Author: Miles Donavan

Peter Kyle has become the latest senior political figure who has refused to rule out quitting Elon Musk’s X, after claiming that the site was no longer as enjoyable as it used to be. Labour Cabinet Minister Peter Kyle has become the latest senior political figure who has refused to rule out quitting Elon Musk’s X, after claiming that the site was no longer as enjoyable as it used to be. Tech billionaire Musk has come in for criticism in recent months, for allowing X to become a platform where fake news and extremist content is allowed to go unchecked.…

He had not publicly disclosed the conviction before he was elected as an MP It’s been revealed that a Reform UK MP James McMurdock was jailed 18 years ago for repeatedly kicking his then girlfriend. The shocking revelations were made by the Times newspaper. McMurdock, who was previously an investment banker, joined Reform this year and agreed to be a paper candidate for the party in South Basildon and East Thurrock, a seat he ended up winning after defeating Tory candidate Stephen Metcalfe by just 98 votes. He had not publicly disclosed the conviction before he was elected as an…

Follow our Bluesky account on @left-foot-forward.bsky.social With many on X leaving the site and turning instead to Bluesky, after owner Elon Musk has allowed the platform to host fake news, far-right conspiracy theories and extremist content, Left Foot Forward has also set up a Bluesky account in order to expand our reach to as many progressives as possible. In order to follow our hard-hitting journalism, including news and comment by and for the UK left, follow our Bluesky account on @left-foot-forward.bsky.social To reach hundreds of thousands of new readers we need to grow our donor base substantially.…

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage was prevented from speaking at the recent farmers’ protest outside Downing Street, amid concerns it would become the ‘Farage show’ Reform UK leader Nigel Farage was prevented from speaking at the recent farmers’ protest outside Downing Street, amid concerns it would become the ‘Farage show’ and also over his divisive role in Brexit which undermined farmers. The Guardian reports that ‘representatives of all parties were originally invited to speak, according to organisers of a protest at which tens of thousands of farmers listened to Kemi Badenoch, Ed Davey and other speakers, including the journalist Jeremy…

“John was not only a Labour legend but an inspiration to me and a dear friend. He will be greatly missed by so many.” Tributes have poured in for former Labour Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott who has died aged 86, following a battle with Alzheimer’s. The former trade union activist and ex-merchant seaman, was a key figure in the last Labour government, serving as deputy Prime Minister under Tony Blair as well as MP for Kingston upon Hull East for 40 years. He was viewed by many as a key link to the party’s traditional working-class values and an…

Yet more Tory lies.. The Civil Service Commission has cleared the Labour government over allegations of wrongdoing and cronyism made by the Tories. The Commission launched an investigation in August after the Tories claimed that appointments to the new Labour government were evidence of a “culture of cronyism”, and were made without going through proper procedure. A focal point of the review was around “exception” appointments, whereby the normal civil service recruitment rules are bypassed. Exception appointments can be made in certain circumstances, for example if it is a temporary appointment, if the job requires “highly specialist skills”, or to…

It didn’t go well for Alex Burghart’s first PMQs Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner took apart a senior Tory MP today over his ridiculous take on inflation. Rayner stepped in for Prime Minister Keir Starmer who is at the G20 summit in Rio De Janeiro. Official figures released today show that inflation crept up from 1.7% to 2.3% in October which is above the target rate of 2%. Alex Burghart, the shadow chancellor for the Duchy of Lancaster, began his first PMQs from the despatch box by asking Rayner: “What is the government doing to bring down inflation?” Rayner replied:…

More than 277,000 people visited a food bank in the Trussell community for the first time between April and September.  According to the latest figures from anti-poverty charity the Trussell Trust, Food banks gave out just over 1,428,000 emergency food parcels across the UK between April and September this year. That includes 508,000 parcels provided for children facing hunger across the UK. In a statement, the Trussell Trust said that the ‘majority of food parcels were distributed to families with children, with 63% of the total number of parcels going to households with children aged 0–16.’ In addition, more than…

“I would certainly like the opportunity to cross-examine him to see … how he reconciles his promotion of freedom of expression with his promotion of pure disinformation.” Tech billionaire Elon Musk is set to be summoned before Parliament to testify about X’s role in spreading misinformation, following the riots in Southport over the summer. Politico reports: “The Commons Science, Innovation and Technology Committee is set to invite Trump’s “first buddy” Elon Musk here, too — to give evidence about disinformation on social media. MPs have kicked off an inquiry into “false and harmful content” after Britain’s summer riots that was…

The Daily Record reports that party insiders in Scotland are concerned the backlash to the controversial winter fuel cut could hinder Labour’s chances of toppling the SNP. Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has promised to restore universal winter fuel payments in Scotland, in what marks a break with Keir Starmer’s government policy. The leader of Scottish Labour announced his intention to bring back the Winter Fuel Payment in Scotland, should they win the next Holyrood election. Under the proposals being put forward, all pensioners would receive a payment via a devolved benefit, though it would be tapered so that the…