Co-Founder of @BritainElects. Senior Data Journalist for the @NewStatesman. Borough Councillor for Chester's city centre, West Cheshire
Joined March 2017
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- Followers 28,960
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2,995 Photos and videos
Two 5pt leads for Burnham in Makerfield now. But both show Restore getting a larger share of the vote than 5pts. If there was a time for Restore to make an intervention and endorse Kenyon, this would be the weekend.
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Ben Walker retweeted
Another Makerfield constituency poll: @OpiniumResearch for Forward Democracy exclusive by @Athena_Stavrou @Independent
Andy Burnham Labour 46%
Robert Kenyon Reform 41%
Rebecca Shepherd Restore 7%
Sample 543
independent.co.uk/news/uk/po…
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Ben Walker retweeted
Jun 12
In his ever brilliant column, @patrickkmaguire has obtained a memo from one of Starmer’s closest allies advising him what to say on Friday.
thetimes.com/article/7989fac…
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I am genuinely interested in the counter factual where winter fuel didn’t happen. Nearly 2 years on it still comes up more often than not in focus groups (and contrary to what some assume just as often from non pensioners) as the moment people lost faith in Starmer and his Govt
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Ben Walker retweeted
Jun 11
🧵I spent the start of this week speaking to some of those on the ground in the Makerfield by-election.
@BNHWalker provided some great insight:
Compared with Caerphilly, where Lab HQ had to bring in staffers to campaign, Makerfield reminds him of the Corbyn years.
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Jun 11
Christ, real vote of no confidence if your Defence Secretary leaves you, amidst a funding review
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Jun 11
Bring back the Witenagemot
On the train to ‘Little Westminster’/Makerfield and wonder maybe rather than moving Parliament/Civil Service/media/think tankers to a single new non-London location we just need a series of high stakes by-elections that create a rotating version of the EU’s Strasbourg Parliament
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Jun 11
There are two polar opposite experiences being touted from the Reform camp about Restore's presence in Makerfield. Can't quite square it.
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Jun 10
a real sorry decline for a once oft used website, AI all over
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Ben Walker retweeted
Jun 9
I've heard this quite a few times. But overwhelmingly I hear it from people who are not otherwise near to or seemingly particularly excited about having children, not say, couples who'd otherwise be keen, and are devastated that their climate concerns suggest they shouldn't.
Jun 9
I have never once in my life encountered someone expressing this sentiment. Either I live in quite a bubble, or Ezra Klein does.
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Jun 9
Now I can afford a home
Coffee falls to its lowest closing price since 2024 📉☕️ Congrats everyone, we did it 🥳🫂
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Jun 8
That 55% among 18-24yr olds!
‘Backrooms’ director Kane Parsons has criticised AI as “cultural rot” and said if he could snap his fingers and make generative AI disappear forever, he would - but would the British public?
Would: 42%
Would not: 36%
Link in replies
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Ben Walker retweeted
Jun 8
When local elections - or by-elections - take place, the local misinfo spikes. We could not tell if this was organic or co-ordinated inauthentic behaviour. But it is damaging to local democracy.
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Ben Walker retweeted
Constituency names in
UK: Vale of Summer Blossoms West
Canada: Essex—Jonquière—Nunuvat
US: State X's 7th district
Australia: Larry
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Ben Walker retweeted
Jun 6
I love it when people make things like this, without, I assume, being asked or paid to do so. The passion for getting things rights shines through every page of this proposal.
My favourite detail is the ‘tick and notch’ detailing on the wayfinding signage.
The sector I work with - higher education - could learn so much about branding and about wayfinding campus signage from reading this one PDF visual identity proposal document.
It has arrived!
Moving Britain, by Design
a visual identity proposal for Great British Railways.
Read the full proposal here:
mbbd.lkbergen.com
or
bit.ly/mbbd-gd (Google Drive)
Let me show you some highlights - 🧵👇
ALT Front cover for "Moving Britain, by Design", a proposal for a fully considered, and more accessible visual indentity for Great British Railways.
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Ben Walker retweeted
Jun 6
Three ways to improve high streets by *raising* business rates:
1. Higher rates on long-empty shops, to force realistic rents
2. End exemption for charity shops.
3. Make landlords pay when candy/vape shops vanish with unpaid rates. They'll ensure rates are paid up-front.
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Ben Walker retweeted
Not only are liveries a form of micro-wayfinding within station contexts, it has never been more important than now to formally adopt and standardise our accessibility and door surround graphics standards, not just to meet the RVAR Legislation, but to far exceed its expectations.
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Ben Walker retweeted
Jun 4
This all strikes me as rather odd behaviour. What exactly did these anonymous MPs think Burnham was going to do if he arrives in Westminster - go on an open top bus sight seeing tour?
BREAKING: Andy Burnham has announced he will challenge Keir Starmer for the Labour leadership if he wins the Makerfield by-election.
Labour figures already fuming. Could this backfire?
Labour MP texts: ‘There’s no way I’m going to Makerfield now, good luck to the whips!’
Labour source texts: ‘Andy Burnham ran for leader in 2010 and lost. He ran for leader in 2015 and lost. He has spent the last two years undermining this Labour government at every opportunity in pursuit of his goal of becoming Labour leader. To suggest he’s only running because of Wes is an insult to everyone with a modicum of intelligence.’
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