Exc: Inside the MoD’s battle over Britishness
- Any firm deemed British if they have a UK postcode
- MoD’s new Office for Small Business Growth (OfSBG) is a target for ire
- Govt scrapped final meeting after backlash
- OfSBG’s boss quits after only 90 days
www.politicshome.com/news/article...
Delighted to announce I'm one of the PINF's Tenacious Journalists cohort. Honoured to have been selected alongside such great colleagues, I can't wait to get started on some really interesting investigations!
www.publicinterestnews.org.uk/blog/announc...
Delighted to announce I'm one of the PINF's Tenacious Journalists cohort. Honoured to have been selected alongside such great colleagues, I can't wait to get started on some really interesting investigations!
www.publicinterestnews.org.uk/blog/announc...
Looking for some recommendations for non fiction books (ideally journalistic, holiday inspiration etc) to read on my travels next week. Please send over any suggestions!
I know it's easy to hate on reporters but I'm going to defend him here. I think this is a great question. Succinct, direct, gets a clear, unequivocal and interesting response from her. And I don't think the premise is unfair. Lots of athletes would say 'gold or bust'.
EXC: Lord McDonald has attempted to block Antonia Romeo from promotions three times previously.
In anonymised sections of his memoir, McDonald describes Romeo as “self-promoter”, and the 2017 investigation findings as “catastrophic and damning”.
www.politicshome.com/news/article...
- In 2017, McDonald says his investigation should have paused or cancelled Romeo’s promotion to Perm Sec.
- In 2019, he appears to block Romeo from the US ambo job
- In 2024, he privately pushed against Romeo during Cab Sec I/vs.
- In 2025, intervenes via C4
www.politicshome.com/news/article...
EXC: Lord McDonald has attempted to block Antonia Romeo from promotions three times previously.
In anonymised sections of his memoir, McDonald describes Romeo as “self-promoter”, and the 2017 investigation findings as “catastrophic and damning”.
www.politicshome.com/news/article...
“At all levels of the civil service, there's a feeling of sheer outrage that a retired civil servant could launch an attack on an existing one..."
The PM's plan to make Antonia Romeo the new Cabinet Secretary has provoked an extraordinary row among senior civil servants
Ben Gartside looks at why
For @thehousemag.bsky.social I’ve profiled Greg Jackson, the Octopus boss who has quickly become one of the most influential corporate voices in Westminster.
www.politicshome.com/news/article...
Happy to say I’ll be helping out the great team at The House over the next couple months. If you’re in Westminster and fancy a drink/coffee/lunch, give me a shout!
For @thehousemag.bsky.social I’ve profiled Greg Jackson, the Octopus boss who has quickly become one of the most influential corporate voices in Westminster.
www.politicshome.com/news/article...
Pleased to have worked on this documentary as a researcher. You can watch it here: www.channel4.com/programmes/p...
Thank you Steph!
Delighted to be shortlisted for the 2026 Tenacious Journalist Awards, alongside some great colleagues.
www.publicinterestnews.org.uk/blog/announc...
Has changing a PM’s Chief of staff/senior advisor/comms director ever had a sustained impact on their fortunes?
Nice to be reminded that it's almost a year to the day since Peter Mandelson texted me to tell me to "stop bothering" him with "ridiculous nonsense"
spectator.com/article/welc...
Police taken off the front line. Kennels operating a ‘one in, one out’ rule. Teenage volunteers quitting when faced with a dog heavier than them. Magistrates giving dogs a stay of execution, owners refusing to take them back.
Welcome to XL bully death row
spectator.com/article/welc...
Inside XL bully death row:
- Kennels are at capacity ('one in, one out')
- Soft touch magistrates are increasingly releasing dogs
- Teen staff at kennels quitting over safety fears, police officers diverted away from burglaries
by me, for The Spectator
spectator.com/article/welc...
Inside XL bully death row:
- Kennels are at capacity ('one in, one out')
- Soft touch magistrates are increasingly releasing dogs
- Teen staff at kennels quitting over safety fears, police officers diverted away from burglaries
by me, for The Spectator
spectator.com/article/welc...
‘There’s no way of finding out what’s really happening in there,’ says Aaron Rainey, an XL bully expert who advises police forces and dog owners across the UK.
✍️ Ben Gartside
Police taken off the front line. Kennels operating a ‘one in, one out’ rule. Teenage volunteers quitting when faced with a dog heavier than them. Magistrates giving dogs a stay of execution, owners refusing to take them back.
Welcome to XL bully death row
spectator.com/article/welc...
driven by advisors, the vast majority of whom are far too young to have actually been there (or in the PM's case, had a real job during).
Some Labour MPs briefing about Labour losing a GM Mayoral by-election is funny, in so far as it would indicate the party was in such shocking health they might as well all pack up?
Across 2 elections, Burnham has won 429 out of 430 wards!
Very very excited to read this!
I’ve not covered Labour in about half a decade so presumably this is completely wrong. If so, I’ll get back to catching up on Industry
My theory of leadership challenges is that it’s never about who replaces the person, but the leader being removed.
If it were to happen, it would have already. If it hasn’t happened, it won’t regardless of challenger. If it will happen, it will have nothing to do with the person challenging.
Feels like ‘Labour Party internal battle where specifics of rules are debated for days before it ultimately turns out that just depends on who has the most votes in the room’ comes sooner and sooner every year
