EXC Does your council wrongly block projects, and have to pay millions in council tax when the decisions are overturned? We reveal what's going wrong. Investigation by @JoeCookJ and me, interrogating everyone planning council in England

BREAKING: Armed Forces minister Al Carns resigns from government after criticising defence investment plan on Sky News Latest ⬇️ news.sky.com/story/politics-…

EXCLUSIVE Andy Burnham interview in this week's New Statesman - wonders whether we would still be in the EU if he had been elected Labour leader in 2015 - declines to defend Ed Miliband on North Sea oil and gas “I’ve got something of an open mind, you know. I don’t have a sort of fixed position.” - responds to Joshi Herrmann piece ("I've not read it" - "he's not sympathetic") and criticism that he is vague on his plan for the country and 'Manchesterism' - tells a voter he will "possibly" challenge to become PM - much more in the piece. As ever, please actually read it newstatesman.com/politics/uk…

It’s okay for the Tories/Times/Telegraph to pretend that taxes are up “because of welfare”. That’s politics. But if you care about policy you need to understand that is a long way from the truth - and wrestle with the consequences

Exclusive from @eleanorhayward Britain is facing an “economic catastrophe” as young adults “rewired” by smartphones are becoming trapped in worklessness, a government review has found A landmark report into why one million young people are off work says businesses must adapt to this “anxious generation” by offering greater flexibility and mental health support Alan Milburn, a former health secretary, was appointed by Sir Keir Starmer to investigate the 946,000 16 to 24-year-olds not in education, employment or training, known as Neets His interim report, to be published next week, says that a “rising tide of mental ill-health, anxiety, depression, neurodiversity” is the main reason for high economic inactivity Milburn said that these young people “are not snowflakes or faking it”, adding that their heightened distress and anxiety is linked to growing up in a digital age on social media The review team held focus groups with young people, which revealed smartphones had led to poorer sleep and mental distress. “Every one of a group of ten 12 and 13-year-olds told us they went to bed between midnight and 3am because they were scrolling on their phone,” the review says Milburn said: “This is a bedroom generation. They are sort of living in their bedrooms. They are on all the time, they’re never off. [Social media] is leading to some evidence of functional impairment, changing their sleep patterns, concentration levels. That is having an impact on their ability to work “ thetimes.com/article/304dbf2…

NEW: If Andy Burnham wins the Makerfield byelection he is required to quit the Manchester Metro Mayor and it will hold an election. Government has passed legislation to change the mayoral voting system away from FPTP to a proportional system BUT The government haven’t passed the necessary secondary legislation to enact this change. So as it’s stands, a mayoral election would be held under FPTP