Lucy Powell has put out a graphic on A-level results day celebrating the pupils now under her auspices. She said:
“Congratulations to everyone getting their results today. You should be really proud of what you’ve achieved and I wish you every success for the future. A big thank you to the teachers and families who have backed you every step of the way.
The rise in students receiving T-Level results this year is very encouraging, as well as so many students progressing in to higher education. There is no single route to achieving your ambitions.
That’s why we are opening doors with more high-quality opportunities for young people to fulfil their potential – whether that’s through academic study, technical education or hands-on training for skilled work. Whatever path you choose, today is the start of an exciting future.”
One or two errors there:
Powell did go to Oxford (before exiting). Was Jason Arday her tutor?
Here are the authorities that are housing no asylum seekers this year, until Burnham moves them in. There are 40 of them as of March 2026:
Burnham says it is a “point of principle” to get asylum seekers into areas which cost more for them to be housed. No10 will raise the Home Office’s cost cap on asylum accommodation in order to do so…
No10 said Burnham “acknowledges that it would cost more money to do it more fairly, but that is what we need to do.” In 2024/25 asylum accommodation cost the taxpayer £2.7 billion…
The above areas are likely to get their first asylum seekers under Burnham’s plans. Good luck…
Burnham has attacked water companies after some of them raised bills in line with regular Ofwat structures. Southern Water: £43 extra (down to £37 in 2029); Thames Water: £3 up to £5 in 29; Severn Trent £3 to £5; Wessex Water £4 to £7; South East Water up by £1 in 2029. Labour sharpening the sticks…
Burnham said:
“I understand why people are angry – I am too.
The truth is, customers have been asked to pay more for years, yet serious pollution incidents are at record levels and the pipes are still leaking.
None of which is the bill-payers’ fault, who should not be treated as a bottomless source of funding for other people’s failures.
Customers cannot be treated as a blank cheque. Where water companies seek to pass unnecessary costs on to households, they will be challenged.
Our water industry has clearly not been working for people for far too long. That’s why this Government will be looking at how we can give the public more control and help keep bills as low as possible.”
Does anyone remember how bad water provision was prior to privatisation?
Thames Water’s hosepipe ban is in place. It mostly applies to residential properties – you can water plants that are for commercial use. Is Shabana Mahmood planning on selling these ones?
Private contractors are keeping the foliage outside government offices on Marsham Street – also the home of DEFRA – fed and watered with a big old hose today. Sorry about all your private gardens in SW1…
New figures obtained by Guido’s FOI Unit show that HMRC’s flagship Whitehall headquarters at 100 Parliament Street is barely a fifth full on working Fridays. This is despite an insistence that staff spend at least 60% of their time in the office…
The data covers every working day from April 2025 to March 2026. Over that period Friday attendance ran around 43% below the Monday to Thursday average of 358. The best Friday of the entire year, 25 April 2025, managed 264 which is still below the average Monday…
HMRC switched its capacity from 516 desks to 391 in 2025. Fridays got even emptier afterwards…
At the reduced 391 capacity, Monday to Thursday attendance averaged 89% compared to 50% on Friday. Taxman sticking his feet up, doing his laundry…
In its response HMRC insists “We expect all office-based colleagues to spend at least 60% of their working time in an HMRC office” and that hybrid working helps it “attract and retain the talent we need to deliver for our customers.” Four-day week approaching…
More in Common’s tracker of party leader approval ratings has seen Burnham drop by six points. It’s nothing, they’re telling themselves in Downing Street…
High early ratings usually come from people not knowing who you are. Burnham is now down from 20 points to fourteen. He’s still above the rest…
Badenoch is positive on +1 and Polanski is down to his joint lowest ever at -29. Whatever happened to him?
Lord Khan in the Telegraph: “I hope, and I say this in a non-pompous way, that the public service I do will bring rewards in this world and the hereafter,” he says. “I’m hoping the work I do is earning me Brownie points.”