Absolutely honoured to have been re-elected as Councillor of Crystal Palace and Anerley for a second term! 🌹 Thank you so much to every single person whose supported us on the campaign trail! 🙏

The many takes flying around about John Healey, resignation gossip and national security spending miss a fundamental point. In Finland, where people have a strong social safety net and a real sense of shared national purpose, around 80% say they would be prepared to defend their country. In the UK, that figure is closer to 30%. That should tell us something. Until we change the financial architecture of our economy and bring the essentials of life out of the grip of corporate extraction and into public ownership, we will always be told to choose between bombs and butter. But the reality is we need both. Modern hybrid warfare means every public service is part of our national resilience. Energy, water, housing, health, transport, food security and social care are not separate from defence. They are defence. If we want people to defend the country, we have to build a country people believe is worth defending. A thriving state. A fair economy. A society where everyone feels they have a stake. I spoke about this on Peston on Monday night.

Three trophies. Oliver Glasner.

What a season it has been. A European journey that ended with silverware and yet more history made for this incredible club. You were behind us every step of the way. The best fans in the world. ❤️💙

WE HAVE DONE IT. WE ARE THE UEFA CONFERENCE LEAGUE WINNERS.

Congratulations to Mayor Mamdani. He inherited a huge budget deficit, brought it down to zero, and still invested in childcare, housing and city infrastructure. When municipal governments stand with working families, not billionaires, there is nothing they cannot accomplish.

That’s how you do it! 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 @MayorofLondon

I am proud and humbled to have been selected as Labour’s candidate for Makerfield. These proud working-class communities represent the very best values of our country and they deserve so much better. It would be my honour to work for them every day, if elected as their MP, to achieve that. Many people here feel Westminster isn’t working for them and they are right. I am standing to change that and get the voice of these communities heard loud and clear. I am glad that this by-election has finally put the places that make up the Makerfield constituency into the national spotlight. They have been neglected by national politics for too long. It is a good thing that all political parties are now on the hook to tell the voters here what they are going to do for them. More than anything, people need life to be more affordable again. As Mayor, I have brought in changes which are helping, such as the £2 fare cap, free bus travel for our 16-18 year-olds and removing the 9.30am restriction from older and disabled people’s bus passes. But there is only so much I can do from Greater Manchester. If elected, I will have a relentless focus on reducing people’s everyday costs and bills and well as securing the investment these communities need. I have been an elected representative in Greater Manchester for 25 years. Throughout that time, I have fought for the people of the North West of England on so many fronts. I am now ready to bring the whole weight of that experience to fighting for the communities of the Makerfield constituency and would be privileged to be given that opportunity.

I’m pleased at the announcement this evening that Andy Burnham is planning to return to Parliament. It’s good news for the Labour Party and the country. Andy shouldn’t have been blocked from Gorton & Denton. And he shouldn’t be blocked now. My statement ⬇️

It's an honour to have been re-elected for my third term as Councillor for Crystal Palace and Anerley. Thank you to the most amazing community for putting your continued trust and faith in me.

🚨 March together against the Far right Join us in London on 28 March 2026 as we march against the far right. Sign-up here: togetheralliance.org.uk

.@ZohranKMamdani’s line is a near-perfect mirror-image rebuttal to Thatcher’s “there is no such thing as society”. It’s hardly surprising the right-wing headbangers are in meltdown. We’re all inextricably linked & it makes total sense he’d champion the “warmth of collectivism”.

Donald Trump’s bombing of Venezuela is an illegal attack on a sovereign nation. It is a blatant grab for Venezuelan oil, risking the lives of innocent civilians. All of us who care about international law must condemn this.

Wishing Palace fans around the world a Happy New Year ❤️💙

Keith was a true gentleman, a great laugh and a brilliant Councillor. His passing is a huge loss to all who knew him. Thoughts and prayers to all of Keith's family and loved ones 🙏

RMT General Secretary Eddie Dempsey: "Here’s the thing – strikes are effective. "I hate to say this: people aren’t paid according to what social value they bring to society. If they were, you wouldn’t see nurses going to food banks. Your wages depend on the strength of the union and your preparedness to take militant strike action." politicshome.com/news/articl…

Flying high 🦅🦅🦅

I’ve held back from commenting on the revelations about Nigel Farage’s past racism. Not because the story shocked me. For many in this country, it merely confirms what we’ve suspected for years. But some will be hearing these allegations for the first time, and it’s to you that I want to speak. Most of us have said or done things when we were young that we look back on with regret. That’s part of growing up. We make mistakes, we cringe at our former selves, we learn, we change. Some of those early attitudes fall away. Others become the foundations of who we later become. What’s now emerging about Nigel Farage isn’t a single stupid comment or one heated moment. Former classmates are describing a pattern of behaviour. Not just a bully. A racist bully of the ugliest kind. That doesn’t automatically mean he holds every one of those views today. But look at his politics. Look at his rhetoric. Look at the company he keeps and the division he trades in. It paints a picture of a man whose worldview didn’t appear to grow out of those foundations, but grew from them. So what does that mean now? If you already oppose Farage, this only hardens your resolve. If you adore him, nothing I say will shift you. But there’s a group of people I do want to reach: those considering voting Reform. I’m not going to patronise you. I understand why many are thinking about it. If you’ve watched your pay stall, your bills rise, your community decline, and your politicians shrug for years, you might well think: what have I got to lose? Why not give the system a kick? Why not try something different? And you may feel the country has taken a wrong turn. That we’ve lost something precious and need to put it right. Those instincts aren’t wicked. They aren’t racist. They come from frustration, disappointment, and a desire for dignity and control in your own life. But here’s the truth that cannot be dodged. Most people in this country are good, decent, fair-minded. They don’t want to see hate imported into the heart of their politics. They don’t want their children growing up in a country defined by fear and division. So ask yourself this, quietly and honestly: is Nigel Farage a changed man? Has he shown any sign that he regrets the person he was? Or has he built a career by sharpening those same instincts into a political weapon? Because if he hasn’t changed, then every vote for Farage isn’t a protest. It’s permission. It hands real power to a man whose teenage cruelty seems less like a phase and more like a blueprint. This country is far from perfect, but it is worth fighting for. And once a politics of hatred takes root at the top, a country doesn’t easily come back from it. You know this in your gut. We all do. Nigel Farage is not fit to lead this country. A vote for him, or for those who still cheer the views he held as a teenager, would stain the country we love with something we may never fully wash away. And to the Reform diehards who will now pile into the comments with abuse: crack on. You’ll only prove the point.

Ever get the feeling you're being ripped off?

Your ‘suspects’ were 11 and 8. And they were collecting firewood.