I'm sure he is. But worth noting that diplomacy can also be about reassuring your own people that you are standing up against very obvious wrongs like war crimes. And it doesn't have to be a Starmer tweet or a fist shake: could be a fairly sober comment from a spokesperson.
To reiterate the point: there arguably comes a moment when quiet, behind-the-scenes diplomatic words feel a bit moot, and some might feel that open threats of war crimes and genocide by an ally might be that moment.
I think there is some space between 'tweeting about every US utterance' and 'saying something on the record about an open threat of genocide'. It's not even necessarily to say a condemnation would be best or change anything. But continued pretence feels arguably untenable.
Guardian journalist among those cold-called by Reform UK and asked: “Will you come in to become a paper candidate today and help us to win the election?”
By @rowenamason.bsky.social
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Speaking as he departed a local election campaign walkabout in Bedworth, Warwickshire, the Reform UK leader described the US President’s comments as “way too far”. After being read the first two lines of the US president’s latest Truth Social post, Mr Farage told the Press Association: “I am quite shocked just to hear that. That is over the top in every single way. “Yes of course he wants to threaten – to get them to the negotiating table. But those words are… they ‘re way too far.”
Three hours after Donald Trump's threat that “a whole civilisation will die tonight” in Iran, and Nigel Farage has been more openly critical of this than Downing Street or anyone else in the UK government.
A lot has bothered me about the reporting of the Kanye West banned. Firstly how it has been framed as all about it the Jewish community - but we should all be against Nazism! This country fought Nazis. Songs called Heil Hitler should not just be for the Jewish community to object to. And secondly…
Yes, that's been the case throughout. The Lib Dem call is to stop *all* access to UK bases by US forces over Iran.
Ed Davey: PM must withdraw US access to UK bases to avoid being complicit in Trump's war crimes
This is a point which could become a lot more pertinent for Downing Street in the next day or so.
It's a bit depressing that in 2026, a Labour leader is promising to block a congestion charge. I have no particular knowledge of the Glasgow plan, but history shows us that in almost every case, congestion charges work for basically everyone.
Does feel once again like Reform shoring up the 23%-ish/over-60s/active-on-Facebook-and-Nextdoor vote.
Reform UK would stop visas for people from countries seeking slavery reparations The ‘bank is closed and the door is locked’, says Zia Yusuf as calls grow for compensation to remedy historical wrongs
This feels completely performative. If Caribbean Commonwealth nations discussed slavery reparations – as they already have – would a Reform government seriously block travel to the UK for their nationals?
Don’t tempt me with a good time.
A war on motorists, you say.
There is at least one thing most Tory MPs can agree on - the parliamentary party is a much happier place after Robert Jenrick and Suella Braverman defected. One says: “It’s hard to overstate how much people breathed a sigh of relief when Robert and Suella left,”
One senior Tory official; “There is mass denial going on in the party. If you’re knocking on doors as much as I do, the view from MPs can seem delusional. No one has ever told me: ‘Kemi was good on PMQs, wasn’t she?’ It’s only MPs and nerds like me who watch it.”
NEW: A read by me on the Conservatives as they head into May’s elections. Some MPs are quite chipper, and no one expects a challenge to Badenoch. But others in the party look at the poll numbers and see nothing but an abyss beneath the party’s feet.
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Quotes like that do sometimes make me wonder if Reform actually have any plans for moving beyond their current poll ratings.
That is Reform's response to the Greater Manchester police statement. It seems GMP are now part of the whitewashing "establishment".
Nigel Farage: "Frankly, this is exactly the kind of establishment whitewash people are sick to death of. This isn’t good enough. We need proper oversight, real accountability, and the courage to admit when something isn’t right. Not another brushed-under-the-carpet report from the usual suspects."
From my limited interactions with Democracy Volunteers, it did feel as if they had observed some instances of worrying behaviour, but also that their report into the by-election - and the response to the report - was overblown.
GMP say they spoke to Democracy Volunteers, who said they observed 32 instances of either more than one voter going into a booth at the same time, or people looking over the shoulder of voters. But there was no evidence of direction or coercion, which is key under the law.
Greater Manchester Police statement: "We’ve concluded our investigation into alleged ‘family voting’ at last month’s Gorton and Denton by-election, finding no evidence of any intent to influence or refrain any person from voting."
It's odd phrasing.
“I don’t have any issue with homophobia, I’ve got a lot of gay friends.
Reform UK's Malcolm 100% conclusively, absolutely, proving that he cannot possibly be homophobic.
The phone was nicked months before Mandelson was arrested.
What strange coincidences? And what is convenient?
Set up specially but not sure what the backup defaults are.
It’s also yet another example of how some people believe that simply saying, ‘But there are unanswered questions!’ is Woodward/Bernstein-level investigate journalism. Events are generally chaotic and sometimes surprising. Unanswered questions are ubiquitous.
But the saga does make for yet another useful tally of people who spend too long on X.
The McSweeney phone conspiracism might make sense* if losing a phone guaranteed the loss of messages. But unless you also factor in a Vardy/Johnson-style password mishap then it absolutely doesn’t.
*It still wouldn’t really make sense.