David Nolan - independent for Hessle

@angus_young61 The big unknown is Reform standing. They won the mayoral election in Hull . As the weather improves and small boats risk the Channel, the salience of migration as an issue will probably resurface. Ironically it is not an issue that Local Govt can tackle but ppl will protest vote.

Lib Dems and Labour looking to hold what they’ve got, Reform ahead in national polls, Green membership in Hull surging, Tories keen to avoid another wipe-out. One third of the council seats up for grabs. Here we go.

“It’s rather unattractive watching a woman who herself came from an immigrant family leading the voice on all of this” Labour's Baroness Kennedy reflects on Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood’s proposed changes to indefinite leave to remain #PoliticsLive bbc.in/4sgvQJD

Gorton and Denton -Lab trying to talk up their prospects but it's Green or Reform according to the betting odds. Lab odds are actually worsening whereas Green are pulling ahead. Follow the money.

Asda Hessle rd superstore with only one checkout being manned. 7 checkouts closed. Rest of self scan have queues. Memo to Asda management "what happened to customer service"?

By refusing to even consider a customs union, Keir Starmer himself is the biggest block to closer ties with Europe. Unless he changes that stance, this is all just meaningless blather

@Davidpnolan What were the figures?

Hessle Town Council byelection result. A good second for Independents for Hessle from a standing start.

Can everyone stop talking about “mandates”, please. The United Kingdom elects an MP for each of its 650 constituencies. Whoever can command a majority of them is the prime minister. When you stop commanding that majority, no imagined “mandate” means anything in real terms.

@KarlTurnerMP Well said Karl and best wishes on the medical outcome. We are all humans.

Bit of a personal post so forgive me. Our daughter is having major surgery. Doctor after doctor coming in before surgery kicks off. We don’t see white, black or brown. We just see highly skilled, highly trained, highly professional, highly motivated medics.

@John4bricknell @SaulStaniforth @jacobfcroft @HackneyAbbott The "anyone but Tory" in 24 was a major factor in Lab landslide. It wasn't won by dozy starmer. Any orher Labour glove puppet and FTP wld've won.

@SaulStaniforth @jacobfcroft @HackneyAbbott Also ignored “anyone but Tories” mood

Ed Balls "People say McSweeney was the man who transformed Labs prospects from disaster to victory" @HackneyAbbott "This idea that McSweeney was an election genius ignores the figures.. in '24 the Lab vote was more or less the same as '19. What happened was the Tory vote split"

@John4bricknell But where is the Opposition? For politics to function it needs a ruling group and a challenging group. Instead we have an abject surrender from the opposition. All credit to Tory Leader Anne Handley but woeful opposition.

@Davidpnolan They do things differently out there

Very strange budget setting at east riding council today. Tories moved a budget with 5% C Tax rise, backed by their Condependents. Lib Dems & Labour waffled & meakly backed the Tory budget. Only a handful including "People before Party" Cllrs voted against the Tory budget.

@PaulBrandITV Sounds like sour grapes from the Tories coupled with a nasty personal attack on Braverman. Probably concocted by a CCHQ Spad with no life experience or social grace.

NEW: Conservatives absolutely scathing about Suella Braverman, including referencing her “mental health” which feels pretty personal. A Conservative Party spokesman said: “It was always a matter of when, not if, Suella would defect. The Conservatives did all we could to look after Suella’s mental health, but she was clearly very unhappy. She says she feels that she has ‘come home’, which will come as a surprise to the people who chose not to elect a Reform MP in her constituency in 2024. “There are some people who are MPs because they care about their communities and want to deliver a better country. There are others who do it for their personal ambition. Suella stood for leader of the Conservatives in 2022 and came sixth, behind Kemi and Tom Tugendhat. In 2024 she could not even muster enough supporters to get on the ballot. She has now decided to try her luck with Nigel Farage, who said last year he didn’t want her in Reform. They really are doing our ‘Spring cleaning'! “As always happens with Reform, they unveil defections just when the Labour government is tearing itself to pieces – Rayner, Mandelson, now Burnham. Reform are too busy opposing the Conservatives to hold the Labour government to account. The Conservative Party is now the only party that believes in smaller government, less welfare and Britain living within its means, and has the team and the experience to get Britain working again." ENDS

@John4bricknell I suspect he flounced out of the LD Group and nobody ran after him. Now suffering "buyers remorse" and begging the Libs to take him back. They need the numbers to offer an alternative to the Tories and Condependents... so likely to hold their noses and let him in.

@Davidpnolan Why is he so bashful?

Re cllr Astell claiming still in Lib Dem Group at ERYC. Here is the official confirmation this morning; Good Morning Cllr Nolan I can confirm that Cllr Astell's current status is an Unaffiliated Members at East Riding Council. Regards Member Services Manager ERYC

@tomastell @angus_young61 Ahh a classic evasive whataboutery from Tastell. You are still avoiding a straight answer to the question. So I've written to Eryc Committee Services asking them to confirm your current Cllr status and checking whether there has been an "error" on their part.

@Davidpnolan @angus_young61 Breaking news: I’m still living in you head, rent free. Happy Sunday, which party are you in this week again?

More churn at County Hall. I’m told Tom Astell has left the Lib Dem group and has now joined the ever-growing list of unaffiliated members.

@ceeing42 @John4bricknell @East_Riding Plenty of Groups on Eryc. There is an Independent Group with a Leader on The Cabinet and other paid posts in their Group, all at the gift of the Tories. The Tories don't have a majority so need the Indies votes to rule. Outside is "unaffiliated" Cllrs who don't form a Group.

@John4bricknell @Davidpnolan Weird place @East_Riding You'd think they'd have the nouse to form a Group if there are that many of them! 🤦

Looks like Eryc are continuing to treat Cllt Tom Astell as a non-Lib Dem Cllr during last Friday. He reports it is "an error". Is it a Council admin error or an Astell error?

@tomastell @angus_young61 Why don't you answer the question of whether you are outside Lib Dem Group? We both know the answer.

@Davidpnolan @angus_young61

@John4bricknell Yes Tom Astell evasiveness is telling. There is nothing wrong with leaving the Lib Dems. What is wrong is to lie about it.

@Davidpnolan Why doesn’t he just say?

@tomastell @angus_young61 Website is not up to date but eryc Group Support knows who is in which political Group and you are "unaffiliated". Still waiting for you to answer my question of whether you are in the Lib Dem Group. We both know the answer.

@Davidpnolan @angus_young61