Votes at 16 is a great step, but the govt should go further: a fair voting system is absolutely essential to help rebuild trust in politics.

I very much welcome President Macron’s announcement that France will recognise the State of Palestine. This is vital step towards securing a lasting peace in the region. Keir Starmer has delayed far too long; the UK should recognise Palestine immediately.

Desperately weak chairing by Matt Chorley on Newsnight this evening. I’m left incredulous. Allowed the Reform spokesman to bully Thangham Debbonaire out of the exchanges with a series of mini speeches. Paxman, Wark or Matlis would have acted. Not Chorley.

The approval of Berwick Bank offshore wind farm today is a major step towards our offshore wind targets and delivering clean power by 2030. Clean homegrown power is the route to energy security, good jobs and lower bills. That’s what we’re delivering.

A small Palestinian boy kisses the hand of a soldier after receiving small bags of food to feed his family. As he walks away, he is shot dead. This is pure evil which cries to heaven for justice. #Gaza

Anthony Aguilar, a retired US special forces officer working with the US & Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation tells the BBC he saw Israeli soldiers shooting at crowds of Palestinians. He’d never witnessed such brutality against an unarmed, starving population, he said.

Great to see campaigners getting together to urge the Government to switch the cash from destructive and polluting road schemes, like the A38 expansion in Derby, to rail electrification. Support them 👇🏽 actionnetwork.org/letters/take-a…

New regeneration near Paris: helping the virtuous circle of place spin after 80 years of failed traffic-modernism ✅Gentle Density ✅Popular ✅Beautiful ✅Street trees ✅Equal quantum of social housing ✅Supports trams, bikes, walking ✅Higher land values ✅Homes, shops, offices

Here is a useful summary of forthcoming research into the many benefits of walkable, “gentle density” development done by Michael Mehaffy for the Congress for New Urbanism in the US. It chimes with much of our primary & secondary research. cnu.org/publicsquare/2…

The Russian economy is collapsing, Ukrainian strikes are crippling RU energy & will only expand, and all Putin has left is terror attacks on civilians. What to do? Call Trump to the rescue! Get sanctions lifted, stop UKR strikes, marginalize Europe, kill more innocents. 1/7

Dear Construction Companies, we want to live in beautiful houses. What’s stopping you from building new homes that look like this?

Robert Jenrick says crime must never pay. Correct. In Sept 2020, it was reported Robert Jenrick had claimed expenses of £100k for a THIRD HOME in his constituency of Newark. In Sept 2021, Robert Jenrick was sacked by Boris Johnson No further comment required. #BBCBreakfast

Amazing morning snap! 📸🦢

The trouble with UK potholes.... (a.i)

"Thames Water could be sold to a Chinese firm after public rescue." So we are possibly about to sell Thames Water 💧 to CKI more often known as CK Infrastructure. Would that by any chance be the same CKI that is owned by CK Hutchison Holdings who in turn own about 70% of the Kelda

I am shocked - shocked! - to discover the entire “exodus” story was nothing more than lobbying on behalf of the mega-rich. Wealth tax now!

The bin strike in Kent enters its second week. This is what happens when you let Reform UK run a county council...

Every word of this from Lewis Goodall I’ve lived in London for over 40 years. I policed it for over 25 years. Mrs S & I have raised our three girls here. And, for all its failings, it bears no resemblance to the caricatures painted by those with fear & division-stoking agendas.

Ghost Pitùr is an anonymous artist in Brescia, Italy, who prowls the streets at night cleaning vandalized walls. Armed with paint and brushes, he turns acts of vandalism into acts of restoration. [📹 ghostpitur]

Putin speaks English. When I challenged him about the shooting down of MH17 in 2014 in a mammoth museum in Siberia, his PR flak, Peskov, was so angry he forgot his English. Putin stepped in, translating for his translator. Trump just speaks Appeasementese. Read Killer In