James Calmus

Made a game for my 3 year old to learn how to use a computer in a fun, distraction-free way. Find the matching letter on the keyboard or move the mouse into the circle to see some confetti! 🎉learn-to.vercel.app

How does this tally with the embrace of EdTech? When is government going to stop the use of screens in early years settings? Why is it so difficult to find a state school without a massive screen in a classroom for four year olds?!

🏊‍♀️🏅 “I had that 20-year period where they were my nemesis... All of my major medals were behind East Germans – every single one” Olympic medallist turned Conservative life peer Baroness Davies talks to @siennamarla about the tough coaching she endured as a child, then racing doped East German swimmers and campaigning on women's sport 👇 politicshome.com/news/article/o…

NEW: My interview with Green leader Zack Polanski • He's been speaking to a “handful” of Labour MPs about defecting to the Greens • There is a “sensitive and nuanced conversation” around Zionism – but he won't disavow the “Zionism is racism” motion • Explains why he criticised Corbyn for Labour antisemitism but doesn't now: “I believed what I was reading” • Blames bots for the online abuse targeted at him • How his upbringing shaped his politics • Will run for a parliamentary seat – nothing outside London, and not the mayoralty – and confirms one plan is to succeed, not beat, Diane Abbott politicshome.com/news/article/z…

EXCL: Labour chair Anna Turley has privately warned her party that it must tackle immigration – but only “in a way that stays true to our values” Story by @_tomscotson 👇 politicshome.com/news/article/l…

EXCL: Zack Polanski tells me Donald Trump cannot be an ally of Britain because he is a “real threat” like Vladimir Putin and the behaviour of the US is the same as Russia’s: politicshome.com/news/article/t…

NEW: Jeremy Corbyn set to become parliamentary leader of Your Party after his slate won 14 seats to 7 on the central executive committee

NEW: Interview with Reform’s head of preparing for government, Danny Kruger • If Reform lose, or win and ‘make a mess’, there is potential for civil war • Are they ready to govern? ‘We’ll be readier the later it is’ • Hints at clear out of civil service as he’s been talent-spotting and found senior ranks lacking • Reform is explicitly pronatalist: ‘We want people to have more children, and we think the government should get behind that wish’ • The party has a ‘limited but important’ role to play in undoing the sexual revolution • Farage-Trump friendship ‘might not be advantageous’ in UK but ‘there is a clear affinity of worldview’ between Maga and Reform politicshome.com/news/article/d…

“Keir Starmer is a decent man” says Anas Sarwar while calling on PM to go as “the distraction needs to end”

Stand by for Anas Sarwar and Eluned Morgan…

NEW: Where potential successors stand at the end of a torrid week for PM — Burnham supporters given up on him getting a seat under this leadership despite another GM one rumoured to become vacant soon — Some still on the Wes train & insist he understands deep rethink required – but others say Streeting too damaged by Mandelson scandal — There’s ‘Al-mentum’ behind Carns – but total lack of experience. He “would be a more right-wing PM than Thatcher” reckons one MP — Rayner still in lead but frozen by HMRC & some supporters worry about her “credibility” even after it wraps up — other options floated by soft left include Lucy Powell, Ed Miliband — surprise idea: John Healey as a “unifying figure” post-May politicshome.com/news/article/s…

A little anecdote on @TimesRadio earlier this week on the time Mandelson tried to have me fired If you were not a mouthpiece, you were inviting trouble

I talked about this possibility with @KateEMcCann & @StigAbell on Times Radio breakfast show this morning – that PM hits the reset button in May which includes sacking chief of staff and perhaps granting other wishes of the PLP's soft left

My story in @thetimes – Sir Keir Starmer has been warned by Labour-supporting unions that they are prepared to demand his resignation if the party is wiped out in May’s elections: thetimes.com/uk/politics/ar…

NEW: Interview with justice minister Jake Richards — plans for “biggest transformation in youth justice for a generation” — on grooming gangs: “Let’s not just listen to Elon Musk on Twitter” & “You’re not going to please all victims with who you have as the chair – that’s just impossible” — ECHR reform expectations — 'red prince' on being called a “genocide enabler” by his grandfather — says “it’s very dangerous to underestimate Keir Starmer” — warns colleagues re “political danger of being seen as a welfarist party” & says “if we go down that route... we’ll also lose the next election” READ 👇 politicshome.com/news/article/j…

Nigel Farage told me a couple of years ago he would be “very surprised if I were not Conservative leader by ‘26 – very surprised” With Robert Jenrick, Suella Braverman, Nadhim Zahawi etc, to many it’ll look like that prediction came true… politicshome.com/news/article/n…

EXCL: 14 Labour parliamentarians including Debbie Abrahams signed a letter opposing Labour's potential use of an all-women shortlist of candidates in the Gorton and Denton by-election “Women’s representation should never be reduced to a procedural fix or a means of managing political challenges”, they wrote:

A Labour MP says: “Hearing the all BAME shortlist is the most likely outcome as it stands. So Shabana Mahmood, the representation of Blue Labour within the Cabinet, is going to use her position as Chair of the NEC to impose a DEI process on this parliamentary selection? Insane.”

NEW: Allies of Keir Starmer say Andy Burnham will not be allowed to stand – and one well-placed source suggests an all-BAME shortlist could be used: politicshome.com/news/article/s…

Re: why Harriet was acting like the murders are real on #Traitors, I'd recommend reading this interview with s2's Zack on just how intense the filming experience was, even for faithfuls: politicshome.com/news/article/i…