Britain's top woman chess player is just 11 years oldEmbed from Getty ImagesThe English Chess Federation is justifiably excited: British chess phenom Bodhana Sivanandan has made history by shooting to the top of the UK chess rankings after a sensational start to 2026, the English Chess Federation is pleased to report. The 11-year-old from North London has rocketed to the number one English female spot. She is rated higher than the top women in all the other UK nations, and she has also broken into the world's top 100 women for the first time, currently sitting at number 72. World chess rankings are compiled by the International Chess Federation ... (more) |
Election law: the tidy-up that might, finally, beginThe latest edition of my email newsletter about work in Parliament, A Lord's Eye View, is out and you can also read it in full below. But if you'd like to get future editions emailed direct to you as soon as they are published, sign up now: At times the government resembles a recalcitrant teenager unwilling to take the time to tidy up the mess in their bedroom. Sure, doing other things is more fun. Sure, it's a pain to have to spend time tidying up. Sure, there's so much other stuff that's more important. Sure, it's BORING BORING BORING. ... (more) |
Max Wilkinson writes....Free speech, X and immigration - FAO Katie LamFree speech is an important principle in Britain. It's one of the things that gets me out of bed in the morning. It's why I so strongly believe we must remain in the ECHR, which protects in law our right to free expression. I am a supporter of free speech because whether I agree with you or not, as a liberal I'm always keen to hear what you think. That applies as much to the vexed question of immigration as it does to anything else. I take a nuanced view on the subject, just like the majority of British people. ... (more) |
Exclusive: Lib Dems to ditch yellow - and party name - in secret rebrandThe Liberal Democrats are planning to abandon the iconic yellow colour scheme in favour of mauve, following a review by a boutique consultancy to "help the party live its best life". The party is also thinking of changing its name to something more "on trend". A spokesperson denied rumours that the party was suffering a midlife crisis. A slide deck, marked "Secret - but we'll have to tell them eventually", recommends a phased transition to a "trust-forward colour ecosystem". "Yellow, in stakeholder sentiment analysis, was described by participants as 'loud,' 'a bit much,' and 'like being shouted at by a ... (more) |
Hazel O'Connor: Will You?Hazel O'Connor is a goddess and - sorry, Bob Holness - this is the greatest saxophone solo on a British pop single. (more) |
The Davey DilemmaParty strategists are pondering an offer from the BBC which could have a serious impact on our party's fortunes. Ed Davey has been invited to appear on this year's Strictly Come Dancing. Those in favour of the move argue that appearing on the programme could boost Ed's popularity and, with it, the party's electoral success as well as cheering up the nation. It's ten years since his namesake, former Labour Cabinet Minister Ed Balls, achieved national treasure status after his hilarious efforts on the show, performing Gangnam Style with great aplomb. It's just over fifteen years since our then Deputy ... (more) |
And another new Lloyd George Book!A very welcome arrival this week - Paul Spackman's Lloyd George - Welsh Radical, World Statesman, published by Barnthorn Publishing. It's the first full-length "life" for many years, and the result of seven years research, and aims to give a more holistic portrait of the politician and the man. Paul's approach is to "explore the specific and distinctively Welsh roots and influences" that shaped Lloyd George. He highlights the social reforms that laid the foundations of the Welfare State, Lloyd George's vital replacement of Asquith in the Great War, his treatment of Germany at Versailles, the Irish settlement, and the ... (more) |
Depeerage packages[IMG: House of Lords. Photo: Parliamentary copyright images are reproduced with the permission of Parliament] Ninety-two hereditary Peers of the Realm are packing up their ermine and saying farewell to their traditional home from home. As Liberal Democrats we are pleased that Parliament has taken one more step towards the full reform of the House of Lords – although we won't rest until we have a fully elected Upper House. But spare a thought for those departing peers. They are the product of families who have served this country for many hundreds of years, with many lifetimes of experience in ... (more) |
EXCLUSIVE: New focus group insights on political party leaders[IMG: a person holding a brown envelope] An envelope. Photo by Kerngker Stock on Pexels.com. Focus group questions such as 'if a political party leader were an animal, what sort of animal would they be?' often get mentioned in order to ridicule them. But the reason they are used is the same reason I love them: the answers tease out something useful. As I wrote in my book, Polling UnPacked: If this book were an animal, what sort of animal would it be? That is the sort of apparently absurd question beloved of media coverage of focus groups. But there ... (more) |
UK faces existential energy shock from Iran warThe Independent reports on warnings by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that the UK is facing one of the largest shocks from the conflict in the Middle East, and that Britain's economy is "especially exposed" to spiralling prices because of its reliance on gas‑fired power. They have compared the impact of rising prices to a "large sudden tax on income" for a family, warning that the "de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz and damage to regional infrastructure have produced the largest disruption to the global oil market in its history": Writing in a blog post on Monday, it ... (more) |