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Henry Zeffman

@hzeffman.bsky.social
74K followers 142 following 114 posts

BBC Chief Political Correspondent Instagram: @hzeffmanbbc

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Henry Zeffman @hzeffman.bsky.social · 21h
NEW Downing Street issues fresh statement on Man City case in an attempt to clarify Andy Burnham's comments to Chris Mason yesterday
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Henry Zeffman @hzeffman.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
Burnham promises huge change - now to find out how he will deliver it My speech analysis www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Burnham promises huge change - now to find out how he will deliver it
The next prime minister promised nothing less than the biggest change in British politics in 40 years in his first speech as Labour leader.
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Henry Zeffman @hzeffman.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
Keir Starmer's official spokesperson: "The World Cup might not be ours but the Falkland Islands definitely are” Asked who the PM would be supporting in the final, the spokesperson said: “The PM wishes both teams well for the final, especially Spain.”
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Henry Zeffman @hzeffman.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
EXCLUSIVE KEIR STARMER’S FIRST INTERVIEW SINCE RESIGNING *Inside “intensely personal” decision to quit *Impossible for new PM to spend less time on foreign policy *I saved the Labour Party *I was joking when I mocked Andy Burnham, in fact I like him www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Starmer: Burnham will have to spend as much time on foreign affairs as me
In an untypically candid interview, the outgoing PM tells the BBC it was "really tough" to accept his political career was over.
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Alex Partridge @alexpartridge87.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
Panorama's investigation into David Sullivan is out: www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Billionaire West Ham co-owner David Sullivan accused of preying on women for sex
Women say David Sullivan told them they needed to have sex with him to feature in his newspapers.
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Henry Zeffman @hzeffman.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
EXCLUSIVE Sir Keir Starmer will not seek to block Andy Burnham from becoming the Labour candidate in Makerfield, the BBC understands. An ally of Keir Starmer said: “Keir is focused on bringing the party together so it can tackle the issues facing working families.”
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Henry Zeffman @hzeffman.bsky.social · 09/05/2026
BREAKING Labour MP Catherine West says that if cabinet has not removed Keir Starmer by Monday she’ll challenge him for the leadership. She tells Radio 4's PM she already has 10 backers and is confident she’d get more www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c1...
bbc.co.uk
Election results 2026 live: Challenge Starmer by Monday or I will, Labour MP tells cabinet ministers
In a BBC interview, Catherine West says she has 10 MPs prepared to back her and is
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Henry Zeffman @hzeffman.bsky.social · 09/05/2026
After appointment of Harriet Harman as the PM's adviser on women and girls, Gordon Brown has just arrived in Downing Street
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Henry Zeffman @hzeffman.bsky.social · 21/04/2026
Olly Robbins's position is that the Foreign Office was put under pressure to expedite Mandelson's case, but giving him clearance was the right call. No 10's position is the exact opposite: there was not undue pressure, but Robbins nevertheless made the wrong call at the end of the vetting process
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Alex Partridge @alexpartridge87.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
The King got heckled in Clitheroe this morning, about Andrew and Epstein. Files release fallout all over the place in Britain
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Henry Zeffman @hzeffman.bsky.social · 02/02/2026
NEW: Who was John Pond? This August 2009 email exchange which was forwarded to Jeffrey Epstein included Mandelson, the PM's PPS Jeremy Heywood, the minister/adviser Shriti Vadera and... John Pond. Two sources have told the BBC that John Pond was in fact Gordon Brown, then the PM
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Henry Zeffman @hzeffman.bsky.social · 15/01/2026
BREAKING Kemi Badenoch has sacked Robert Jenrick from the shadow cabinet, removed the whip and suspended his party membership. She says she was "presented with clear, irrefutable evidence that he was plotting in secret to defect" to Reform
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Henry Zeffman @hzeffman.bsky.social · 15/01/2026
EXCL: The government is to announce new powers making it easier to mobilise tens of thousands of former armed forces personnel to prepare for war. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
New rules make it easier to call up reservists for war
Reservists will remain on call for an extra decade, with a lower threshold for being called up.
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Henry Zeffman @hzeffman.bsky.social · 14/01/2026
NEW Shabana Mahmood announces not only that Craig Guildford, the chief constable of West Midlands Police, no longer has her confidence after a "devastating" independent review, but also that the government will reintroduce the power for home secretaries to sack chief constables
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Henry Zeffman @hzeffman.bsky.social · 09/12/2025
EXCL: Kemi Badenoch has questioned whether businesses can afford the current minimum wage and suggested that it should not increase further www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Minimum wage should not go any higher, suggests Badenoch
Badenoch claimed Labour had tipped the balance too far against workers and in favour of welfare.
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Henry Zeffman @hzeffman.bsky.social · 04/12/2025
What to read into Keir Starmer's comments about Brexit this week? Well, not that much. My analysis: www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Henry Zeffman: Less than meets the eye to Starmer's words on Brexit
This week, the PM was trying to set the scene for what is to come on the UK-EU relationship, sources say.
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Henry Zeffman @hzeffman.bsky.social · 30/10/2025
15 months in, Labour MPs are still craving a compelling story from Keir Starmer. Read my analysis for BBC News here www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Labour MPs still crave a compelling story from Starmer
Frustration is growing about the PM's ability to define the government's message - and sell it to the public.
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Henry Zeffman @hzeffman.bsky.social · 29/10/2025
Breaking: Hadush Kebatu has been deported to Ethiopia. He left the UK on a flight last night. Shabana Mahmood: “I have pulled every lever to deport Mr Kebatu and remove him off British soil. I am pleased to confirm this vile child sex offender has been deported."
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Victoria Derbyshire @vicderbyshire.bsky.social · 19/10/2025
#Newscast 🎧- new allegations about Prince Andrew; and which party has the best plan to bring down your energy bills? With Henry Zeffman, Simon Jack and me www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
bbc.co.uk
Newscast - New Prince Andrew Allegations - BBC Sounds
New accusations claim that Andrew sought to investigate Virginia Guiffre.
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Henry Zeffman @hzeffman.bsky.social · 05/09/2025
Angela Rayner has helped Keir Starmer defuse left-wing discontent. What if she were replaced as deputy leader by someone whose express mandate was to represent left-wing discontent? www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c0...
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Henry Zeffman @hzeffman.bsky.social · 03/09/2025
Rayner's political future under threat after stamp duty admission — my analysis www.bbc.com/news/article...
bbc.com
Angela Rayner's political future under threat after stamp duty admission
The deputy prime minister has referred herself for an ethics probe by the PM's adviser.
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Henry Zeffman @hzeffman.bsky.social · 01/09/2025
Why Starmer wants No 10 rejig after a year in power -- my analysis www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Why Keir Starmer wants No 10 rejig after a year in power
The PM's revamp aims to build clearer structures and bolster economic expertise ahead of the Budget.
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Henry Zeffman @hzeffman.bsky.social · 22/07/2025
EXCL: Kemi Badenoch is reshuffling her shadow cabinet today. And she has persuaded James Cleverly, defeated leadership candidate and former Foreign and Home Secretary, to make a frontbench comeback
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Henry Zeffman @hzeffman.bsky.social · 27/06/2025
STARMER'S STORMY YEAR A new BBC Radio 4 programme by me and ace producer Leela Padmanabhan, available NOW From winter fuel to welfare, tax to Trump - I've been speaking to insiders from the PM down to uncover the real story of the past 12 months www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
bbc.co.uk
Starmer's Stormy Year - BBC Sounds
The inside story of Keir Starmer's turbulent first year as Labour prime minister.
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Henry Zeffman @hzeffman.bsky.social · 27/06/2025
STARMER'S STORMY YEAR A new BBC Radio 4 programme by me and ace producer Leela Padmanabhan, available NOW From winter fuel to welfare, tax to Trump - I've been speaking to insiders from the PM down to uncover the real story of the past 12 months www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
bbc.co.uk
Starmer's Stormy Year - BBC Sounds
The inside story of Keir Starmer's turbulent first year as Labour prime minister.
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Henry Zeffman @hzeffman.bsky.social · 24/06/2025
EXCL: International law is at the heart of Sir Keir Starmer's government and its approach to foreign policy, the attorney general Richard Hermer has said. In his first broadcast interview, he said the government was "determined to lead on international law issues” www.bbc.com/news/article...
bbc.com
International law 'at heart' of Starmer's foreign policy, says attorney general
Lord Richard Hermer said that the government was determined to "lead on international law issues" globally.
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Henry Zeffman @hzeffman.bsky.social · 23/06/2025
New: President Zelensky of Ukraine is visiting the UK today for talks with Keir Starmer
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Henry Zeffman @hzeffman.bsky.social · 20/06/2025
Assisted dying passes by 314 votes to 291 Or, if you prefer, British politics’s favourite ratio: 52-48
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Henry Zeffman @hzeffman.bsky.social · 16/06/2025
Why was Keir Starmer's honeymoon so short lived? Were Labour prepared for government? Has the prime minister found a new purpose on the world stage? Does Labour's strategy need to change to deal with fragmented multi-party politics?
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AladdinNoons @aladdinnoons.bsky.social · 29/05/2025
Great piece on Tory woes "You go from having a whole department of thousands of civil servants filling your red box with briefings to working out how to respond to the government in the House of Commons all by yourself," says one shadow minister, sitting alone at a table in parliament. 🥺 😂😂😂
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Henry Zeffman @hzeffman.bsky.social · 29/05/2025
The Conservative Party faces serious problems — is its leader one of them? My BBC InDepth piece on the despondency among Tory MPs www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
The UK Conservatives face problems - is their leader one of them?
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has made missteps that are a ‘total disaster’ for the party, claim insiders
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Henry Zeffman @hzeffman.bsky.social · 21/05/2025
Is it a sign of strength from a pragmatic government willing to listen to criticism and act fast in response? Or a sign of weakness from an ideologically unmoored government which does not know what it believes? My analysis of Keir Starmer's winter fuel u-turn www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Starmer's winter fuel U-turn seeks to calm Labour nerves
Grumblings from MPs were exacerbated by local election results, as campaigners reported unhappiness from voters.
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Henry Zeffman @hzeffman.bsky.social · 21/05/2025
Is it a sign of strength from a pragmatic government willing to listen to criticism and act fast in response? Or a sign of weakness from an ideologically unmoored government which does not know what it believes? My analysis of Keir Starmer's winter fuel u-turn www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Starmer's winter fuel U-turn seeks to calm Labour nerves
Grumblings from MPs were exacerbated by local election results, as campaigners reported unhappiness from voters.
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Henry Zeffman @hzeffman.bsky.social · 20/05/2025
NEW: Senior government figures are discussing whether to reverse the controversial winter fuel policy within weeks. Any announcement could coincide with the spending review next month although the talks are fluid and have not yet reached a conclusion www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Ministers consider easing winter fuel payment cuts
Options under discussion include changing eligibility, or restoring the payments to all pensioners.
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Henry Zeffman @hzeffman.bsky.social · 19/05/2025
Can Keir Starmer become our first truly post-Brexit prime minister? My analysis for BBC News Starmer banks on public being over Brexit www.bbc.com/news/article...
bbc.com
Keir Starmer banks on public being over Brexit
For the UK-EU deal to succeed the PM needs it to seem as insignificant and uncontroversial as possible.
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Henry Zeffman @hzeffman.bsky.social · 14/05/2025
NEW: The government's new rules making migrants wait 10 years instead of 5 to qualify for permanent settlement in the UK are set to apply to people already in the country, subject to consultation www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Migrants already in UK face longer wait for permanent settlement
People will typically have to live in the UK for 10 years before applying for the right to stay indefinitely.
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Henry Zeffman @hzeffman.bsky.social · 13/05/2025
NEW: Conservative MP Patrick Spencer has been charged in relation to two sexual assaults which reportedly occurred at the Groucho Club in August 2023. He was first elected for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich in July last year. news.met.police.uk/news/patrick...
news.met.police.uk
Patrick Spencer MP charged by the Metropolitan Police Service
Man charged in connection with two sexual assaults in Soho in London
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Henry Zeffman @hzeffman.bsky.social · 13/05/2025
Breaking: Met Police have made an arrest in relation to the fires at properties linked to Sir Keir Starmer A 21-year old man was arrested in the early hours of this morning on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life
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Henry Zeffman @hzeffman.bsky.social · 11/05/2025
It was a real privilege to travel to Ukraine this weekend with the prime minister and other leaders. My report for BBC News made with Jack Slater and Imogen Wallace:
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Henry Zeffman @hzeffman.bsky.social · 06/05/2025
Labour MPs rage over election results - but party divided on next steps www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Labour MPs rage over election results - but party divided on next steps
Anger over the party's drubbing in last week's local elections has not dissipated over the weekend.
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Henry Zeffman @hzeffman.bsky.social · 03/05/2025
Seven thing we learnt from the local elections www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Henry Zeffman: Seven things we have learnt from the election results
The patchwork of different contests across England has been truly fascinating, throwing up all sorts of lessons.
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Henry Zeffman @hzeffman.bsky.social · 10/04/2025
Exclusive: The Cabinet Office is cutting a third of its jobs as Pat McFadden seeks to lead by example on civil service reform www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Cabinet Office to axe a third of roles in civil service shake-up
Sources say Cabinet Office chief Pat McFadden wants to
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Henry Zeffman @hzeffman.bsky.social · 31/03/2025
💥Still awaiting formal confirmation but government sources believe Sentencing Council is about to suspend the guidelines which were due to come into force tomorrow Really big and interesting moment if so:
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Henry Zeffman @hzeffman.bsky.social · 06/03/2025
One point worth noting on this morning's sentencing story. Shabana Mahmood has written to the Sentencing Council urging them to change course. But a government source confirms this morning she cannot order them to do so (1/2)
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Henry Zeffman @hzeffman.bsky.social · 10/02/2025
Breaking: Oliver Ryan has been suspended from the Labour Party www.bbc.com/news/article...
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Henry Zeffman @hzeffman.bsky.social · 06/02/2025
NEW: Parliament’s national security strategy committee has written to Keir Starmer complaining that Jonathan Powell hasn’t agreed to speak to them. They have contacted the National Security Adviser 3 times to ask for a session. Every previous NSA has given evidence to them
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Henry Zeffman @hzeffman.bsky.social · 01/02/2025
NEW: The government is preparing to put welfare reform at the centre of its economic agenda. Rachel Reeves wants to end the “perverse incentives” in the system, with more people who receive sickness benefits set to be told to seek work
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Jim Waterson @jim.londoncentric.media · 27/01/2025
This is a lovely short piece about a type and business model journalism that is being lost and drifting off into the night. pressgazette.co.uk/publishers/w...
pressgazette.co.uk
Middlesbrough's last freelance court reporter retires after 69 years in journalism
MIddlesbrough's last court reporter could earn £5,000 in a week in the 1970s. Now no local publishers have freelance budget.
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Henry Zeffman @hzeffman.bsky.social · 16/01/2025
Breaking: Suspended Labour MP Mike Amesbury has pleaded guilty at Chester Magistrates' Court to assault by beating after punching a man in Frodsham, Cheshire in October
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Henry Zeffman @hzeffman.bsky.social · 09/01/2025
My analysis of what trouble in the markets could mean for Labour’s economic plans www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Market trouble threatens Labour's economic plans
Chancellor Rachel Reeves may have to choose between tax rises and spending cuts, writes Henry Zeffman.
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