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patrickmaguire.bsky.social
Chief political commentator, The Times
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In today's column: Nigel Farage is planning to outflank Labour from the left on welfare reform www.thetimes.com/comment/colu...

Terrific column by @patrickmaguire.bsky.social in today's Times on the internal divisions over the winter fuel allowance and what it reveals:

Column in today’s Times: - Pat McFadden was pushing for winter fuel u-turn before locals - Rachel Reeves joined the fray this month - No 10 staff initially not told Starmer had come round to their view - Heads of comms and policy opposed the decision www.thetimes.com/article/c121...

Column: winter fuel U-turn exposes vacuum at heart of No 10 www.thetimes.com/article/c121...

EXC: Nigel Farage confirms to me that he is on his first overseas holiday in three years “There seems to be great consternation in the press that they have not seen me for 48 hours. Well, they will have to wait some time.”

Column in this morning’s Times on Keir Starmer, Morgan McSweeney and Enoch Powell www.thetimes.com/comment/colu...

Tonight on #Newsnight - presented by Matt Chorley UK Ambassador to the US, Lord Mandelson Bill Gates Diane Abbott Patrick Maguire 10.30pm BBC Two | BBC News | BBC iPlayer

Farage’s new frontier: local government procurement contracts www.thetimes.com/article/1448...

Times column on Reform’s real plans for local government www.thetimes.com/article/1448...

“This is catastrophic success.” Reform “insider” on local elections, via @patrickmaguire.bsky.social www.thetimes.com/comment/colu...

Times column on Reform’s real plans for local government www.thetimes.com/article/1448...

I am begging a single member of the Green Party of England and Wales to type the words "Joschka Fischer" into Google

Today's newsletter: the UK has struck a trade deal with India, and what that does, and doesn't tell us about the balance of forces between Labour's 'growth is our number one priority' and 'immigration must fall' tendencies:

Tomorrow’s Times splash The EU has rejected a UK request for access to crime and migration databases in return for a youth mobility deal British negotiators now privately saying the latter won’t be agreed in time for this month’s summit Full story here: www.thetimes.com/article/b2b3...

Tomorrow’s Times splash The EU has rejected a UK request for access to crime and migration databases in return for a youth mobility deal British negotiators now privately saying the latter won’t be agreed in time for this month’s summit Full story here: www.thetimes.com/article/b2b3...

Here’s a Labour MP on more mayors and the new local authorities — similar in scale to the county councils stormed by Reform, the Lib Dems and, erm, NOC — the government will legislate for this summer. Will they still go ahead? Many hope not. Column: www.thetimes.com/article/f4a2...

Here’s a Labour MP on more mayors and the new local authorities — similar in scale to the county councils stormed by Reform, the Lib Dems and, erm, NOC — the government will legislate for this summer. Will they still go ahead? Many hope not. Column: www.thetimes.com/article/f4a2...

ANALYSIS: Farage flatters the Tories when he talks about the end of two-party politics. Reform is replacing them wholesale as the mainstream party of the right. Plus: forget talk of a Labour reset. It’s already happened and on this evidence it isn’t working. www.thetimes.com/article/d99c...

"It's municipal socialism," says one minister, "versus the big state." Can Labour's English devolution survive its electoral horrorshow - and impatience for delivery? Starmer will push on and legislate for new mayors and councils before summer. MPs less sure... www.thetimes.com/comment/colu...

As I write in today's Times, this is only the start of Labour's struggles in local government. MPs are deeply worried that reforms to councils and yet more new mayoralties can only be bad news for the party. But legislation still coming before summer. www.thetimes.com/comment/colu...

From Rhyl to the Billboard Hot 100. RIP. www.youtube.com/watch?v=PM3U...

Terrific column by @patrickmaguire.bsky.social on the woman who is currently the most important and influential in the government:

On the road with Reform and the new model Nigel: I went to Durham and Northumberland to hear Farage on vapes, nationalisation, Musk, Meta, Holyrood and the Union of Democratic Mineworkers. www.thetimes.com/article/d0b3...

With local elections looming, the party leader — now more serious, and more dangerous for Starmer — is targeting red wall heartlands in the northeast

On the road with Reform and the new model Nigel: I went to Durham and Northumberland to hear Farage on vapes, nationalisation, Musk, Meta, Holyrood and the Union of Democratic Mineworkers. www.thetimes.com/article/d0b3...

Column in this morning's Times on Reform, Labour, Gordon Brown, and the very tentative conversations in government about new oil and gas licensing www.thetimes.com/comment/colu...

EXC: Transport minister texted while driving his vintage Routemaster in London rush-hour Lord Hendy has reported himself to the police and apologised Met now investigating www.thetimes.com/article/3bf2...