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Josh Halliday

@joshhalliday.bsky.social
11K followers 297 following 119 posts

North of England editor, the Guardian. Dad. Paul Foot Award winner 2025.

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Josh Halliday @joshhalliday.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Manchester, Abu Dhabi and Andy Burnham - the prime minister’s “absolutely mad” intervention and his “biggest mistake so far”: www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
theguardian.com
How success of Manchester City helped put Andy Burnham in power
PM has praised Abu Dhabi group as ‘huge partner’ in reshaping Manchester, but critics say this ignores public cost of city’s transformation
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Josh Halliday @joshhalliday.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Liverpool, probably my favourite of all Britain’s cities (with apologies to the rest)
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Josh Halliday @joshhalliday.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Tis a great game. The World Cup final that got away. Also excellent to see a Leeds-England No 1 a couple of decades after our last one!
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Josh Halliday @joshhalliday.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
In the words of Lee Dixon: that’s one way of putting it.
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Josh Halliday @joshhalliday.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Jinxed it again Si 😱
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Josh Halliday @joshhalliday.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
👏
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Josh Halliday @joshhalliday.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
Matilda Davis was an inspirational mother. She battled for years for proper support for her six year old son Jude, who had significant disabilities. Last October, Matilda killed herself, three days after raising the plight of parent-carers. This is her story: www.theguardian.com/society/ng-i...
theguardian.com
Matilda in pieces: what one mother’s suicide reveals about the carers broken by the system
Parent-carers of disabled children are exposed to chronic levels of extreme stress and often reach crisis point before help is available – then they face a ‘fight for basic support’, experts say. This...
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Josh Halliday @joshhalliday.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
Matilda Davis was an inspirational mother. She battled for years for proper support for her six year old son Jude, who had significant disabilities. Last October, Matilda killed herself, three days after raising the plight of parent-carers. This is her story: www.theguardian.com/society/ng-i...
theguardian.com
Matilda in pieces: what one mother’s suicide reveals about the carers broken by the system
Parent-carers of disabled children are exposed to chronic levels of extreme stress and often reach crisis point before help is available – then they face a ‘fight for basic support’, experts say. This...
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The Guardian @theguardian.com · 09/08/2026
Parents of baby girl killed at nursery fear unsafe sleeping ‘rife’ across England
theguardian.com
Parents of baby girl killed at nursery fear unsafe sleeping ‘rife’ across England
Katie and John Meehan say responses to campaign they launched after death of daughter Genevieve must be ‘wake-up call’ The parents of a nine-month-old girl who died after being placed in an unsafe sleeping position at nursery said they feared poor practice may be “rife” across England. Genevieve Meehan suffocated when she was strapped face down to a beanbag for an hour and 37 minutes at a nursery in Cheadle Hulme, Stockport, in May 2022. Continue reading...
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Josh Halliday @joshhalliday.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
While Rukhsar Ahmed was too unwell to answer bail in Manchester last month, he was pictured at various campaign events in Mirpur in northern Pakistan before his election last week. Next due to attend a bail hearing in UK in next six weeks, Guardian understands. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
theguardian.com
Former Pakistani minister arrested over alleged child rape in 1990s Manchester
Exclusive: Rukhsar Ahmed was re-elected as an MP in Pakistan last week despite being on police bail in the UK
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Josh Halliday @joshhalliday.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Rukhsar Ahmed, a prominent businessman in the Rusholme area of Manchester, has been involved in state politics in Pakistan for more than 20 years. He was arrested on suspicion of grooming gang offences in July at Manchester airport. He was due to answer bail last month but claimed he was too ill
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Josh Halliday @joshhalliday.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Excl: A former Pakistani state minister has been arrested on suspicion of raping vulnerable young girls in Manchester in the 1990s. Rukhsar Ahmed, who was re-elected as an MP in Pakistan last week, is on police bail in the UK as part of a grooming gang inquiry. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
theguardian.com
Former Pakistani minister arrested over alleged child rape in 1990s Manchester
Exclusive: Rukhsar Ahmed was re-elected as an MP in Pakistan last week despite being on police bail in the UK
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The Guardian @theguardian.com · 02/08/2026
Devolution plans strengthen case for written UK constitution, says Burnham
theguardian.com
Devolution plans strengthen case for written UK constitution, says Burnham
PM argues for codified model of decentralisation that would fundamentally change centuries-old workings of state Andy Burnham has said his programme of devolution strengthens the case for a written constitution for the UK, a move that would fundamentally alter the workings of the state that have developed over centuries. The prime minister has long believed the UK’s “antiquated” political system needs a dramatic overhaul if opportunity is to be shared equally across the country. Continue reading...
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Josh Halliday @joshhalliday.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Labour's Bev Craig to be announced as Greater Manchester mayor in next 15 mins or so.
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Josh Halliday @joshhalliday.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
As expected, Greater Manchester mayoral election is going to a second round as no candidate got 50%. Now counting voters' second preferences. Labour and Reform UK in the run-off.
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Josh Halliday @joshhalliday.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Greater Manchester mayoral count: Announcement imminent on whether it's going to a second round (it is). Sources suggest Labour vote is mid to high 40%, while Reform UK thought to be way behind on about 20%. Astonishing turnaround if that's the case.
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Josh Halliday @joshhalliday.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Looks like Labour has stormed the Greater Manchester byelection. Votes still being counted but we're told they've won in places where Reform UK and the Greens dominated in May – including all wards in Green MP Hannah Spencer's constituency. "It's a massive turnaround," says Labour source.
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Henry Dyer @direthoughts.com · 29/07/2026
New story on Reform's finances from @annaisaac.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
theguardian.com
Revealed: George Cottrell transferred $2m to his mother days before her donations to Reform UK
Exclusive: Sources say Fiona Cottrell told bankers the transfers, received 24-72 hours before her donations to Reform, came from her son
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Josh Halliday @joshhalliday.bsky.social · 26/07/2026
ICYMI: Lucy Harrison, 23, from Warrington in Cheshire, was shot dead by her father in Texas last year but he was never arrested. Lucy's mother is now calling on @andyburnham.bsky.social to help her secure justice.
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Jennifer Williams @jenwilliamsft.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
I’m not sure if this story was briefed. If it has been, I’m curious. Traditionally as northern journalists (local or national, there’s not loads of us) it is infuriating to see stories about things you’ve covered in detail briefed to the Sunday lobby. Let’s see how this power shift works in practice
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Josh Halliday @joshhalliday.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
In January 2025, 23-year-old Lucy Harrison was shot dead by her father while visiting him in Texas. Eighteen months on, he hasn’t been arrested. Lucy’s mother, from Warrington, is calling on new PM @andyburnham.bsky.social to intervene. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
theguardian.com
‘Nobody was there for us’: mother urges Andy Burnham to reopen case of daughter killed in Texas
Lucy Harrison, 23, was shot in 2025 with her father’s gun. He was never arrested and a grand jury chose not to indict him
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Josh Halliday @joshhalliday.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
Turns out No 10 North is based in Downing Street, SW1.
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Josh Halliday @joshhalliday.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
More PMQs like this please.
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Josh Halliday @joshhalliday.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
Hi Graeme! Hahaha I don’t remember that but that sounds very ‘me’ in 2008/9! Welcome to Bluesky! I don’t post here as much as I should but good to be in touch nonetheless - hope you’re very well.
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Rob Davies @byrobdavies.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
She's too modest to say it but @annaisaac.bsky.social has led the way on reporting about Reform and Farage's financial affairs. She's having one hell of a year. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
theguardian.com
Revealed: Farage’s £5m gift reported to UK crime agency over money laundering concerns
Exclusive: Latest Guardian revelation about gift from cryptocurrency tycoon comes as Reform UK leader forces byelection
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Josh Halliday @joshhalliday.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
At the People’s History Museum for Andy Burnham’s speech - the venue that displayed the ‘King of the North’ worker’s jacket he wore during his viral Covid diatribe in October 2020. It was displayed with what curators called “evidential soiling” (it hadn’t been washed).
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sianushka.bsky.social @sianushka.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
I've reported a lot on misogyny in the British court martial system, but the details in this story by Rob Evans and Harry Davies, about how the US military took jurisdiction over a SA allegation in the UK are devastating www.theguardian.com/uk-news/ng-i...
theguardian.com
‘Degrading’: why did a US fighter pilot avoid British trial after strangling a woman in England?
Jacob Wulfson’s fellow airmen decided his fate after a court martial at RAF Lakenheath – a distressing week for Sarah Steele, the academic he assaulted
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Josh Halliday @joshhalliday.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Slaithwaite ("slou-it")
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Esther Addley @estheraddley.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
Ten years to the day since the Brexit vote, and thank goodness for all that political stability it brought. This oral history of the referendum campaign, from those who were behind it, is a pretty bracing reminder of the farce and tragedy of it all. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
theguardian.com
‘Geldof started flicking Vs at Farage’: the story of the Brexit campaign, told by those with a front-row seat
How five months in 2016 that encompassed Boris Johnson siding with Vote Leave, Jo Cox’s murder and David Cameron’s resignation shaped the UK’s future
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Josh Halliday @joshhalliday.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
Be still my beating heart!
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Josh Halliday @joshhalliday.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
Breaking my Makerfield by-election silence to say Platt Bridge McDonalds is playing D:REAM’s Things Can Only Get Better.
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Josh Halliday @joshhalliday.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
✍🏻 Final one of our four million on-the-ground pieces from Makerfield. The mood in Labour (upbeat) and Reform camps (downbeat) and the fears over how voters will come back together after such an ugly, divisive campaign. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
theguardian.com
‘I had one man spit at my poster’: Makerfield deeply divided as byelection campaign draws to a close
People across constituency say voters are ‘turning against each other’ but Labour believes they will back Andy Burnham because he is ‘bringing people together’
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Josh Halliday @joshhalliday.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
So sorry, Felicity. Difficult to think of a more vital time for Money Box than now.
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Josh Halliday @joshhalliday.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
Police in Northern Ireland were warned repeatedly that 'a hitlist' of properties targeted in this week’s Belfast riots was circulating among anti-immigration activists – excl by @theguardian.com's Aamna Mohdin www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
theguardian.com
Police were warned for months about addresses targeted in Belfast riots
Exclusive: PSNI repeatedly warned by monitoring group for eight months after a so-called hitlist of addresses began circulating in far-right networks
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Peter Beaumont @petersbeaumont1.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
Important reporting www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
theguardian.com
‘It was so terrifying’: care workers tell how they were trapped at home by Belfast mob
Sumayah Nakazibwe and Stella Ariokot were frightened they would be next as fires took hold on neighbouring houses and rioters set cars alight
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Josh Halliday @joshhalliday.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
My colleague @hannahalothman.bsky.social is in Belfast tonight. This is what she’s seen. www.theguardian.com/politics/liv...
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Sophie Earnshaw @sophieearnshaw.bsky.social · 07/06/2026
My brave clients, both survivors of sex trafficking and refugees, shared their stories for this important piece. Both made offers in Durham via Reloc8 UK. MKM won a judicial review in the High Court last year yet we are still fighting @ealingcouncil.bsky.social as they say the property was suitable
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Priya Bharadia @priyabharadia.bsky.social · 07/06/2026
Exclusive w/ @joshhalliday.bsky.social: Vulnerable families are being illegally “dumped” hundreds of miles away by London councils, in a practice “ripping at the social fabric” of deprived towns. @theguardian.com
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Josh Halliday @joshhalliday.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
Many congrats to @petergeoghegan.bsky.social and Khadija Sharife! Well deserved winners on an incredibly impressive shortlist. Special shout to @sheffieldtribune.bsky.social too - smashing it 👏
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Jennifer Williams @jenwilliamsft.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
Late posting this because this is Andy Burnham’s world and I just live in it. Some thoughts on his narratives re Greater Manchester as.ft.com/r/7b217fa9-c...
as.ft.com
Andy Burnham’s contradictory vision of Greater Manchester
Adaptability has fuelled his popularity, but others critique politician’s shape-shifting and weak policy grip
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Josh Halliday @joshhalliday.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
For the first time, the parents of five of the girls who were stabbed in the Southport attack have shared their stories. Humbled and privileged to meet them. Here is their story - a difficult read but with hope at the end. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/ng-i...
theguardian.com
Girls who survived Southport attack meet again: ‘It was like having big sisters’
Parents speak for first time about daughters’ heroism on the day and their courage in dealing with critical injuries, scars and trauma
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Josh Halliday @joshhalliday.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
For the first time, the parents of five of the girls who were stabbed in the Southport attack have shared their stories. Humbled and privileged to meet them. Here is their story - a difficult read but with hope at the end. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/ng-i...
theguardian.com
Girls who survived Southport attack meet again: ‘It was like having big sisters’
Parents speak for first time about daughters’ heroism on the day and their courage in dealing with critical injuries, scars and trauma
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Josh Halliday @joshhalliday.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
A real privilege to be a judge on this year’s Paul Foot awards. Loads of properly brilliant journalism - congrats to all nominees.
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Padraig Reidy @padraigreidy.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
Shortlist is here! Congratulations to the brilliant individuals and teams who made it.
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Josh Halliday @joshhalliday.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
Inside the Burnham campaign after fortnight that could spell end for Keir Starmer: www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
theguardian.com
‘No other plan comes close’: Labour MPs turn to Burnham as pressure mounts on Starmer
Leadership options in focus amid fears over election losses, with allies of Greater Manchester mayor stepping up preparations for a comeback
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Josh Halliday @joshhalliday.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
Excl: Andy Burnham has credible plan to return to Westminster “within weeks”, allies have said, with the mayor set to use a byelection fight to set out a big new agenda for government. + impressive” candidate lined up to fight mayoral contest www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
theguardian.com
Andy Burnham has plan to return to Westminster ‘within weeks’, allies say
Exclusive: Greater Manchester mayor said to have identified seats where MPs would step aside to allow leadership bid
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Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
This was such a terrible case of an avoidable death. The parents have done remarkably to turn their grief into a practical scaleable intervention, which depemds for its effectiveness on being known about
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Sam Wilson @samwilson.bsky.social · 18/04/2026
Really worth a read.
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Josh Halliday @joshhalliday.bsky.social · 18/04/2026
In case you missed: inside the trial of the convicted sex offender who got away with rape, leading to the innocent Andrew Malkinson spending 17 years in prison. And the questions now facing police, CPS and CCRC: www.theguardian.com/law/2026/apr...
theguardian.com
The rape case that became one of Britain’s greatest miscarriages of justice
Paul Quinn’s conviction, 23 years after the attack, exposes how a victim was repeatedly failed and an innocent man wrongly jailed
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Josh Halliday @joshhalliday.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
Inside the story of a 20-year miscarriage of justice after a brutal rape for which Andrew Malkinson was wrongfully jailed: A convicted sex offender has now been found guilty of the attack: www.theguardian.com/law/2026/apr...
theguardian.com
The rape case that became one of Britain’s greatest miscarriages of justice
Paul Quinn’s conviction, 23 years after the attack, exposes how a victim was repeatedly failed and an innocent man wrongly jailed
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