ANDREW NEIL: Andy Burnham is not Labour's new messiah — and he might not even be much of an improvement on Starmer. mol.im/a/15896057

Every single person who still cringes at the memory of trying to bullshit their way through an interview or exam question: today, the slate is wiped clean. Set down your burden of shame. Nothing - nothing, I say - could touch this.

Well, Zia, you seem to have done alright during those 14 years. You started your business in 2014 (under a Conservative government). You sold your business in 2023 for a reported £233m (under a Conservative government). I salute your success, but perhaps you might have the grace to recognise that: Energy: For most of that time, UK energy prices were internationally competitive (see graph). Taxes: We cut Corporation Tax from 28% to 19% (we did raise it again to 25% post-pandemic to repay some of the £500bn we pumped into the economy to help businesses like yours stay in business). Red Tape: We doubled the qualifying period for unfair dismissal from 12 months to 24 months to make it easier for businesses to employ people. Some things we got wrong, of course, but it’s definitely wrong to say we got everything wrong. Most business people know all this, so it appears that you’re the one who’s insulting the intelligence of both the Founders Forum and British wealth creators - and everyone else for that matter. Oh, and by the way, your parents were welcomed to this country from Sri Lanka in the early 1980s (under a Conservative government).

“The defence of our nation is the first duty of government.” It is. Your predecessor resigned yesterday because Keir Starmer wouldn’t fund it properly. We need to cut welfare to pay for defence.

The @Conservatives are the only party with a plan to tackle Britain’s debt 👇🏻

First the Defence Secretary resigned saying the government is making the country and our troops less safe. Then the Veterans Minister went, saying the government is abandoning our veterans and it’s harming our national defence. It’s clear the armed forces have lost all faith in Keir Starmer. A Prime Minister who cannot command the respect of our military cannot continue in office. Britain’s national security must come before Keir Starmer’s ego. The Prime Minister’s time is up.

Spot on from @KemiBadenoch in PMQs today. Labour lack the backbone to cut welfare in order to invest in our defence.

Faced with a choice between a Defence Secretary who wanted to spend more on our armed forces, a Chancellor who wouldn’t, and an Attorney General who enjoys suing them, the Prime Minister decided he could do without … the Defence Secretary.

So much of John Healey’s resignation letter is damning but lines that should really worry those inside government trying to make changes and those outside hoping for them? That despite a war in Ukraine, a war in Iran, cyber threats, unpredictable allies, the impact of energy and resource insecurity on the U.K., this Prime Minister made promises he knew he could not keep and shut his own well-respected Defence Secretary out of the process to agree funding for the DIP to try and push through something inadequate and save his own political blushes. In the same week he welcomed Macron, Mertz and Zelensky to Downing Street to stand in front of flags and promise unwavering commitment, knowing the money to pay for it didn’t exist.

This is bullshit. What I ACTUALLY said is we "cannot have another left-wing government. But I'm afraid that Reform has quite a lot of left-wing ideas. They want more benefits. They want nationalisation” I then said. On "deals, non-aggression pacts and so on....I'm just saying no. It's just no, no, no, no, no, no, no."

Yes. And I will 💅

The Government cut funding for Level 7 apprenticeships for British people over 22 because it couldn’t afford them, but has found £5k per worker for firms to hire non-British workers. Totally ridiculous.

John Healey’s resignation tells us two things: 1. Labour’s inability to control spending (especially welfare) means they are unable to properly protect our country. 2. ⁠This is a dying government which has lost its ability to function.

Labour's own people are telling you everything you need to know. Wes Streeting: Reeves has no plan for growth. Pat McFadden: all Labour want to do is tax more to pay more benefits. John Healey: Starmer won't fund our armed forces. Jess Phillips: PM only acted to protect women and girls when it needed to save his own skin over Mandelson. A government turning in on itself.

For Katrina from Sproatley, being able to reserve a train seat isn't a convenience. It's essential. After she got in touch, I raised her case in Parliament and have written to Northern Rail calling for improvements so disabled passengers can travel with confidence and dignity.

Why are Reform supporters trying to suppress debate about the role their MPs - Suella Braverman and Robert Jenrick - had in allowing the Belfast attacker to remain in the UK. Why are they trying to suppress debate about Nigel Farage's failure to condemn last night's violence.

Wanting to compensate the WASPIs is disqualifying for sentience, let alone No 10

While we still wait on Labour government defence spending plans (the Defence Investment Plan — DIP) to finance last year’s Strategic Defence Review (SDR), let’s keep in mind these salient points when it eventually appears: 1. The current £28 billion shortfall in defence spending over the next four years has nothing to do with implementing the SDR. The £28 billion is simply what’s needed to meet current defence commitments/plans. 2. So funding for SDR would have to be on top of the £28 billion — which would mean tens of billions more over the next five or so years into the early 2030s. 3. The extra money now being floated as what the government is likely to announce — £13.5 billion over four years — wouldn’t even cover half the shortfall never mind produce a penny for the SDR. It’s a pittance compared with what’s required. 4. We currently spend 2.4% GDP on defence (and even that is boosted by some statistical sleights of hand). The only current concrete plan is to go to 2.5/6% in the next financial year. Now the Treasury is saying it doesn’t even want to set 3% as a target before 2034/35 — by which time if Reeves-Starmer-Treasury have their way we will be a minor player in military matters. 5 This government is dishonest the best of times. I fear we’re about to discover that when it comes to the defence of the realm — its primary duty as a government — it is a serial liar.

We have nearly 2 million people unemployed in the UK. The Government is relentlessly taxing businesses - so they can’t afford to employ people. But now they are giving businesses £5k back per foreign worker they hire. It’s madness.

Does your local deserve to be our Community Pub Hero? Local pubs are having a tough time. But many are still raising money, backing local teams, hosting community groups and bringing people together. I want residents to choose which pub should represent our area in the national Community Pub Hero Awards.