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alexofbrown.bsky.social
Westminster Correspondent and columnist for The Scotsman. COYS enthusiast
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This is obviously dangerous and incendiary, but also just quite sad. What an awful way to view identity

Some MPs visited Ukraine this weekend. As they travelled back through Poland, I spoke to several about what they saw, and the "utter defiance" of Ukrainians www.scotsman.com/news/politic...

The comeback of the Left in Germany is sensational. Almost written off ahead of elections, they won 6 districts and almost 9% of votes + are biggest party in Berlin and among young voters. Also only party to not campaign on anti-immigration but to focus on affordable rent and cost of living

Wrote about defence spending, and the need to rip up the fiscal rules www.scotsman.com/news/opinion...

A devastating piece that all those who claim to care about children's safety should read www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...

Insane story of the day: Alex Salmond wanted to build new Scottish town called "Independence", an Alba ally has claimed www.scotsman.com/news/politic...

EXC: Spoke to Labour MP and surgeon Dr Zubir Ahmed about the growing number of anti-abortion protests at the Glasgow hospital where he still works www.scotsman.com/news/politic...

New extracts from former chief whip Simon Hart's book suggest behaviour in the last government was even worse than it seemed www.thetimes.com/article/d1b2...

Just before lunch, Boris Johnson was defending Donald Trump as just trying to 'shock Europe" into action. Five hours later Trump has called Zelenskyy a "dictator" who "better move fast or he is not going to have a country left"

Lots of interesting lines in former chief whip Simon Hart's diary, but this part is particularly telling www.thetimes.com/article/e25f...

Having done her best at PMQs to make Labour look good, Badenoch is now doing the same for the Lib Dems, accusing them of being "nice", focusing on their local communities instead of Twitter, and believing in restorative justice

SNP MP Kirsty Blackman: "For most Scots the important point here is it's free not to meet him."

New: Boris Johnson is appearing at Edinburgh's Usher Hall in September, and charging £121 to meet him beforehand. That does not include a ticket to the event. www.scotsman.com/news/politic...

This is what happens when you pretend concerns about immigration are "legitimate" and not about race

PSA: At a time when the news is relentlessly awful, walking in the London sun listening to "Ankles" by Lucy Dacus really takes the edge off

Spoke to MPs about Starmer suggesting troops on ground in Ukraine. Feeling is that it's impossible without increasing defence spending, that there's no explanation of how it work, and it's meaningless announcing how to protect a peace deal when there isn't one www.scotsman.com/news/politic...

Free speech latest

Assisted dying bills are being debated in Holyrood and Westminster, with splits that don't follow party lines. Here's a long read on the legislation, with the thoughts of MPs from both sides www.scotsman.com/news/politic...

Wrote about the Stephen Flynn ‘boys brigade’ claims, and why deep divisions in the party and more selection spats coming mean they're far from a sure thing for Holyrood www.scotsman.com/news/politic...

It's called capitalism

Quite possibly the most cringe person in Britain, now posting desperately for Elon to notice him

The UK has the highest medical testing on animal rates in Europe and it should be phased out completely by 2030, a Scottish Labour MP tells me www.scotsman.com/news/politic...

Another total car crash of a #PMQs for Kemi Badenoch. First she criticised a judgement not realising it was taken under the Tory Government, and then she had a go at Labour's new borders boss WFH in Finland, which he isn't, but had done before, under the Tories. A new low every week

Westminster folk, there's a Scottish politics five a side tomorrow evening and we're a player short. If you play, are free and we vaguely know each other, hit up my DMs

Westminster folk, there's a Scottish politics five a side tomorrow evening and we're a player short. If you play, are free and we vaguely know each other, hit up my DMs

After all the backlash and SNP infighting over Stephen Flynn's Holyrood aspirations when there's an incumbent, Audrey Nicoll has now announced she's standing down anyway. Massive moment for him, and perhaps the party

Extraordinary interview with Scottish Labour MP Brian Leishman this morning, who claimed his own party leader Anas Sarwar had been “quiet” on the closure of Grangemouth www.scotsman.com/news/politic...

Wrote about why Nicola Sturgeon should not run again as an MSP www.scotsman.com/news/opinion...

EXC: SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn has written to the foreign secretary warning concerns over tariffs must not “dilute or displace” Britain’s moral responsibility to call out Trump over Gaza. Comes after US "riviera" plan www.scotsman.com/news/politic...

EXC: The forfeiture committee is looking into stripping former Scotland rugby captain Stuart Hogg of his MBE following his domestic abuse conviction www.scotsman.com/news/politic...

🧵 It’s 🏳️‍🌈LGBT+ History month in the UK 🏳️‍🌈. So let me take you back to a time when life for gay people in this country was very different indeed.

Please enjoy this delightful headline and byline combo www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Nigel Farage ordered to "get on with it" and told off twice by the Speaker after taking too long with his question #PMQs

Keir Starmer distances himself from Trump's Gaza comments. He tells MPs: "Palestinians must be allowed home, they must be allowed to rebuild, and we should be with them in that rebuild - on the way to a two state solution" #PMQs