then they would understand that.
Sunday, October 11, 2026
Can Davey survive as leader?
This politics website reports that Maynard left his role as a Treasury spokesman on Friday afternoon amid wider criticism of Davey among Liberal Democrat MPs. He follows Alison Bennett, the Liberal Democrat MP for Mid Sussex, who left her role as care and carers spokesperson on 5 October without issuing a public explanation.
As I posted here, earlier this month, Tom Gordon, the Liberal Democrat MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, said that Davey had “missed the point” in a BBC Radio 4 Today programme interview in which he strongly criticised Andy Burnham’s speech to Labour conference. Gordon told his leader to “think again”.
Gordon was joined in that criticism by Vicky Slade the MP for Mid Dorset and North Poole who posted on BlueSky: 'Pensioners will gain more from free social care than a linking rise of state pension to earnings. Proud of triple lock in coalition but we must plan for future not venerate the past.'
Maynard cannot really be more than a stalking horse. He has no profile within the party and many of us had to look him up to see who he is, but his actions reflect a deeper dissatisfaction amongst the parliamentary party and the wider membership. Tuesday's meeting of Lib Dem MPs is going to be interesting.
The reaction has been predictable, with the leadership recruiting the usual suspects to go public in support of Ed Davey. Their social media posts are all suspiciously similar., and also slightly ridiculous, but, as can be seen on the map above, what is really interesting is how few of them have gone public in this way.
The politics.co.uk website lists just 17 out of 72 prepared to pin their support of Davey to a public mast. The rest appear to be keeping their powder dry.
The fact is of course that the Liberal Democrats had their best result since Lloyd George because of widespread disillusionment with the sitting Tory government, and they did it despite Ed Davey's ridiculous stunts, not because of them. That is reflected in the fact the party polled fewer votes in 2024 than they did in 2019.
Since that election, Davey, who, rather bizarrely, is credited by the usual suspects of leading us in the fight against hate and the far right, has been largely anonymous. Even worse, there is no clear vision as to what the party stands for, nothing that sets us apart from the rest. It is little wonder that the party is in fifth place, with opinion poll ratings hovering just above single figures.
I think it is quite clear by now that Davey is not capable of turning things around. His defence of the triple lock and his promotion of tax cuts in the face of huge pressure on government finances and the need for investment in public services is simply unsustainable, especially when he is also advocating spending more on defence and social care. And don't even get me started on his ludicrous advocacy of keeping Winston Churchill on the £5 note.
I can't say who should replace Davey, but at least if there is a contest we can evaluate candidates on their vision for the country and the party. It is time for Davey to stand aside to allow such a contest to take place.
Saturday, October 10, 2026
The oldest pub in Swansea and the secret tunnel
He writes that the name is a nod to the legend that St Peter held the keys to the gates of heaven. It is a clue to the building's godly past:
The building it self was built by Bishop Henry de Gower (Bishop of St Davids) in 1330, not as an inn but an almshouse and early hospital annexed to a monastic cell. The charter of 1332 says that it was established for ‘the support of other poor chaplains and laymen deprived of bodily health.’ It was not only there to look after people taken ill or injured, but to support the destitute, poor and starving.
The institution must have had some significant patronage, as it survived right up until the Reformation and the dissolution of monasteries in 1536. It was then confiscated by the Crown and sold to Sir George Herbert, who was a very powerful and rather unscrupulous man, descended from a family of ‘Marcher’ lords. And to make matters worse, he was from Cardiff.
He was a man of very different moral fibre to Henry de Gower, and as there was no money to be made from feeding the starving or tending to the sick, he closed down the hospital and almshouse and broke the estate up, turning the old buildings into shops and an inn. Later all the other buildings were demolished, but the inn thrived.
By the beginning of the twentieth century the pub was very dilapidated and run down. and its origins had largely been forgotten, so it was a very brave undertaking to get it all restored and renovated. But when the rendering got stripped away, to the delight of the owner who oversaw the work, a lot of the original features, like the stone arched windows and medieval timber, were re-discovered. The two bays on the St Mary Street side were added onto the original building in the seventeenth century, and it is believed that when they were built, they contained two narrow shops separated by a passageway which ran to the back of the building.
Inside there are some lovely features. The massive ceiling beams tell a story of all the walls and partitions that have been added and taken away in the last 700 years, and there are fragments of medieval roof trusses on either side of a small seating area in the lounge.
The layout of the pub today suggests that this part of the original building had two uses. The old hall would have been located on the first floor, which would have been a cleric’s living accommodation. Meanwhile below would have been part of the old hospital, possibly a ward.
But not everything is as it is seen. Wales-on-line reports that there is a secret tunnel stretching from St Mary Street as far as Wind Street and possibly to Cross Keys itself, which has been hidden for 200 years:
Historian Gerald Gabb has cast doubt on the theory that the tunnel was used for smuggling, suggesting instead it might have connections to an ancient hospital. "History always shocks you, I would be surprised if the tunnel was used for smugglers," he remarked.
He added: "I'm not saying that it is impossible, but you are close to the centre of town." Gerald pointed out the historical significance of the area, noting, "An open air market was above us many years ago and the town hall. This isn't the sort of place where you would try and sneak stuff in."
Expressing his surprise at the tunnel's existence, he mused: "You might look at St Mary's Street today and think it's just an alley but really it was one of the main streets in Swansea. It was the way to the church. It has some of the oldest things in Swansea, the castle is just up there and if you go down to the bottom you come to The Cross Keys.
"If you look at the windows by the doors of the pub, they are from 1332. It could be that these tunnels have something to do with what The Cross Keys used to be, which was St David's hospital."
He concluded by explaining the hospital's extensive reach: "It was a religious thing where older people were looked after by priests, It had land all the way from Princess Way to the Uplands so it could have easily spread up here," he said.
We will never know for sure of course, but this sounds like a plausibke explanation to me.
Labels: lochist
Friday, October 09, 2026
Vote Tory, get Reform?
The Indepndent reports that the Tory leader denounced the race-based nationalism of some of Reform's members saying:
"Suella Braverman, a former Conservative government minister who defected to Reform, has suggested that only white people can be English.
Badenoch said that she didn’t want to live in a country run by people who “debate whether my mixed-race children are English.”
“We must not let these people take us backwards. That is not the country we are,” she said.
“For people who say ‘Unite the right’ – we are not uniting with that,” she said, getting a standing ovation from the audience of party members.
Her problem however, is that she is moving the Tories further right, with a policy platform that almost mirrors that adopted by Nigel Farage, while the polls show her party struggling, with the only possible means of forming a government being precisely the coalition she is trying to disavow, something at least one senior Tory has figured out for himself.
The Mirror reports that Jacob Rees-Mogg has reignited calls for the Tories and Reform UK to make an electoral pact, while other Conservative members have told them that a coalition with Nigel Farage should be considered:
The Tory big beast, who is a former Cabinet minister, said it was normal that Kemi Badenoch and Mr Farage are saying they are against a deal for now but that things could change if it was actually on the table.
On the second day of the Tories' party conference in Birmingham, Sir Jacob told a panel event: "Think back to Nick Clegg and David Cameron in the garden in Downing Street in 2010, when Nick Clegg was reminded that David Cameron had said he was the biggest joke in political history.
"Parties have to argue their own case until they do some sort of deal, if they do a deal."
The former Commons leader has long called for the right of politics to unite, despite Ms Badenoch being fiercely against a pact with Reform. He said the Conservatives "couldn't possibly do a deal with Restore", saying Rupert Lowe's party had failed to deal with "unsound" people in its ranks.
But Sir Jacob - who described Mr Farage as a "friend" - said Reform was different though, telling the Daily Telegraph event: "Nigel Farage has always been very careful to avoid this type of approach and these type of people, and therefore I think Reform is in a very different category from Restore."
Meanwhile, Tory faithful milling around the conference were split on how to fight Reform. Some branded Mr Farage's party “wannabe Conservatives” and brushed off the party haemorrhaging votes to Reform, while others celebrated Reform having slipped in the polls amid a series of damaging donations scandals.
But some party members admitted the electoral picture was still looking bleak for the Tories and suggested the party may have to unite with Reform.
Jane Emmerson, a Tory member based in London, said a conference event with polling guru John Curtice on Sunday showed the party's electoral fortunes are not where they want them to be. "I must admit that when I came out, I needed a double gin and tonic, you could say. The figures don't look good," she told The Mirror.
She admitted the Tories would have to have a "good hard look" if it came to considering a coalition with Reform.
She said: "I think we need to look at it. I think if that case happened, we'd have to have a good hard look at it, and I think we'd have to say: 'Well, what is the best for the country.' I think Kemi would do her best. I'm not saying that won't happen. You can't rule anything out."
Whatever Badenoch says to her conference as she tries to make the Tories relevant again, the odds of a Tory-Reform coalition are still favourable. It really is a case of vote Tory, get Reform.
Thursday, October 08, 2026
Tories to reward the better off
If Kemi Badenoch hopes to make a similar impact with her conference speech yesterday, then she may well be waiting some time.
The Guardian reports that the Tory leader has announced that her party would abolish inheritance tax on family homes if elected, prompting criticism that she is prioritising cutting taxes for the rich.
The paper says that Badenoch also attempted to to shore up the Tory's traditional base in southern England by promising that couples would be able to leave an additional tax-free sum of £1m to their families:
The move would mean the number of families paying inheritance tax – currently less than 5% do so – would fall by more than a half, Badenoch said, with the plan expected to be paid for from £70bn in savings the party says it has identified.
“My ambition is to abolish inheritance tax altogether, as soon as we can afford it,” she told the Conservative party conference in Birmingham. “I believe the people who work hard and save should be rewarded for that effort.
“So this is my guarantee: no stamp duty when you buy your home, no mansion tax when you live in your home, and no inheritance tax on your home when you pass it to your children or grandchildren.”
The Tories’ policy plans announced this week – including support with childcare for those earning more than £100,000, repealing the mansion tax, and the inheritance tax plans – have been firmly focused on affluent middle-class voters, many of whom deserted the party at the last election.
However, the inheritance tax plans are likely to raise fears about overheating the housing market, giving elderly homeowners an incentive to stay in large family homes rather than downsize. It also prompted accusations that the party was favouring the rich over struggling families.
In a statement, Tax Justice UK said: “Kemi Badenoch has just announced a massive inheritance tax giveaway to some of the wealthiest people in Britain. This is a reckless policy that will deprive public services of cash when they most need them.”
Inheritance tax is only paid by the very richest estates with 95% paying none at all, so cutting it would do nothing for ordinary people. I am also sceptical about the so-called savings of £70bn.
The Guardian reports that the Tory leader has announced that her party would abolish inheritance tax on family homes if elected, prompting criticism that she is prioritising cutting taxes for the rich.
The paper says that Badenoch also attempted to to shore up the Tory's traditional base in southern England by promising that couples would be able to leave an additional tax-free sum of £1m to their families:
The move would mean the number of families paying inheritance tax – currently less than 5% do so – would fall by more than a half, Badenoch said, with the plan expected to be paid for from £70bn in savings the party says it has identified.
“My ambition is to abolish inheritance tax altogether, as soon as we can afford it,” she told the Conservative party conference in Birmingham. “I believe the people who work hard and save should be rewarded for that effort.
“So this is my guarantee: no stamp duty when you buy your home, no mansion tax when you live in your home, and no inheritance tax on your home when you pass it to your children or grandchildren.”
The Tories’ policy plans announced this week – including support with childcare for those earning more than £100,000, repealing the mansion tax, and the inheritance tax plans – have been firmly focused on affluent middle-class voters, many of whom deserted the party at the last election.
However, the inheritance tax plans are likely to raise fears about overheating the housing market, giving elderly homeowners an incentive to stay in large family homes rather than downsize. It also prompted accusations that the party was favouring the rich over struggling families.
In a statement, Tax Justice UK said: “Kemi Badenoch has just announced a massive inheritance tax giveaway to some of the wealthiest people in Britain. This is a reckless policy that will deprive public services of cash when they most need them.”
Inheritance tax is only paid by the very richest estates with 95% paying none at all, so cutting it would do nothing for ordinary people. I am also sceptical about the so-called savings of £70bn.
Inevitably, those who will suffer the most from these cuts will be the poorest in society, or those struggling with a disability or illness. And what will be the impact on basic services such as health, education and social care?
This is not a programme for government, it is a manifesto for the top 5% richest people in the country.,
Wednesday, October 07, 2026
Shambolic, careless Reform and their disappearing councillors
They say that Nigel Farage's party is losing a member of the 2026 intake every three days on average due to resignations, defections and suspensions:
Julia Meadon, the group's director of digital, told The Mirror: "We’ve been closely monitoring Reform UK’s shambolic approach to local government - and surprise, surprise, their councillors are quitting and being turfed out in their droves.
“While Farage slurps oysters and sips champagne with billionaires, the people elected to represent Britain’s communities - who said they could be trusted to take care of the vulnerable, to run our libraries, and keep our streets clean - are walking out the door.
“Just imagine what they’d do if trusted with our economy, our NHS and our armed forces.”
Among recent resignations is Solihull councillor Eleonora Gough, who said the local group had become "divisive and unprofessional rather than constructive". In her resignation letter last month she said: “I am not the first to reach this conclusion and I doubt I will be the last. My decision is final.”
And three representatives walked away from the Reform group in Plymouth last month - two joining Restore Britain and one becoming an independent. Last month Newcastle councillor Daniel Astley was expelled from the party after previous links to the far-right Homeland Party came to light.
He said in a statement: “On the Homeland Party, I do not accept the characterisation of 'extremist' given, as mentioned, I believe their policies at the time to have been very close to Reform’s policies now. I have not had any contact with them since last year, I have never worked on policy, attended a conference or organised elections for them.”
Those currently suspended include Sunderland City councillor Glenn Gibbins, 66, who has been charged with posting a grossly offensive comment about Nigerians on social media.
He was first suspended by Reform in May after the post came to light, but then reinstated. However he was suspended again after legal proceedings started.
Reform UK gained 1,451 councillors and took control of 14 councils across England in May this year. Back in August, when the tracker was launched, Best For Britain’s chief executive Naomi Smith told The Mirror: “Whether they've resigned, been suspended, or were simply never up to the job, Reform UK have been shedding councillors ever since May.
"So much for the tidal wave about to break over British politics, this is a party that would struggle to run a bath."
It is quite clear that Reform is a shambles. Will the Greens face a similar problem? I am already hearing of resignations and possible defections after their motion on Palestine.
Tuesday, October 06, 2026
Labour need to step up on abolition of leaseholds
Like the now phased-out, feudal system of Rentcharges, leasehold tenure is long past its sell-by date. However, my conclusion to this post on 25 February 2019 sort of sums up where we are at, when I wrote: Preventing the development of new leasehold properties is the next big housing reform. Will any government be brave enough to actually do it.
The Guardian, in an editorial, presses the case even harder, saying that Labour must keep its promise to set trapped leaseholders free. They say that the government pledged to end this unfair system. which must mean that Ministers should give homeowners power over costs, rather than another place to complain.
The paper is referring to an announcement by Angela Rayner that the government will legislate for a new independent regulator and launch a consultation to cap “rip off” administrative fees, arguing that while these are undoubtedly steps in the right direction, they are miles away from Labour’s manifesto promise to “finally bring the feudal leasehold system to an end”:
In its modern form, leasehold in England and Wales turns homes into income streams for freeholders. It should be abolished. There are powerful vested interests – billionaires, aristocrats and big businesses – that would oppose this move. But the system of service charges is crippling the housing market because its exorbitant cost puts off prospective buyers. The average annual service charge for a flat in England and Wales is now £2,405, up 32.6% since 2020 and 55.6% over a decade. Owners of flats in high-rise blocks in London are paying service charges of more than £7,000 a year. Little wonder that first-time buyers are increasingly bypassing flats.
The current system sees homeowners enter into long-term leases in which they must pay sums annually to freeholders. These can rise quickly to very high levels. The government proposes a £250 annual cap on ground rents for existing residential leases and limits on fees for requests such as keeping a pet. Ministers are consulting over whether residents could pay less to buy out freeholds. But there is no sign of action on annual service charges for maintenance costs determined by distant firms. Last year, 37% of flats across England and Wales had a service charge that exceeded 1% of their value – making them hard to mortgage and sell. Surely homeowners should not have to buy their freedom at an outrageous price while being charged for years by a management system they cannot realistically change?
The issue of leasehold has become a campaign flashpoint in the Holborn and St Pancras byelection. Six out of seven homes sold in the constituency last year were sold as leasehold. The Green leader, Zack Polanski, who is standing to be the MP, has made the issue a concrete test of Labour’s credibility. The Greens have paired leasehold abolition with rent controls and affordable housing as part of their claim to end “rip-off Britain”, accusing Labour of favouring developers. Labour denies this, but ministers know that housing is a political powder keg that has already exploded in Berlin and across Spain.
It is remarkable that while legislation banning new leasehold properties is expected before the next election, it is unlikely to come into force until after it. Ministers are said to be afraid of being taken to court by freeholders. But government has already won against them in the courts when defending Michael Gove’s housing bill. The question for the government is whether the proposed reforms give the owners of the existing 5m leasehold homes a credible route out of their dependency – or just regulate their continued subservience. Ministers must show how a leaseholder trapped today will in the future take back control – by obtaining the right to manage property, being able to buy the freehold or converting to commonhold. If ministers offer just another complaints mechanism, they will have broken their promise to end an injustice.
If this government really is committed to social justice then it should act on leasehold sooner rather than later.
Monday, October 05, 2026
Greens split over ‘Zionism is racism’ policy
They add that the Holborn and St Pancras by-election on Thursday, triggered by Keir Starmer's unexpected resignation as an MP, could well prove to be reckning for the Green Party leader if he doesn't perform as well as expected. And now a vote at their party conference looks like it has added to their troubles.
The Mirror tells us that the Green Party has voted to adopt a policy defining Zionism as racist in a controversial move that has dismayed the party's MPs.
They say that members have backed a motion by 1,022 votes to 813, which states that Zionism, the movement to develop and protect a Jewish state in Israel, will be “treated as any other form of racism”:
It supports the establishment of a “single democratic Palestinian State in all of historic Palestine with Jerusalem as its capital”. Members voted down attempts to add a clause to make clear the motion should not be used to “pressure, proscribe or discipline” party members for their affiliation to synagogues or other Jewish groups that describe themselves as Zionist.
The move plunged the Greens into civil war, as the party leadership rushed to distance themselves from it. Party leader Zack Polanski - who skipped the vote to campaign in the Holborn and St Pancras by-election - and his deputies signed a statement saying "there is no conflict between supporting the rights of Palestinians and the rights of Jewish people". It was also signed by the party's five MPs.
The statement said: "As Green Party leaders and MPs, we will always uphold universal human rights. We will never tolerate any form of discrimination or harassment. We will continue to stand in opposition to genocide, ethnic cleansing, apartheid and the illegal occupation.
"We will continue to call out the heinous crimes of the Netanyahu government. And we will continue to work to ensure that the Green Party is an anti-racist party in every way. We know there is no conflict between supporting the rights of Palestinians and the rights of Jewish people."
The move sparked a fierce backlash, with two senior Rabbis said the motion was “anti-semitic in its formulation and intention”. Rabbi Charley Baginsky and Rabbi Josh Levy said: “By adopting it, the Green Party has made anti-semitism party policy and become a racist party.”
Senior leaders from the Board of Deputies, Community Security Trust and Jewish Leadership Council had written to Green leaders ahead of the conference to warn about the motion.
Victims Minister Alex Davies-Jones said: "I know the profound hurt and alarm the Green Party motion will be causing to many in the Jewish community. Labour learned the hard way about addressing extremism in its ranks and we took action to rip the antisemitism from our party by the roots.
"I am speaking to friends who are members of the community to let them know they needn't be frightened, that this is an unacceptable position and that there will always be those in power who will continue to tackle antisemitism head on."
The fact that the amendment on safeguarding Jews failed to pass 684 - 1026 speaks volumes. The Greens are in danger of repeating the mistakes of Corbyn's Labour Party, but going further by isolating themselves through their rejection of a two-state solution favoured by most of the rest of the world.
Sunday, October 04, 2026
Reform continue to block journalists from doing their job
The paper says that Local Democracy Reporter Eddie Bisknell told how an 81-year-old woman won a legal battle with Derbyshire County Council over a garden fence, but Reform UK’s administration, which runs the local authority, now says it will not engage with the journalist after what it characterised as "a prolonged period of concerns":
The decision has prompted a backlash, including from the Society of Editors (SoS), which champions press freedom. SoS chief executive Dawn Alford told the Mirror: “Refusing to engage with a journalist because you object to their reporting sets a dangerous precedent.
"Public bodies must be open to scrutiny, including when the questions are uncomfortable and the coverage is critical. Journalists must be free to investigate, ask questions and hold those in power to account... Cutting off contact with the reporter is plainly wrong and does nothing to resolve those concerns. This matters far beyond one journalist or one story. When a public body shuts out a reporter, it is the public who lose access to answers about decisions taken in their name and money spent on their behalf.
“The Society of Editors urges Reform-led Derbyshire County Council to reverse this decision. Local journalism is essential to democratic accountability, and councils should defend the public’s right to know by engaging openly with those asking questions.”
Mr Bisknell reports for the Derby Telegraph and DerbyshireLive, part of Daily Mirror owner Reach PLC, in a Local Democracy Reporter role funded by the BBC. Derbyshire County Council is majority-controlled by Reform UK, whose leader Nigel Farage has repeatedly spoken out in favour of freedom of speech. The local authority’s deputy leader Stephen Reed reportedly announced the move in an interview with BBC Radio Derby, followed by a press release.
A copy of the press release seen by the Mirror is headed “Reform UK Administration Ends Engagement with Individual Local Democracy Reporter Following Loss of Confidence”. It is described as a “political statement from the Reform UK administration… not a corporate statement issued by Derbyshire County Council”.
The release says: “The Reform UK administration at Derbyshire County Council has taken the decision to end engagement with an individual Local Democracy Reporter following a prolonged period of concerns regarding reporting standards, accuracy, balance and professional conduct. The administration wishes to make absolutely clear that this decision is not an attack on freedom of the press, local journalism or the principle of scrutiny.”
The release claimed the decision had “not been taken because of a single article or individual disagreement”, alleging concerns had “been raised over a longer period”. But in a separate op-ed, Councillor Reed detailed grievances over Mr Bisknell’s reporting on retired teacher Helene Ball’s row with the council.
This sort of behaviour is becoming all too common amongst Reform politicians, it is straight out of the Trump playbook.
Saturday, October 03, 2026
Some of the churches of Gower
The north tends to have more sheep and traditional employment, is home to the area's cockle industry, non-conformist chapels and tends to vote Labour. Of course, these are generalisations but ones that help us to understand the various religious buildings that we can find there.
Mumbles, which sits on the south-eastern edge of the peninsula contains All Saints, a major Church-in-Wales church, Mumbles Methodist Church, which is a Grade II listed building dating back to the mid-18th-century Methodist revival under John Wesley and Our Lady Star of the Sea, a Catholic church as well as a number of other places of worship of all denominations.
Mumbles, which sits on the south-eastern edge of the peninsula contains All Saints, a major Church-in-Wales church, Mumbles Methodist Church, which is a Grade II listed building dating back to the mid-18th-century Methodist revival under John Wesley and Our Lady Star of the Sea, a Catholic church as well as a number of other places of worship of all denominations.
In line with the churches featured below, All Saints also has a famous connection, containing the grave of Thomas Bowdler.
This site lists ten fascinating churches on the peninsula that are worth visiting. It's author tells us that most of them are small, dating from the early medieval (12th and 13th centuries) period, and were built in an area under Anglo-Norman rather than Welsh control.
The author describes St Cadoc Church in Cheriton (pictured above) as the 'humble cathedral of Gower':
This fine 14th-century church may well have been built to replace a church at nearby Landimore, which would have been prone to flooding from the adjacent saltmarshes of the Loughor estuary. It’s built on much higher ground, and serves a tiny village a mile or two east of Llanmadoc, more on which later in the article.
The church is as humble and simple as most other Gower churches. Its one difference is its central tower, between the nave and the chancel. In cathedrals and larger churches transepts would be built to the north and south, but this wasn’t the case at Cheriton.
The church is dedicated to St Cadoc, one of the most prominent early Welsh saints, who founded an important monastery at Llancarfan, 40 miles to the east in the Vale of Glamorgan. What we see today was largely built in the Early English Gothic style, with typical narrow lancet windows. It was restored from 1875 onwards under the auspices of the Rector, Reverend J D Davies, who also served the neighbouring village of Llanmadoc.
Those with an interest in medical history may be intrigued to know that Sigmund Freud’s biographer, Ernest Jones, is buried in Cheriton churchyard. A psychoanalyst himself, he was born in. nearby Gowerton and had a holiday home just up the road in Llanmadoc.
St Mary's Church in Pennard (above) is also a replacement for an earlier, abandoned church:
The original was close to Pennard Castle, overlooking nearby Three Cliffs Bay, which eventually succumbed to the encroaching sand dunes which still threaten what is left of the castle.
The battlemented west tower is tiny, almost a miniature, and anyone climbing it would have to be a lot smaller and slimmer than me to do so!
Inside, the most noticeable feature is the wooden gallery at the west end of the church, with a row of pews either side. This is where musicians would perform in times gone by. There is also a memorial tablet to Vernon Watkins, a renowned Gower poet, and contemporary and friend of Dylan Thomas. His remarkable wife Gwen, who recently passed away aged 101, was one of the Enigma codebreakers at Bletchley Park during World War Two.
Last, but not least for this post, there is St Mary's Church in Rhossili, another building linked to a well-known historical person:
It’s a simple medieval church with a saddleback tower, a type common throughout South Wales. It replaced an earlier church built at a lower level closer to the beach, long since lost to the sand dunes.
The oldest part of the church is the late Romanesque south doorway, the sole survivor from this period on Gower. There is also a lepers’ window in the chancel, where sufferers of the disease could observe the service being conducted from outside.
Rhossili Church also attracts visitors keen to see the wall memorial to Petty Officer Edgar Evans, who was born in the village in 1876. He was one of four men who accompanied Captain Robert Falcon Scott in his expedition to the South Pole, which they reached in January 1912, a few weeks after Norwegian Roald Amundsen and his expedition arrived there. He died in the expedition tent, but his body was never found. The plaque was commissioned by his widow Lois.
I propose to do more posts on these churches and chapels over the next few weeks. Another site that may be worth looking at for information is here.
This site lists ten fascinating churches on the peninsula that are worth visiting. It's author tells us that most of them are small, dating from the early medieval (12th and 13th centuries) period, and were built in an area under Anglo-Norman rather than Welsh control.
The author describes St Cadoc Church in Cheriton (pictured above) as the 'humble cathedral of Gower':
This fine 14th-century church may well have been built to replace a church at nearby Landimore, which would have been prone to flooding from the adjacent saltmarshes of the Loughor estuary. It’s built on much higher ground, and serves a tiny village a mile or two east of Llanmadoc, more on which later in the article.
The church is as humble and simple as most other Gower churches. Its one difference is its central tower, between the nave and the chancel. In cathedrals and larger churches transepts would be built to the north and south, but this wasn’t the case at Cheriton.
The church is dedicated to St Cadoc, one of the most prominent early Welsh saints, who founded an important monastery at Llancarfan, 40 miles to the east in the Vale of Glamorgan. What we see today was largely built in the Early English Gothic style, with typical narrow lancet windows. It was restored from 1875 onwards under the auspices of the Rector, Reverend J D Davies, who also served the neighbouring village of Llanmadoc.
Those with an interest in medical history may be intrigued to know that Sigmund Freud’s biographer, Ernest Jones, is buried in Cheriton churchyard. A psychoanalyst himself, he was born in. nearby Gowerton and had a holiday home just up the road in Llanmadoc.
The original was close to Pennard Castle, overlooking nearby Three Cliffs Bay, which eventually succumbed to the encroaching sand dunes which still threaten what is left of the castle.
The battlemented west tower is tiny, almost a miniature, and anyone climbing it would have to be a lot smaller and slimmer than me to do so!
Inside, the most noticeable feature is the wooden gallery at the west end of the church, with a row of pews either side. This is where musicians would perform in times gone by. There is also a memorial tablet to Vernon Watkins, a renowned Gower poet, and contemporary and friend of Dylan Thomas. His remarkable wife Gwen, who recently passed away aged 101, was one of the Enigma codebreakers at Bletchley Park during World War Two.
It’s a simple medieval church with a saddleback tower, a type common throughout South Wales. It replaced an earlier church built at a lower level closer to the beach, long since lost to the sand dunes.
The oldest part of the church is the late Romanesque south doorway, the sole survivor from this period on Gower. There is also a lepers’ window in the chancel, where sufferers of the disease could observe the service being conducted from outside.
Rhossili Church also attracts visitors keen to see the wall memorial to Petty Officer Edgar Evans, who was born in the village in 1876. He was one of four men who accompanied Captain Robert Falcon Scott in his expedition to the South Pole, which they reached in January 1912, a few weeks after Norwegian Roald Amundsen and his expedition arrived there. He died in the expedition tent, but his body was never found. The plaque was commissioned by his widow Lois.
I propose to do more posts on these churches and chapels over the next few weeks. Another site that may be worth looking at for information is here.
Labels: lochist
Friday, October 02, 2026
Has Ed Davey got it wrong on the triple lock?
The paper says that Tom Gordon said he thought Sir Ed Davey had “missed the point” and that it was “for the birds” that the state pension trip lock helps millennials:
Lib Dem leader Sir Ed earlier today said changing the triple lock would mean millennials, those aged 30 to 45, would have a “very poor pension” when they retire.
In a post on social media, Mr Gordon wrote: “I listened to Ed Davey on (BBC Radio 4’s Today) this morning, and frankly, I think he missed the point. The idea that we're keeping the triple lock to help millennials is at best for the birds, and at worst downright insulting. I say that as a millennial.
“The case for the triple lock is a worthy one - stopping pensioner poverty. I want that as much as anyone. But pensioners are now less likely to be in poverty than children or working age adults.
“That money should go where it's needed most - to everyone in poverty, not just one group. It could help fund free personal care, a policy that would disproportionately benefit older people.”
He added that “intergenerational inequality is already one of the defining injustices of our time”, highlighting how millennials are locked out of the housing market, paying higher taxes and struggling with spiralling student loans.
He added: "Telling millennials we're keeping the triple lock to help us in 30 years' time is nonsense... I joined this party because I care about fairness and tackling inequality, and that has to include inequality between generations. This line, and this decision, fails on both counts. Ed needs to think again."
Lib Dem MP Tim Farron, a former leader of the party, also appeared to suggest Mr Burnham's policies aligned with the party. He wrote on social media: "Reflecting on the PM’s leader’s speech. It was a cracking piece of oratory. It also included loads of Lib Dem ideas e.g. on social care, Europe and water - this is good news for us as a party and as a country. The task for the Lib Dems is to make sure these are more than words."
Sir Ed, who cares for his disabled son John, has long been a champion of social care, making it a key plank of the Lib Dems’ policy agenda.
Some Labour MPs were left surprised by his negative response to Mr Burnham’s Labour conference speech on Tuesday, in which he vowed to contest the next election on a pledge to create a National Care Service that would be free at the point of use.
And Tom is not the only Liberal Democrat MP who has expressed dissent with the leader's position. Vicky Slade the MP for Mid Dorset & North Poole posted on BlueSky: 'Pensioners will gain more from free social care than a linking rise of state pension to earnings. Proud of triple lock in coalition but we must plan for future not venerate the past.'
The BBC add that a Lib Dem MP contacted them after Sir Ed's interview to say the majority of the parliamentary party would not support opposing Burnham's changes to the triple lock. They continue:
One frontbench Lib Dem MP told the BBC after Burnham's Labour conference speech: "Lots of us [are] struggling tonight with [a] Labour leader articulating Lib Dem values better than we do."
They pointed to Burnham's promises on electoral reform, social care, the water industry, and relations with Europe - all Lib Dem campaign points in recent years.
"I'm honestly utterly despondent with the state of things," another Lib Dem MP said.
Some senior Lib Dems believe Sir Ed's position as leader has been vulnerable for some time, even if they stressed no challenge is imminent.
"A plausible candidate could take him tomorrow in a bloodless coup," one prominent party figure said.
"But that person hasn't yet revealed themselves as far as I'm aware. Nobody is going to blow anything up without a clear plan to put something in its place."
Burnham's proposal is not actually that radical. it will still guarantee a minimum increase of 2.5% each year in the pension, but it will also release money for social care that is much needed. This knee-jerk reaction from Ed Davey is not a good look for the party.
Thursday, October 01, 2026
So many questions over Burnham's agenda
For a start, what form of proportional representation is being proposed? What is the timescale and will there have to be another plebiscite before we can proceed? Just another commission, no real commitment.
And what exactly is being proposed regarding the EU and the single market? How long will it take to make progress on this promise?
The biggest questions though relate to how Burnham is proposing to pay for his new National Care Service. The Times reports that Andy Burnham has admitted there may be a “shortfall” in his plans to fund a new national care service as economists warned he would have to raise taxes to cover the cost.
They say that Burnham told Times Radio he wanted to introduce the new service, which would be free at the point of use, “as soon as possible” even though the savings found by scrapping the triple lock will not be fully realised until 2040:
Speaking after his conference speech in Liverpool, Burnham said: “It will be fully funded. That’s what I was saying today. That when we do introduce it, it will be fully funded, and we’ll obviously make those proposals next year.”
Burnham announced plans to adjust the triple lock from April 2030. Economists said he would still have to raise either income tax or national insurance in the short term to fund the new care service, which will cover the cost of personal care but not residential accommodation or food. The service is expected to cost up to £18bn a year.
Pressed on whether other funding would be needed before the savings built up, Burnham said: “I will put a plan before the country at the next general election, where we say this is our national care service, this is how we will fund it.
“The decision on the triple lock, the adjustment, and it is an adjustment — it’s not getting rid of the whole concept of the triple lock — this releases this much. The NHS truly will be able to make savings … from a better social care system.
“And then if there’s a shortfall, well, we’d have to be honest about that shortfall and say where that money is coming.”
In his speech, Burnham ruled out funding the service through borrowing, leaving him with only the option of tax rises in the interim.
The government said savings from the pension changes would reach about £15bn by 2040, but did not give a figure for the cost of the service.
Burnham said Baroness Casey of Blackstock’s review would examine the options for its design and timing.
Asked how he could guarantee the funding, he said: “There are options to do it. You could, obviously if you wanted, put the time back, the date back by which the service comes in, because the triple lock decision will release billions more money as we go through the next decade. So there’s obviously a timing question there.”
I suppose we are going to have to wait before we get more clarity, but how the uncertaintly and the growing number of questions will hit Labour's ratings will have to be seen.
The biggest questions though relate to how Burnham is proposing to pay for his new National Care Service. The Times reports that Andy Burnham has admitted there may be a “shortfall” in his plans to fund a new national care service as economists warned he would have to raise taxes to cover the cost.
They say that Burnham told Times Radio he wanted to introduce the new service, which would be free at the point of use, “as soon as possible” even though the savings found by scrapping the triple lock will not be fully realised until 2040:
Speaking after his conference speech in Liverpool, Burnham said: “It will be fully funded. That’s what I was saying today. That when we do introduce it, it will be fully funded, and we’ll obviously make those proposals next year.”
Burnham announced plans to adjust the triple lock from April 2030. Economists said he would still have to raise either income tax or national insurance in the short term to fund the new care service, which will cover the cost of personal care but not residential accommodation or food. The service is expected to cost up to £18bn a year.
Pressed on whether other funding would be needed before the savings built up, Burnham said: “I will put a plan before the country at the next general election, where we say this is our national care service, this is how we will fund it.
“The decision on the triple lock, the adjustment, and it is an adjustment — it’s not getting rid of the whole concept of the triple lock — this releases this much. The NHS truly will be able to make savings … from a better social care system.
“And then if there’s a shortfall, well, we’d have to be honest about that shortfall and say where that money is coming.”
In his speech, Burnham ruled out funding the service through borrowing, leaving him with only the option of tax rises in the interim.
The government said savings from the pension changes would reach about £15bn by 2040, but did not give a figure for the cost of the service.
Burnham said Baroness Casey of Blackstock’s review would examine the options for its design and timing.
Asked how he could guarantee the funding, he said: “There are options to do it. You could, obviously if you wanted, put the time back, the date back by which the service comes in, because the triple lock decision will release billions more money as we go through the next decade. So there’s obviously a timing question there.”
I suppose we are going to have to wait before we get more clarity, but how the uncertaintly and the growing number of questions will hit Labour's ratings will have to be seen.
