ALDC by-election report, 23rd AprilThere were two principal council by-elections this week, both of which had a Liberal Democrat candidate on the ballot. Salford City Council, Barton & Winton The first by-election of the week took place on Wednesday in Salford. It was triggered by the sad passing of former Labour councillor David Lancaster MBE, who was widely regarded as England's longest-serving councillor after six decades of service. There was significant controversy surrounding the timing of the contest, with Reform UK forcing the by-election despite local elections being scheduled for Salford in just two weeks' time. Turnout is generally low in Barton & Winton, ... (more) |
Russian submarine found in Lake WindermereThis land sits right next to the Furness railway line - a vital transport link to both BAE Submarines in Barrow and Sellafield nuclear power station. That's why I made representations to ministers asking whether this sale would be compliant with the UK's sanctions against Russia. [image or embed] — Tim Farron (@timfarron.bsky.social) 24 April 2026 at 15:37A story peeks out at me from behind the Financial Times paywall: Russian businessman and his daughter have triggered national security concerns by seeking to buy a golf course located next to the railway that serves the UK's main shipyard for nuclear-powered attack ... (more) |
In 2028, the Democrats must not repeat their 'Tim problem'Despite it being more than two years away, there is a great deal of interest in the 2028 US presidential election. As such, there is fierce speculation about who the Democrats' candidate will be. While it is a fool's errand to definitively say who that will be - given the candidacies of past 'shoo-ins' such as Edmund Muskie or Gary Hart - it may be worth considering who their running mate could or should be. The role of Vice President is not insignificant. Fifteen out of forty-five Presidents previously served as VP, with eight directly succeeding following deaths in office ... (more) |
With one bound....? Starmer's Houdini actWhat just happened at Westminster? Does anyone else think Keir Starmer played MPs and the media like a violin this week? On Monday, I thought at least one MP would ask the simple and obvious question. "Why did the PM appoint Peter Mandelson as Ambassador to Washington nine days after receiving a briefing that informed him that: 'Mandelson reportedly stayed in Epstein's house while he was in jail in 2009.'" Surely that explosive sentence should have been enough, if not to block the appointment, at least to postpone it pending investigation. The sentence, from a report by JP Morgan, speaks ... (more) |
Fisherman's Friend factory construction held up by reptileCongratulations to the citizen journalists at North West Bylines: they've won our Headline of the Day Award. (more) |
Two council by-elections on two different daysOnly the two principal authority council by-elections this week but split over two days. Wednesday brought this: Barton & Winton (Salford) Council By-Election Result: [IMG: ➡] RFM: 34.9% (New) [IMG: 🌹] LAB: 33.2% (-29.1) [IMG: 🌍] GRN: 18.7% (+4.0) [IMG: 🌳] CON: 6.1% (-8.2) [IMG: 🔶] LDM: 4.9% (-3.8) [IMG: 🙋] Ind: 2.3% (New)Reform GAIN from Labour.Changes w/ 2024. — Election Maps UK (@electionmaps.uk) 2026-04-23T06:22:24.149Z These by-election results round-ups cover principal authority by-elections as it's only those for which comprehensive results are available. But this week, my eye was caught at the town/parish/community council level by: [IMG: Lib Dems beat ... (more) |
The rise and fall and (slight) rise of Lionel BartBy my calculation, this edition of The South Bank Show dates from 1994. As much of my politics come from reading Oliver Twist too young, and as Oliver! is the great British musical. I had to watch it. And there is much to enjoy, beginning with Lionel Bart's adventures in the new world of pop music with Tommy Steele and Cliff Richard. Then there's Oliver!, whose first night was just as triumphant as Bart makes it sound. On to the film, where I note that Mark Lester was still giving the impression that he sang in it. He didn't. The ... (more) |
Council by-election results scorecard 2025-2026Here's the tally of seats changing hands in principal authority council by-elections held between the May 2025 and the May 2026 local elections: Con Lab Lib Dem Green Reform SNP Plaid Ind/ Other Net Con [17] +2 (+2/0) -9 (+3/-12) +2 (+2/0) -20 (+3/-23) -1 (0/-1) – +2 (+3/-1) -24 Lab -2 (0/-2) [16] -5 (0/-5) -8 (0/-8) -31 (+1/-32) – -2 (0/-2) -7 (0/-7) -55 Lib Dem +9 (+12/-3) +5 (+5/0) [35] +2 (+4/-2) -2 (+2/-4) +2 (+2/0) – +4 (+4/0) +20 Grn -2 (0/-2) +8 (+8/0) -2 (+2/-4) [8] +2 (+2/0) – – -1 (0/-1) +5 Ref +20 ... (more) |
2 down, 64 to go!We are two weeks into the local election campaign in Gateshead and Reform have already lost 2 candidates (that's an average of one a week). Firstly, Peter Gray has resigned in Crawcrook and Greenside. The reasons for this are not clear. Yesterday brought us the second loss - David Prior was kicked out because of his previously undeclared membership of the racist, anti-semitic and far right (more) |
Reform's BNP candidate kicked outYet another example of Reform's useless vetting of candidates was on display last night when David Prior was expelled, half way through the election campaign here in Gateshead. Prior had previously been in the BNP, membership of which is regarded as incompatible with Reform. Prior had been chosen as one of the three Reform candidates for Saltwell, a ward which contains one of the largest orthodox (more) |