Sign in

Paul Murray

@pbm63.bsky.social
42 followers 61 following 9 posts

Full-time Leeds fan. Occasional acoustic engineer.

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by Paul Murray
Kevin Maguire @kevmag.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
The Conservative Party is “authoritarian” and attacking the “free press” by banning journalists from its conference when Kemi Badenoch called Reform precisely that for doing the same. bylinetimes.com/2026/09/30/k...
bylinetimes.com
Kemi Badenoch's Conservatives Block Byline Times From Conference After Condemning Reform for Journalist Ban
The ban comes just weeks after the Conservative leader called Reform's barring of critical journalists from their conference an "authoritarian" attack on the free press
1327892
Reposted by Paul Murray
Robert Saunders @robertsaunders.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
The ability to pour hundreds of millions of pounds into a loss-making TV channel, bent on wrenching British politics sharply to the right, is yet another of the ways in which extreme wealth is trying to remake UK democracy. It needs to be part of any serious conversation about political funding.
541902772
Reposted by Paul Murray
Byline Times @bylinetimes.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
"Picking on Byline Times sends a message to other political journalists: Be careful. Don't be too critical. We can do the same to you." @adambienkov.bsky.social speaks to LBC's @mrjamesob.bsky.social about Byline Times' ban from Conservative Party Conference.
24551208
Reposted by Paul Murray
Adam Bienkov @adambienkov.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
I've been a member of the lobby for well over a decade. Not a single one of my lobby colleagues has said a word about the Conservatives banning me from their conferences, without any explanation. Contrast with the US where even Fox News stood in solidarity when Trump banned news outlets he disliked
bylinetimes.com
Kemi Badenoch's Conservatives Block Byline Times From Conference After Condemning Reform for Journalist Ban
The ban comes just weeks after the Conservative leader called Reform's barring of critical journalists from their conference an "authoritarian" attack on the free press
861526618
Reposted by Paul Murray
Gavin Esler @gavinesler.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
I do wonder what some politicians are scared of ….
1630194
Reposted by Paul Murray
Ian Dunt @iandunt.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
This is testament to No.10's frankly astonishing degree of political competence. A policy which was branded electoral suicide 48 hours ago now showing signs of robust popularity.
55819200
Reposted by Paul Murray
Ian Dunt @iandunt.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
How is it possible? Because he told a personal, emotive story, sure. But also he told a moral story: using the funds to help establish a care service. It feels fair. And the decision to opt for a branded institutional structure with strong echoes of the NHS makes it tangible.
3443425
Reposted by Paul Murray
Carole Cadwalladr @carolecadwalla.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
It’s pretty nuts. Tom Watson’s very first intervention in his new job at spytech firm Palantir is to write a letter to his former colleague @labourlewis.bsky.social detailing all the times the firm has monitored his anti-Palantir activities
17442185
Reposted by Paul Murray
Adil Ray @adilray.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Why are Russia banned from playing football by authorities but Israel are not? Both stand accused of an illegal war and atrocities, Israel of a genocide. The response to Russia was swift. Are these double standards? Is it a level playing field?
1929655
Reposted by Paul Murray
Gavin Esler @gavinesler.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Worth a read:
16920
Reposted by Paul Murray
Parody Nigel Farage @parodypm.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Just because I strongly oppose any measure to tackle Russian misinformation, doesn’t mean I’m on Russia's side. In unrelated news, one of the few times I bothered turning up for work as an MEP was to vote AGAINST measures to tackle the spread of Russian misinformation...
281104337
Reposted by Paul Murray
James O’Brien @mrjamesob.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Made the sports section, lads.
321049123
Reposted by Paul Murray
THE NERVE @thenerve.news · 20/09/2026
Good morning @tomwatsonofficial.bsky.social Your journey from MP who most understood the Cambridge Analytica scandal to paid-up Palantir apologist is really quite the journey. Hope the pay packet is worth it. 💰 Here’s some background reading ahead of your first day 🧵👇
A throwback to Tom Watson’s days as the MP fighting back against Facebook after the Nerve team published the Cambridge Analytica investigation at the Observer 
(Tom’s standing, with investigative reporter Carole Cadwalladr on right and whistleblower Chris Wyler 2nd from left)🏁
19419169
Reposted by Paul Murray
Gavin Esler @gavinesler.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Isn’t Sir Jim Ratcliffe an immigrant to Monaco? Happy to be corrected on this of course …. And do British people abroad only consider themselves “expats?” And never “immigrants?”
5544993
Reposted by Paul Murray
Prem Sikka @premnsikka.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Billionaire Brexiteeer and Man United owner says he has lost confidence in the UK. Lives in Monaco to avoid UK taxes, owns several luxury properties. Demands state subsidies, including for building a Man U stadium. Why do billionaires resent people getting decent NHS, social care, public services?
bbc.co.uk
Billionaire Manchester United owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe says he has lost confidence in UK
Ineos founder Sir Jim Ratcliffe tells the BBC he thinks the country is "on the slide" and calls for more investment in the North Sea.
3582653907
Reposted by Paul Murray
Ian Dunt @iandunt.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
This godforesaken piece of shit will get his arse handed to him, as he has elsewhere. One of the most straightforwardly venal and despicable men in British politics.
5962763
Reposted by Paul Murray
Count Binface @countbinface.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Riddle me this. If somebody donates £36 million to a political party and £5 million to its leader, how is the £5 million not political? Asking for a parliamentary standards commissioner.
8551031298
Reposted by Paul Murray
Gavin Esler @gavinesler.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Thank you Count Binface - absolutely the right question- anyone know the answer ….?
323742
Reposted by Paul Murray
Robert Saunders @robertsaunders.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Reform is the richest party in Britain. Its leaders are almost all millionaires. It is funded almost exclusively by billionaires. It has a supportive TV station and widespread media backing. So naturally, this donation comes with the usual attack on "elites". www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
theguardian.com
Reform UK given record £36m donation by British crypto billionaire
Ben Delo was convicted in US for failing to implement adequate anti-money laundering controls but pardoned by Trump
371012469
Reposted by Paul Murray
Victoria Derbyshire @vicderbyshire.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Reform UK has received a £36m donation from a British cryptocurrency billionaire called Ben Delo Last year Delo was given an unconditional pardon by President Trump over a breach of anti-money laundering laws at his crypto trading platform, BitMEX, to which he had pleaded guilty in 2022
47286157
Reposted by Paul Murray
Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan @london.gov.uk · 10/09/2026
A dark blizzard of disinformation is warping the public’s perception of our great city. But we know the truth: our homicide rate is lower than every major US city, neighbourhood crimes are down and we’ve been ranked #1 city in the world 11 years in a row. My piece for The Times.
thetimes.com
We must fight back against troll army’s lies about London
There is a dark blizzard of disinformation online, where our capital is described as a lawless dystopia in decline — this couldn’t be further from the truth
581854569
Reposted by Paul Murray
Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan @london.gov.uk · 08/09/2026
Three years on from the ULEZ expansion, the evidence is clear: cleaner air, healthier children, fewer lives cut short.
35893217
Reposted by Paul Murray
Ger (The Leeds View) @lutheview.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
We've been nominated for The Best Premier League Podcast and The Best Football Influencer at this year's Football Content Awards. We'd really appreciate your support as 50% of the result is public vote. I'd really appreciate it. Thank you footballcontentawards.com/voting #lufc #leedsunited
9469
Paul Murray @pbm63.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Done. Best of Luck.
010
Reposted by Paul Murray
James O’Brien @mrjamesob.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Political violence against women, endorsed & celebrated by elected MPs. In Britain. In 2026. podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/f...
podcasts.apple.com
Farage’s supporters attacked a woman... and he laughed
Podcast Episode · James O'Brien Daily · 7 September · 1hr
61939312
Reposted by Paul Murray
Ed Davey @eddavey.libdems.org.uk · 04/09/2026
Three senior Reform figures were involved in those Channel 4 revelations we saw last night. Two have been kicked out. The third is Nigel Farage. Farage should be suspended while this matter is investigated. He has very serious questions to answer.
1343242849
Reposted by Paul Murray
Pippa Crerar @pippacrerar.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Already under pressure over party finances, and slipping in the polls, the Reform leader needed to use the gathering to get back on the front foot. While Reform activists at the conference remain unswayed, it will further damage Farage and his party's reputation in the wider country.
5999
Reposted by Paul Murray
Pippa Crerar @pippacrerar.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
This is not the first day of Reform conference that Nigel Farage will have hoped for... www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
theguardian.com
Reform UK suspends two senior officials after undercover report on donations
Revelations are further blow to Nigel Farage before conference speech, with Labour reporting party to police
1714614
Reposted by Paul Murray
Robert Hutton @roberthutton.co.uk · 04/09/2026
Prison?
1154027703
Reposted by Paul Murray
Adil Ray @adilray.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
In 24 hours, we have learned from Reform that they don’t think people from abroad should stand in politics but their money is most welcome, “thank you”.
1335093
Reposted by Paul Murray
James O’Brien @mrjamesob.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
"We've done nothing wrong but the people who did it have been sacked for (not) doing it," is quite the defence. And is it just me or Does. Farage. Get. Even. More. Comically. Staccato when he's straining his own enormous capacity for lying?
1912713605
Reposted by Paul Murray
Dmitry Grozoubinski @explaintrade.com · 04/09/2026
So, if I understand Nigel Farage's argument correctly it is: "Everyone I trusted and elevated into a position of responsibility is constantly doing crimes that benefit me but of which I somehow have no knowledge. I am a man with the character, judgement, and intelligence to run the country." Ok.
10436871044
Reposted by Paul Murray
Greg Brown @gregpfc.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Oops! “Orr has appeared on BBC Radio 4 for the Today podcast and the Moral Maze.” He frequently serves as a guest panellist on the programme discussing various ethical, religious, and political topics (Wiki) Oh, and his wife’s a vicar.
39034
Reposted by Paul Murray
Alex von Tunzelmann @alexvont.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Sidebar to all this (and noting the FT’s long profile of Orr yesterday) is that it looks terrible for Cambridge University, which already looks terrible after the sad and awful Arday affair (with criticism coming both from the left and the right).
831576
Reposted by Paul Murray
Prof Katherine Schofield 🇬🇧🇦🇺🇪🇺 @katherineschof8.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Oi, @ftweekend.com you have a bit of explaining to do re your overly generous Life + Arts read on Orr, published just yesterday...
26815
Reposted by Paul Murray
Gavin Esler @gavinesler.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
You couldn’t make it up -
1237390
Reposted by Paul Murray
Robert Hutton @roberthutton.co.uk · 04/09/2026
With all respect to the BBC, the reason this story "matters" is not about whether it distracts from Reform's conference. It "matters" because it is important our leaders are not conspiring to break the law.
12750371201
Reposted by Paul Murray
Hardeep Matharu @hardeepmatharu.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Now James Orr has stepped down as Reform UK's Head of Policy after C4's report, questions remain for Cambridge – where he is Associate Professor. Byline Times revealed serious concerns about his activities there months ago. We all know there won't now be 200+ articles on him and his life don't we?
551914736
Reposted by Paul Murray
Peter Geoghegan @petergeoghegan.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Stepping down ‘pending outcome of Reform internal investigation’ This is clearly an attempt to end the story — but it really shouldn’t be
27475113
Reposted by Paul Murray
Adam Bienkov @adambienkov.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
The utter hypocrisy of Kemi Badenoch here, after banning myself and the late great David Hencke from Conservative Party conference last year. Needless to say my application to attend this year on behalf of Byline Times has still not been approved
21924288
Reposted by Paul Murray
Alex Andreou @sturdyalex.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
That nice feller? From the Channel 4 sting? Never!
11442121
Reposted by Paul Murray
Carole Cadwalladr @carolecadwalla.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
The Times & Telegraph laundered illicitly funded Reform polls onto their front pages as ‘exclusives’ yet not a single word on their sites. UK political journalism is so very broken
16806218
Reposted by Paul Murray
Carole Cadwalladr @carolecadwalla.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Stop whatever you’re doing & watch this now! Reform’s magic money tree has been bust wide open. Huge kudos to undercover reporters Verbatim via @channel4news.bsky.social youtu.be/aXut3s90rUI?... huge
youtu.be
Undercover: Exposing Reform's secret donations plot
YouTube video by Channel 4 News
802530932
Reposted by Paul Murray
Clay Harris 🇪🇺 🇺🇦 🇵🇸💉💉💉💉💉💉💉💉 💉😷 @mudlarklives.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
[image: screenshot of Orr in Verbatim/Channel 4 report with closed caption: "So the reality is we can easily get away with it"]
04119
Reposted by Paul Murray
Best for Britain @bestforbritain.org · 29/08/2026
That's an average of 1 every 3 days. We're tracking them all: bestforbritain.org/reform-uk-defect…
10396158
Reposted by Paul Murray
Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan @london.gov.uk · 28/08/2026
Some of London’s detractors are determined to paint a picture of a city becoming less safe. The facts tell a different story. These crimes are down ⬇️
01266361
Reposted by Paul Murray
Robert Saunders @robertsaunders.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
It would be impossible to guess any of this from most media coverage.
24623189
Reposted by Paul Murray
The News Agents @thenewsagents.co.uk · 22/08/2026
"It was used by The Times newspaper as paid-for ads to get people to click and subscribe. "Was it necessary to humiliate Jason Arday, which was done in the full glare of public view? At times it felt like a full-blown witch hunt and moral panic" www.thenewsagents.co.uk/article/jaso...
thenewsagents.co.uk
‘Jason Arday was a pawn in a battle about white anxiety and racialised politics’ | The News Agents
Jason Arday ended his life after his resignation from Cambridge University, following a relentless media storm about his qualifications and personal achievements. Was this journalism, or a media…
12598
Reposted by Paul Murray
Eliot Higgins @eliothiggins.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
Hook, hold, harvest and hide: Meta’s alleged strategy laid out in first week of landmark trial www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
theguardian.com
Hook, hold, harvest and hide: Meta’s alleged strategy laid out in first week of landmark trial
In trial that opened on Tuesday, California and 28 other states accused the company of designing addictive sites and violating laws protecting children’s privacy
6322145
Reposted by Paul Murray
Catio Miles @catiomiles.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
The British media has spent more time investigating how a guy raised £5 million for charity than investigating the £5 milion donation received from a crypto billionaire by a leading politician in Britain.
09220