EVENT | Keynote speech: Rt Hon Sir John Major KG CH 🗓️Thursday 19 June, 10.00-11.00 We are pleased to welcome the former prime minister The Rt Hon Sir John Major KG CH for a keynote speech at our one-day conference on standards in public life Register👇 instituteforgovernment.org.uk/event/nolan-pr…

Correct. Commercial Services does have a significant recruitment business, but this is a framework under the Procurement Services division. In any case, nothing to do with Kent County Council spending council tax payers’ money.

It was very good to be there - the celebration of his life that Charlie deserved. His service to Kent County Council was great, yet we were just one part of his very full life, at the centre of which was his wonderful family

Great fun to record this with Iain Dale I hope I conveyed the fascination of this most enigmatic of dictators - whose career had a theme of betrayal, most famously in regard to 1956, yet who later won a degree of respect and acceptance but came to an end you wouldn’t dare make up

And so begins Reform UK finding things that don’t exist to suit their agenda… Reform’s £100 million KCC work-from-home claims branded ‘ridiculous nonsense’ kentonline.co.uk/kent/news/refo…

Some reflections on #English #devolution following last Thursday’s Bill and an excellent (and perfectly-timed) seminar organised by UCL Constitution Unit open.substack.com/pub/goughr/p/e…

David Gauke ConservativeHome “Reform argues that there are vast savings to be made by sacking diversity officers; the left argues that a wealth tax will raise multiple billions from a very small number of people.” Yes, this is the crux of it. Populism promotes the delusion that someone else will always pay.

Reform's Elon Musk-Style 'DOLGE' Team Accused of Making 'False and Misleading' Claims About Flagship Council bylinetimes.com/2025/07/29/ref…

I wouldn’t go with everything in this proposed solution but it’s very much in the right direction. And we must fix the deep flaws in social care, SEND etc that are piling on the spending pressure. We can’t go on levying the most visible tax to pay for largely invisible services

#OnThisDay in 1867, Stanley Baldwin was born. Baldwin dominated British politics in the inter-war years, but afterwards his legacy was tarnished by both the left and the right. His defenders, including Dominic Sandbrook, argue 'Baldwin deserves better... He was a great man.'

My next book is published on 18 Sept. 732 pages of essays on the most important by-elections 1789 to 2025. Buying it qualifies you for official political geek status. 88 different by-elections by 87 different authors. Full list and preorder details here politicos.co.uk/products/by-el…

Thank you Jonathan Hall Mine is one for the true connoisseur/ top political geek with an essay on the Spen Valley by election of 1919. But of course that’s just one of the 88 essays under editorship of Iain Dale

The rooster taking credit for the dawn (again). Kent County Council external debt has been falling for years because the last administration kept new borrowing under control while debt was repaid. In February’s budget it was projected to fall again in 2025-26. And amazingly enough, it has.

Roger Gough Kent County Council Kent County Council has just launched its budget consultation. It offers 3 options for increasing council tax and 1 for freezing it. No sign of the pre-election Reform UK promise to cut council tax. No wonder Nigel Farage MP prefers to boast of the savings made in the budget set by

Pretty desperate when you’re trying to take credit for the work of others Nigel Farage MP. KCC's borrowings have been falling in recent years and this reduction is a continuation of the financial plan that the Conservative administration left you. Where’s the money, Nigel?

The new book edited by Iain Dale - on historic British by-elections - will be published on 18 September. I've written a chapter on the eventful Christchurch by-election of 1993. You can order it here: amazon.co.uk/British-Electi…

A great set of essays on historic by-elections edited by Iain Dale coming out on 18 September. My contribution is on the Spen Valley by-election of 1919 - a landmark in the rise of Labour and the split and decline of the Liberals

Cllr. Jordan Meade 🇬🇧 🇺🇦 Well said, Jordan. And well done for your initiative to link Kent and Chernihiv to our mutual benefit.

This is what Corbyn says. They’re both wrong.

Melvyn Bragg and In Our Time set the highest standard of public service broadcasting anywhere in the world. What a legacy those 1000 episodes will be.