Counter-terrorism policing statement:
A 28-year-old man has been charged with engaging in conduct in preparation of acts of terrorism, including against Nigel Farage MP.
Joshua Kerry, of Byrley Road, Rotherham, South Yorkshire, was charged today (Friday 2 October), with one count of preparation of terrorist acts, contrary to section 5(1)(a) of the Terrorism Act 2006, following authorisation from the Crown Prosecution Service.
This charge relates to activity which is alleged to have taken place between 31 May 2024 and 8 July 2026.
Senior National Coordinator for Counter Terrorism Policing, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans, said: “We have been running a hugely intensive and complex investigation for some time.
“The charge announced today is a result of the tireless work of investigators across the Counter Terrorism Policing network.
“This investigation has been led by a dedicated team of detectives, analysts, and forensic experts, working on multiple lines of enquiry, which has resulted in this very serious charge.”
Kerry is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday 7 October 2026.
A company which is the UK’s major seller of estate agent qualifications boasted about having a ‘strengthened dialogue’ with Angela Rayner and her ministers after paying her £20,000 to speak at an event. Mere weeks later, Rayner announced qualifications would be made compulsory…
Yesterday Guido reported on Rayner’s £20,000 fee from Propertymark in exchange for speaking at their conference on 12 June 2026. At Labour Conference this week MHCLG happened to announce it will legislate for an independent regulator requiring property agents to hold a licence and qualifications…
Eight days after Rayner entered government Propertymark said in a statement to Estate Agent Today: “Angela has played a significant role in decisions affecting the property sector and bringing her to Propertymark One created an important opportunity for our members and the wider industry to hear directly from her, ask questions and hold her to account on the issues that matter to them.” They added that they got a line to her ministers:
“The event also provided a valuable opportunity to establish and strengthen a direct dialogue with Angela and her ministerial colleagues.
With Angela now reinstated as Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government within Andy Burnham’s administration, creating this closer channel of communication enables us to maintain constructive engagement with key decision-makers, represent the interests of our members, provide insight from those working across the sector, and contribute to discussions that help shape policy outcomes for the benefit of the property industry and the wider sector.”
On 25 September MHCLG ministers denied direct communication between Rayner and Propertymark in response to a question from Tory shadow minister David Simmonds:
“Details of ministerial meetings are published on gov.uk on a quarterly basis. The Secretary of State has not exchanged ministerial correspondence with Propertymark, not has she met with Propertymark since her reappointment.”
Incidentally this does not speak to her ministers, or staff in her private office. The Ministerial Code requires ministers to avoid any conflict that “could reasonably be perceived to arise”, and new ministers must declare to their permanent secretary any interests that might be thought to cause one. Did Rayner declare the Propertymark fee on her reappointment? Did the Independent Adviser give advice on it? Was she recused from decisions on agent regulation?
Matthew McGregor, the ex-Hope Not Hate director who is now working as director of political strategy in No10, is hiring for a “Political Liaison Manager” to work for the Labour Party. Government cross-pollinating with the Party there – hope he isn’t doing interviews during work hours or using his government laptop…
McGregor says the postholder will be “responsible for supporting the strategic plans for Government engagement across a range of political audiences” and help “develop new channels for collaboration and drive joined-up working across Government and Labour Party colleagues, ensuring key political stakeholders are engaged effectively.” Required is a “understanding of how stakeholder insight can inform policy, political strategy.” Open up new lines for left-wing activists into the heart of government…
Any Good Law Project or Extinction Rebellion activists fancy a go?
The Welsh Government has spent £820 of taxpayers’ money on subscriptions to anti-Reform commentator and Guardian columnist Will Hayward’s Substack. The cash is going on a multi-user subscription held by the Welsh Government press office since 1 October 2024 supposedly for “media monitoring purposes”…
Hayward spends his time attacking the opposition party with articles like “How to stop Reform in Wales” and “Reform are treating Wales as a joke.” You get the picture…
Hayward isn’t the only Reform-sceptic outlet on the Welsh taxpayer’s books: Nation.Cymru has been propped up by public grants routed through the Books Council of Wales. It was awarded £20,000 a year for four years from 2020, plus one-off grants of £42,000 and £7,200. It also got £9,400 from a fund paid for out of the Welsh Government’s Co-operation Agreement with Plaid Cymru. A fresh grant for 2024 to 2028 is worth £25,000 a year. That adds up to around £200,000 since 2020…
A Reform Wales spokesman attacked the Hawyard spending:
“Welsh taxpayers shouldn’t be paying for Plaid Cymru to get its weekly Will Hayward fix. Plaid Cymru should cancel the subscription and stop making taxpayers bankroll its favourite blogger.”
Incidentally Welsh government officials who are interested in monitoring explosive political news outlets can subscribe to Guido at order-order.com/membership…
The final conference of the season. The Tories are in Birmingham…
MAIN SPEECHES
The set pieces are in Symphony Hall, with policy sessions on the main stage in Hall 5.
Sunday
2pm. Welcome to conference, Alex Burghart and the Scottish and Welsh leaders on the Union, then Kemi Badenoch. Symphony Hall.
Monday
9:45am. Andrew Bowie on energy.
10:30am. Richard Holden on transport.
11:15am. Damian Hinds on AI and the NHS.
12:15pm. Andrew Griffith, Helen Whately and Laura Trott on getting people back to work.
2pm. Griffith, Richard Fuller, Katie Lam and Julia Lopez on the economy. Symphony Hall.
Tuesday
9:45am. Katie Lam on local government, billed as “the frontline of Burnham’s agenda”.
10:30am. Laura Trott on school standards.
12pm. Rebecca Paul on Great British fashion.
12:30pm. How To Get Britain Growing? Andrew Griffith with Growth Commission’s Chairman Shanker Singham.
2pm. Burghart, Tom Tugendhat, James Cartlidge and Helen Whately on defence. Symphony Hall.
Wednesday
10am. Kevin Hollinrake on going “From Party to Movement“, then Chris Philp and Nick Timothy on borders and crime. Symphony Hall.
Then Kemi’s speech.
WHERE TO GET DRINKS
Sunday
3:30pm is the CWO welcome drinks.
4pm. The Spectator’s Coffee House Shots welcome reception.
5:30pm is the Local Government Drinks Reception, with the CCA Awards.
6pm is the Gibraltar reception.
6pm. CCHQ Alumni drinks. A big room, after 2024…
6pm is the Eastern & Midlands Reception.
6:30pm. Conservative Friends of the NHS champagne reception.
7pm. The party’s pub quiz.
7pm. Centre for Policy Studies (CPS) Drinks Reception.
7pm is the Rally for Hospitality, with Andrew Griffith.
8pm. Politico’s ‘Speakeasy’
8:30pm. Countryside Alliance and Conservative Rural Forum drinks, with Victoria Atkins.
8:30pm is the Welsh Conservatives reception.
9pm is the Northern Reception.
9.30pm. 1922 Committee & ConservativeHome Reception. Invites needed…
10pm. Britain Remade drinks, with Katie Lam.
Monday
5:30pm is Business Day drinks.
6pm. CEN’s big pub quiz.
6pm is the ConservativeHome Pride Reception.
6pm. Telegraph’s drinks.
6pm is the Southern Reception.
7pm. Exhibitors’ drinks in the Blue Room. Invited guests only.
7:30pm. is the Onward Reception, with Alex Burghart.
7:30pm. Young Conservatives at Barbara’s Bier Haus. Open bar, DJ, MPs and a photo booth. In that order of appeal…
7.30pm. UK Music/TikTok party.
7:45pm. More in Common reception.
8:30pm is the Conservative Friends of Israel reception.
8:30pm. Prosper UK, with Andy Street and Ruth Davidson.
8:30pm is the CBI business reception, with Griffith.
9pm is the London Reception.
9pm is the GB News ‘Celebrate Britain’ party. Invites required…
9pm. The Silent Disco.
9:15pm is the Total Politics reception.
9:30pm. AQA’s Gin Parlour at The Distillery.
10pm. Green Groups Reception.
10pm. Sky News reception. Invites, invites, invites…
11pm. The TaxPayers’ Alliance, with Griffith again, the TRG Midnight Reception and the councillors’ late-night do.
Tuesday
1pm. The EU Ambassador’s Reception. At Tory conference…
4:30pm is the Conservative Friends of Pakistan reception, with James Cleverly.
5:30pm. Small Business Day drinks.
6pm is the Street Party.
6pm. Irish Ambassador’s drinks.
7pm is the Conservative Friends of India reception, with Chris Philp.
7:30pm. The House magazine’s reception.
8pm is the Adam Smith Institute’s Rally for Liberty, with Philp.
10pm is The Spectator’s bash. Invites required…
The rest of the information can be read below:
Continue reading “Who to Meet, Where to Drink – Tory Conference 2026”
Green Deputy Leader Rachel Millward said:
“The reality is that it’s Zack Polanski who brought the nation, Andy Burnham. And if we hadn’t had the success of the Green Party in this last year since Zack’s been leading, which has been unprecedented, phenomenal success and a growth from about 60,000 members to 230,000, if we hadn’t had that much pressure on Labour, then we’d probably still be in the Starmer regime, which was pretty much ushering in a Reform government with its lurch to the right. So actually, what we’re seeing now is that we’ve set the political agenda and the government is picking that up.”