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Labour’s flagship answer to its 1.5m homes pledge was new towns. Two years on, the programme isn’t even finalised.
Now Burnham’s U-turning on it. Big housing schemes handed to mayors instead.
The OBR already has them 400,000 homes short. When the target’s missed, it won’t be No 10’s failure. It’ll be the mayors’.
Escalating costs has Burnham considering shelving many a new town project in favour of expanding existing towns and cities. Instead mayors would take control of major housing developments absolving central government from some of the responsibility and predominately costs. This is a more realistic approach given the current climate but suggests we remain some way from building on UK housing numbers. @Smyth_Chris @JBSteins @iamjennifer @FT ft.com/content/f4f711aa-ca65…
Devutopia retweeted
Would Suella Braverman of the Nigel Farage Party #ReformUK like to explain herself to the ELECTORATE of this Country and explain why its ok for her to claim 45 grand while the Commoners struggle with their energy bills
Sure there are more MPS doing the same thing THEY SHOULD ALL BE HELD TO ACCOUNT
Devutopia retweeted
We need a frank, honest conversation about what we can and can’t afford.
The Met is now letting minor tag breaches by offenders go unchased. Not enough officers to chase them.
They’re being sent over 100 tag breaches a day in London. Last year the force cut 1,700 officers, staff and PCSOs to plug a £260m hole.
A neighbour had their car stolen from outside their house this week. No officer came. They were put through to a call centre.
That’s what we already can’t afford. So when the media tell you this week we can’t tax the richest more, or the price-gouging corporations, remember who’s paying for that choice.
You are.
EXC: by @Mollie_Malone1
🥶Sky News has revealed the Metropolitan Police is reducing enforcement of offenders who breach their tag conditions amid resourcing pressures and following early prisoner release. Under a pilot scheme that we disclose details of today, and running until the spring, officers will not act on breaches of police curfews or tag batteries of under an hour, unless the person wearing the tag is considered to be of particular risk to the public. The country's largest police force has been clear in its instruction to officers that these types of breach notifications are still to be reviewed, *but will only progress to potential arrest in cases where there are risk or safeguarding concerns.*
Read Mollie’s story in full:
Police to reduce enforcement of minor tag breaches, Sky News understands news.sky.com/share/13603365
Devutopia retweeted
If a Russian attack really was imminent, we would be withdrawing our forces from faraway places and concentrating them where the supposed threat is.
But we aren't - in fact, we've just sent RAF planes to help the authoritarian Saudi regime fight a war in Yemen.
They take us for fools.
Source: Strategic Defence Review (2025).
Britain must be ready for war within 1,000 days, Defence Secretary warns
lbc.co.uk/article/defence-pr…
Devutopia retweeted
Wow, I'm amazed in all the all media pre Budget coverage, they finally have one voice who states the obvious:
Cut benefits, cut spending, cut growth.
The poor spend. Cut them, cut growth.
This s unique don't expect more common sense this week.
#BrokenMedia
.@Neal_Compass: "I couldn't live on the meagre benefits people are getting. To suggest that we have to cut those.. actually that's where the engine of growth is, that's the people who spend.. how do you get people out spending.. not by cutting benefits of people at the bottom"
Notice what’s missing from the Budget leaks and all the preparing of the ground? Us. The public.
They say they’ll spend on defence and AI. But us? All I’ve heard so far is “tough decisions” like cutting benefits. Sure, there’ll be some token lightweight measure to help on energy bills. That’ll just be a thin wrapper around a lot of nothing.
But watch Labour go to town on it.
What's coming:
:: Healey will pile money into the National Wealth Fund and British Business Bank
:: A chunk of that will then be invested in British defence companies
:: Innovative drone companies and military tech firms are set to benefit
:: It will generate UK defence jobs and build resilience to future conflicts
:: Critically, it **counts** against the Nato defence spending target
:: So the current 2.7% defence spend will increase as a result
:: Allows Healey (who quit over no 3% by 2030) to say down payment made
:: But... it is being funded... with longer-term borrowing... not cuts
:: Also note: This type of borrowing (the PuFins!) doesn't impact fiscal rule
xitter.cf/benrileysmith/status/2…
Devutopia retweeted
This week's Budget must tackle the cost-of-living crisis.
Tax the super-rich. End austerity.
ALT Green Party quote graphic featuring a black-and-white photograph of Zack Polanski, Leader of the Green Party, against the backdrop of 10 Downing Street. The headline reads: “BUDGET NEEDS TO TAX THE SUPER RICH AND END AUSTERITY.” A speech bubble contains the following quote from Zack Polanski: “Andy Burnham has a choice when he delivers his Budget this week. All over Britain, kids are going hungry and public services are on their knees. It doesn’t have to be this way. We need to tax the super rich and end austerity.” The Green Party logo and electoral imprint appear at the bottom of the graphic.
Confused. Halloween hasn't happened yet let alone Christmas and New year but its already April Fools Day?
New: Sources from three countries confirm that the Trump Administration has advocated Viktor Orbán for UN Secretary-General.
The US has encouraged Orbán to enter the race, even bringing him the initial idea of a joint U.S.-Russia-China candidacy.
WSJ:
wsj.com/opinion/viktor-orban…
How it started: My mission is to bring back hope
Where it is today: get ready for more "tough decisions" and stock up on food and water just in case everything collapses.
Devutopia retweeted
So how comes the borrowing is to pay the welfare bill and not the estimated £93 billion is corporate subsidies?
Devutopia retweeted
Het is vandaag niet alleen Frankrijk…….,
België, Italië, Ierland Spanje, Portugal, Albanië, Griekenland, Oostenrijk, Servië en (in mindere mate) Duitsland, momenteel ook hevige opstanden.
Gewoon even een overzicht van vandaag, ga je niet zien op de MSM.
Devutopia retweeted
Wildflowers found for #WildflowerHour between the storms: wild carrot, oxeye daisy, red campion, white dead-nettle, musk mallow, yarrow visited by a hoverfly, spear thistle, hedge mustard, chickweed, and viper’s bugloss.
ALT A collage of ten close-up photographs of British wildflowers, arranged in a mosaic with narrow white borders. Delicate white umbels of wild carrot; an oxeye daisy viewed from behind; pink red campion; white dead-nettle with serrated leaves; pink musk mallow; clusters of white yarrow flowers visited by a hoverfly; a purple spear thistle with spiny green bracts; yellow hedge mustard; tiny white chickweed flowers; and blue-purple viper’s bugloss. All photographed against softly blurred green backgrounds.
Devutopia retweeted
On 24 October 2026, three-year-old Nevada was playing football in Florida when, adults upset by his goal-scoring called the police.
The league @i9Sports then issued his family a trespass notice.
LET THAT SINK IN. A TODDLER was scoring goals, and grown adults escalated it to police involvement.
Nevada is THREE. His opponents were around FIVE. And he was still outplaying them. Imagine being so rattled by a toddler’s talent that you’d rather involve the police than accept that a child half their size might simply be better at football. What an embarrassing lesson for the adults to teach.
Devutopia retweeted
Ezra Klein: “Most Israeli Jews now see the world the way Netanyahu has long seen it. That is Netanyahu’s great victory. But it is matched by his great loss: Much of the world now sees Israel the way Gazans see it.”
nytimes.com/2026/10/25/opini… via @NYTOpinion
Devutopia retweeted
I Just Left the West Bank: What Israel is Planning is TERRIFYING @OborneTweets
Wow, I'm amazed in all the all media pre Budget coverage, they finally have one voice who states the obvious:
Cut benefits, cut spending, cut growth.
The poor spend. Cut them, cut growth.
This s unique don't expect more common sense this week.
#BrokenMedia
.@Neal_Compass: "I couldn't live on the meagre benefits people are getting. To suggest that we have to cut those.. actually that's where the engine of growth is, that's the people who spend.. how do you get people out spending.. not by cutting benefits of people at the bottom"
We need a frank, honest conversation about what we can and can’t afford.
The Met is now letting minor tag breaches by offenders go unchased. Not enough officers to chase them.
They’re being sent over 100 tag breaches a day in London. Last year the force cut 1,700 officers, staff and PCSOs to plug a £260m hole.
A neighbour had their car stolen from outside their house this week. No officer came. They were put through to a call centre.
That’s what we already can’t afford. So when the media tell you this week we can’t tax the richest more, or the price-gouging corporations, remember who’s paying for that choice.
You are.
EXC: by @Mollie_Malone1
🥶Sky News has revealed the Metropolitan Police is reducing enforcement of offenders who breach their tag conditions amid resourcing pressures and following early prisoner release. Under a pilot scheme that we disclose details of today, and running until the spring, officers will not act on breaches of police curfews or tag batteries of under an hour, unless the person wearing the tag is considered to be of particular risk to the public. The country's largest police force has been clear in its instruction to officers that these types of breach notifications are still to be reviewed, *but will only progress to potential arrest in cases where there are risk or safeguarding concerns.*
Read Mollie’s story in full:
Police to reduce enforcement of minor tag breaches, Sky News understands news.sky.com/share/13603365
Devutopia retweeted
Want to save the high street? Easiest thing to do is to save post offices and ensure at least one bank branch (maybe a shared one) is on every high street. Give people reasons to go to the high street. Not a "tough decision" just a blatantly obvious one.
More than third of post offices in TG Jones (formerly WH Smith) stores to shut by early 2027
WH Smith was bought by private equity, shut-down shops.
Many towns/districts are without a bank branch or a post office.
Cuts footfall, bad news for traders.
theguardian.com/business/202…
Devutopia retweeted
We’ve seen this script before.
This Labour government won’t take action for the people who so desperately need change right now.
Devutopia retweeted
What stage of democracy is this?
"The majority of Italian society is against military aid to Ukraine. But we must not listen to society if it is wrong."
-- Italian Minister of Defense.
