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Ben Bradshaw

@benbradshaw.bsky.social
1.1K followers 242 following 528 posts

Ex Labour Minister & ex MP for Exeter, now growing olives in Sicily. He/him

PostsRepliesMedia
Ben Bradshaw @benbradshaw.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
As a mild Andy sceptic, that was terrific. The leader’s speech I’ve been waiting for. National Care Service, Triple Lock, honesty about disaster of #Brexit & a renewed closer relationship with the EU, electoral reform. If he delivers, he’ll go down as a great Labour PM & all Labour should back him.
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Ben Bradshaw @benbradshaw.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Time for Andy Burnham to say in his conference speech the UK will negotiate to rejoin the European customs union if Labour win the next electionhttps://giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/actions/redeem/298f2775-1b14-4c58-a135-762cafbe3658e
giftarticle.ft.com
EU urges UK to raise tariffs on Chinese cars to avoid ‘made in Europe’ barriers
London has lobbied intensely to secure equal treatment for British products but continues to rule out a customs union
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Ben Bradshaw @benbradshaw.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
At last, a UK Prime Minister willing to spell out the scale of Kremlin generated misinformation poisoning our politics & undermining Britain & other western democracies. This goes back to long before the #Brexit referendum. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
UK to fight Russian disinformation and push new global AI standards, Burnham says
The UK could act as "an honest broker" on AI and other global challenges, the prime minister tells world leaders at the UN.
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Ben Bradshaw @benbradshaw.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Although the latest German state election results are bad, they’re not as terrible as the last one in Sachsen Anhalt. SPD likely to lead governing coalition in Mecklenburg & right lose power in Berlin. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
German state elections: Chancellor Friedrich Merz vows to stay on despite 'disaster' in polls
Exit polls show damaging losses for Merz's centre-right CDU party in the states of Berlin and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
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George Eaton @georgeeaton.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Lib Dem pledge to cut fuel duty by 10p is depressingly bad policy: poorly targeted, expensive (£5bn), and it weakens incentives to switch to EVs and reduce usage.
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Ben Bradshaw @benbradshaw.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Brazen cheek for Badenoch to attack *this* Govt on Russian threat when she was in a Cabinet that *cut* defence & tried to block publication of the Intelligence & Security Committee report that found the then Govt had “taken their eye off the ball” & “seriously underestimated the Russian threat” 🤬
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Phil Brickell MP @philbrickellmp.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Party financing in this country is out of control The government needs to act via the Representation of the People Bill to restrict spending limits and donations👇🏻 Reform receives second £36m donation in two days as crypto investor matches record www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Reform receives second £36m donation in two days as crypto investor matches record
Cryptocurrency investor Christopher Harborne says he has matched a donation from Ben Delo announced late on Friday.
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Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Media presenters in UK may have skewed perceptions of balamce of Jewish opinion towards Israeli govt. Centre of gravity aligns with Miliband (attached to Israel & critical of Netanyahu). Varies by faith/denomination & politics: many cons & mainstream orthodox disapprove Netanyahu govt too. See IJPR
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Henry Mance @henrymance.ft.com · 09/09/2026
Yet he is regularly presented on the BBC as speaking for all British Jews.
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Ben Bradshaw @benbradshaw.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Badenoch might have ingratiated herself with Netanyahu with her opposition to the UK other democracies sanctioning the illegal Israeli settlements in Palestine, but 3 out of the 6 backbench Tories who spoke in his Commons statement backed Ed Miliband hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2026...
hansard.parliament.uk
Israel and Palestine - Hansard - UK Parliament
Hansard record of the item : 'Israel and Palestine' on Tuesday 8 September 2026.
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Mark Chadbourn @chadbourn.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
For those still learning about Germany’s neo-Nazi AfD, here are the salient facts:
INTELLIFACTS
ALICE WEIDEL BECOMES THE FIRST LEADER IN THE WORLD WHO IS ANTI-IMMIGRATION BUT HAS AN IMMIGRANT WIFE, IS ANTI-LGBTQ+ BUT IS A LESBIAN HERSELF, OPPOSES LGBT ADOPTION BUT HAS ADOPTED TWO CHILDREN, AND IS A HARDCORE GERMAN NATIONALIST BUT LIVES IN SWITZERLAND
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Oliver Bullough @oliverbullough.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
The fact something as fundamental and superb as the RNLI is a charity is one of the most magical and strange things about Britain. You can support them here. rnli.org/support-us/g...
rnli.org
Donate to the RNLI and help save lives at sea
Your donations really make a difference. We depend on your generosity to educate people to stay safe and prevent tragedies on and offshore. Donate here.
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Chatham House @chathamhouse.org · 08/09/2026
The UK has a strategic interest, a legal obligation and a moral duty to stop any trade with unlawful Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
chathamhouse.org
Banning UK trade with illegal Israeli settlements is long overdue
It would be a natural extension of current UK positions, and parliament’s cross-party Foreign Affairs Committee has recommended a formal ban for over a year.
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Sam Freedman @samfr.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
New PISA data out England is now top ten in all three areas (reading, maths, science) and the second highest performing country outside of east Asia (after Estonia). This is a huge public policy success.
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Ben Bradshaw @benbradshaw.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Following the black-masked fascist thugs invading Dover & Portsmouth have just donated to the excellent @hopenothate.org.uk
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Ben Bradshaw @benbradshaw.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Having lived in Germany & followed its politics for 50 years I never thought a far right German aristocrat, granddaughter of a leading Nazi, relative of our King, would take prime slot on BBC Today celebrating victory for her AFD - a party Berlin’s intelligence service considers unconstitutional.
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Robert Hutton @roberthutton.co.uk · 05/09/2026
How could an associate professor in divinity at Cambridge be expected to know that lying is bad? thecritic.co.uk/mone...
Ah yes, James Orr. A lot of us had been hazy about what it is exactly that associate professors in a divinity department do all day. It doesn’t seem to involve a lot of work: Orr is often to be seen at Reform events in London, which take up the whole morning even for those of us with offices down the road. Now we know he was also sipping cocktails while discussing ways in which wealthy foreigners might be able to get round the laws that ban them donating to the party.

The associate professor of divinity was filmed explaining to an undercover reporter that so long as everyone kept their mouths shut, there was no way that the authorities would ever find out. Orr spent four years as a postdoctoral fellow in theology, ethics and public life at Oxford, and it would be fascinating to know at what point he developed this theory of What the Electoral Commission Don’t Know Won’t Hurt Them. Perhaps he was off sick the day they opened the gospel of Luke: “What you have said in the dark will be h
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Election Maps UK @electionmaps.uk · 04/09/2026
🚨 | Following the Channel 4 News Investigation, the British Polling Council has confirmed that JL Partners were in clear breach of Rule 2.1 and that the matter has been referred to the Market Research Standards Board.
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Jim Pickard @pickardje.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
it’s weirdly fortuitous that the FT Magazine just happened to run a brilliant deep dive into James Orr yesterday morning, hours before the scandal broke: www.ft.com/content/c2d0...
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Ben Bradshaw @benbradshaw.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Seems Reform might have broken both party funding laws & polling transparency rules 🍿
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Ben Bradshaw @benbradshaw.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Wonderful media coverage of the unveiling of the Bayeux Tapestry at the British Museum & the power of cultural diplomacy. High time now for the UK to follow Macron’s lead & allow the Parthenon sculptures to be exhibited in their original home in Athens.
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Ben Bradshaw @benbradshaw.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Very impressive first #pmqs by Andy Burnham after his record breaking statement answering MPs’ questions yesterday. Well briefed, quick on his feet, effective at setting a narrative. He’s matured & improved considerably during his years in Manchester.
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Peter Stefanovic @peterstefanovic.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
“The decade of low growth has partly been the result of BREXIT and the sooner the party opposite accepts that the more we can start to face up to Britains future” Prime Minister Andy Burnham #PMQs 👏
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Sam Freedman @samfr.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
My main thought from that PMQs (which I rarely watch) is about Badenoch not Burnham (who was v nervous but tonally fine).... She desperately needs a way to disassociate herself from the Truss/Boris era and she doesn't seem to realise how much of a barrier that is to getting heard.
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Ben Bradshaw @benbradshaw.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Amid the snarky comments about Keir’s announcement, I’d like to thank him for helping make Labour electable again, a much better record in Government than he’s given credit for, leaving a strong foundation for Andy to build on, the gracious way he’s handled the transition & wish him well.
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Rob Davies @byrobdavies.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
"I want your children's lungs to be smaller and less functional" is a bold electoral strategy.
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Ben Bradshaw @benbradshaw.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
*Love* the Quakers. Trans rights are human rights 🙌🏼 www.quaker.org.uk/news-and-eve...
quaker.org.uk
Quakers reaffirm commitment to trans inclusion in the wake of EHRC Code of Practice
Quakers in Britain has refreshed and reaffirmed its commitment to providing trans-inclusive facilities across its buildings.
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Roland Smith @rolandmcs.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
With each passing day, there's more and more fighting and bad blood among the parties of the Right. They are starting to hate each other more than they hate the Left.
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Ben Bradshaw @benbradshaw.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
Superb & very timely editorial from the world’s leading medical journal on the dangers of the current backlash against LGBT people & the need to fight back, for the sake of everyone. Bravo 🙌🏼 www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
thelancet.com
Attacks on LGBTQ+ health are a threat to all
The health of LGBTQ+ people has long been an indicator of wider advances in human rights and health equity. Modern LGBTQ+ liberation movements have achieved substantial progress towards the decriminal...
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Best for Britain @bestforbritain.org · 21/08/2026
Incredible photos from the National Trust. Rewilded land - rivers returned to natural courses, wetlands restored - have stayed green and lush during this summer's extreme heat. Reform (and Trump) claim rewilding is to blame for wildfires. These pictures are visual proof of that fallacy.
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Ben Bradshaw @benbradshaw.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Trade with the illegal Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories should have been banned long ago. If true, this is an encouraging development.
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Bridget Phillipson MP @bphillipsonmp.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
I spoke to @theguardian.com about the responsibility politicians need to take in facing down hatred and discrimination, and how Labour, under Andy Burnham, is bringing back hope. Watch below 🎬 youtu.be/w70_M-qypE8?...
youtu.be
UK minister criticises misogynistic social media culture | Politics Weekly
YouTube video by Politics Weekly
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Ben Bradshaw @benbradshaw.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
This is very helpful & rather encouraging advice on the impact on trans & non-binary people of the recent @equalityhumanright.bsky.social guidance on interpreting the Supreme Court’s judgement on “single sex” spaces. transactual.org.uk/law/workplac...
transactual.org.uk
Your Rights in the Workplace – TransActual
There have been a lot of court cases recently related to trans employees’ access to facilities (such as changing rooms, locker rooms etc.) and toilets when at work.
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Ben Bradshaw @benbradshaw.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Credit to @london.gov.uk for standing up to the nay sayers & delivering the most effective and important public health measure for decades.
theguardian.com
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Chris Grey @chrisgrey.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
If this is so, it surely follows that X should now be considered a threat to national security.
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Mic Wright @brokenbottleboy.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
This is truly execrable reporting from the BBC on the racist disorder in Thetford. “…amid fears they were being used to house asylum seekers.” What were those “fears” and why are you giving them this implicitly legitimacy?
PA MEDIA
A large group stormed three properties including this one on Bracken Road, amid fears they were being used to house asylum seekers
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Damian Barr @damianbarr.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
‘Right now, the trans and nonbinary community is fighting many of the same tabloid lies and legal obstacles thrown at lesbians, gay men and bisexuals since for ever. We are unnatural, we are a danger to children, we spy on you in toilets.‘ On solidarity, Pride and visibility.
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Best for Britain @bestforbritain.org · 01/08/2026
He knows 👏
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Ben Bradshaw @benbradshaw.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
I see those MPs who did their best to undermine Keir are already at it with Andy, despite his extremely impressive first two weeks & big bounce in the polls. They never seem to learn. 🙄
theguardian.com
Burnham risks first revolt as PM over apparent support for North Sea drilling
Labour MPs fear No 10 team lack up-to-date energy insight and don’t fully recognise voters’ climate concerns
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Ben Bradshaw @benbradshaw.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Great news for young transgender people and their families as High Court rejects attempt by anti trans campaigners to block gender affirming healthcare trial.
theguardian.com
High court clears way for clinical trial giving puberty blockers to children
Legal challenge to King’s College London research study claimed it could harm participants but was rejected
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Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
Nigel Farage, Reform UK 24% approval (6% very) 55% disapprove (42% very) (More in Common) A strong route to get elected in much of Britain is to be main opponent of Farage. A major electoral dilemma for British right, if Farage mobilises too many opponents to win, yet his base may prevent others
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Bridget Phillipson MP @bphillipsonmp.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
Reform UK are up to their neck in scandal. Serious new information has come to light, opening up yet more questions about donations made by George Cottrell and his associates. Frankly, it stinks. I've written to the Electoral Commission to draw it to their attention.
A letter from Bridget Phillipson to the Electoral Commission.A letter from Bridget Phillipson to the Electoral Commission.
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Ben Bradshaw @benbradshaw.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
Suddenly the British right feels a political chill. It’s getting cold in Andy Burnham’s shadow | Rafael Behr
The Tories and Reform had it easy when Keir Starmer was self-destructing – but a new PM with ideas exposes how vacant the opposition has become, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr
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Ben Bradshaw @benbradshaw.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
Panorama interview with Andy Burnham - worth watching in full. His folksy blokesy style on a wide range of subjects really works. Laura’s repeated “gotcha” attempts to generate headline fail. He’s relaxed, calm, persuasive. Tough decisions ahead but excellent start, reflected already in the polls.
bbc.co.uk
Panorama - Andy Burnham: The Laura Kuenssberg Interview
What kind of prime minister will Andy Burnham be? Laura Kuenssberg has been behind the scenes with him during his first week in power.
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Steve Peers @stevepeers.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
Ah, I had thought that the Tories were jumping on poor journalism from the Times re immigration - in fact the party was the *original source* of the false claims, which the paper neglected to check or clearly attribute. Incompetent, unprofessional, dubious, and xenophobic behaviour all round.
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Pat McFadden MP @patmcfaddenmp.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
A fundamental change in our education system: giving equal weight to academic routes and technical education, work experience and a focus on local opportunities.
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Helen Czerski @helenczerski.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
Plug-in solar panels are coming to the UK from August 27th! It's been in the pipeline for a while & it's already common in Germany. But it's BRILLIANT because it opens up these technologies to renters & ppl w/o their own roof. Plugs into a normal socket & supplies ~ 10-20% of household needs. ☀️🎉
theguardian.com
UK households free to install plug-in balcony solar panels from end of August
Law change means renters and flat owners may be able to cut bills as energy costs soar amid Iran war
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Sam Bright @writesbright.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
Farage has said he thinks it’s “absolutely nuts” for CO2 to be considered a pollutant, while Badenoch says candidates aren’t welcome in the Conservative Party that support net zero. Leaders of the civilisational collapse cult.
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Ben Bradshaw @benbradshaw.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
Very sorry that @oliviabailey.bsky.social has lost her Equalities role. She was an excellent Minister. Her presentation of the Government’s draft Bill to ban conversion practices was one of the best despatch performances of any junior Minister I’ve seen. ☹️
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Adam Bienkov @adambienkov.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
You wouldn't know from these Tweets by a BBC reporter that small boat crossings are down by almost a half compared to the same period last year
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