Carol

@AndyBurnhamGM Well of course you want to ignore what you are accused of, then you would have to talk grooming gangs and you don’t want to go there do you ?

After the Manchester 10k, campaigning in the hills of Hindley was a tough ask! And my opponents are getting a little more desperate in what they are throwing at me. But I won’t be deflected and am sticking to the game plan! 💪🏻

@76Rort @CF_Farrow Triggers for neurodivergent children can appear to be something very insignificant. Having an autistic person in my family, I see the problems every day. Their reactions are unpredictable and sometimes very distressing.

@Marleengirl @CF_Farrow Many of them also cope daily thousands do and if they don’t it’s not because of a male shop assistant they probably don’t cope with many things but to lay blame is disgraceful many can’t queue do we blame places for being busy no.

I want to recap what actually happened at M&S, because some people seem determined to turn this into something it was not. I went early evening because I thought the shop would be quieter. I was shopping with my teenage daughter, who is autistic and has sensory issues around clothing. Anyone who parents a child with sensory difficulties will understand how hard clothes shopping can be. Fabric, fit, seams, tightness, waistbands, labels, texture, all of it matters. Something can look perfectly fine on the hanger and be completely unbearable once worn. Ordering several sizes online and returning them is neither logistically nor economically feasible for us, and in any case my daughter likes to touch and see things before deciding whether she is comfortable with them. That approach simply doesn’t work for her. So, for the avoidance of doubt, nothing would have suited me better than for my daughter to be able to try the clothes on and ensure she has enough things to see her through Summer. That was the whole point of going to the changing rooms. I was not looking for confrontation. I was not trying to make a political point. I was trying to make an ordinary shopping trip work for an autistic teenage girl who finds clothes difficult. I walked into the changing area calmly and practically. My intention was to find a suitable cubicle, ideally the larger disabled one, check that it felt safe and manageable, and then encourage my daughter to follow me in. That was the plan. Had she been able to try the clothes on, it would have saved time, stress, uncertainty, returns, and the familiar nightmare of buying something that later turns out to be impossible for her to wear. So the idea that I somehow wanted there to be a problem is absurd. The changing room was supposed to be the solution. The problem arose when my daughter became distressed by the presence of a male member of staff supervising the changing area. I had not anticipated her reaction. It was not scripted by me. I did not wind her up. I did not march in looking for a row. She reacted. I saw her distress. I took it seriously. And yes, I think a teenage girl, particularly an autistic teenage girl, is entitled to feel safe and comfortable in a changing-room environment. This is not complicated. It is not about hating anyone. It is not about being difficult. It is not about “vibes” or emotional projection or whatever patronising theory people wish to attach to it online. It is about a vulnerable young woman trying to buy clothes, and finding that the space provided did not feel safe or appropriate to her. Parents of autistic children spend a lot of time trying to prepare, adapt, reassure, smooth things over, and make ordinary life manageable. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn’t. On this occasion, it didn’t. But I will not apologise for taking my daughter’s distress seriously. Or believing that M&S should change their policy.

@76Rort @CF_Farrow Neurodivergent children and adults do not react in the same was as neurotypical people or indeed each other. All behave and react differently so you cannot say they can or should cope in a given situation. Many simply can’t cope in a triggering environment.

@CF_Farrow You’re in a closed cubicle the male staff is no where near you, plenty of females on male clothing departments also absolutely no issue until someone makes it one sounds like this is a you issue not the male nor M&S the majority of the population cope including neurodivergent

@AndyBurnhamGM So you’re not running in Makerfield because you want to be PM. Then why did your mate Josh stand down ? You know and we know exactly what you’re doing. You think we are fools.

Day 3 campaign update and a new call to action: let’s make Makerfield the most powerful constituency in the land!

@Penlav2 @reformexposed Check with Maggie Oliver

@Marleengirl @reformexposed Is that the Andy Burnham who commissioned a multi-stage independent inquiry into grooming gangs & CSE on becoming mayor in 2017? Looking into historic failures across several boroughs & GMP/LA response? This Andy Burnham .......?

“These comments, which are little more than locker room banter, were made more than a decade ago - well before Rob was in politics,” a Reform UK spokesperson said of the latest resurfaced posts. The abortion comments, misogyny and Carol Vorderman comment were less than 4 years ago. Some of the posts were whilst he stood in the 2024 General Election and for council. @RobKenyon1 spans 2017-2025 and was deleted, @Makerfield_RFK 2022-2026 - suspended. You can’t lie your way out of this one @reformparty_uk.

@joe022020 Southport -When concerned people were called right wing !

In your opinion. When was the moment it all started to fall apart for Starmer?

@metoffice We are blaming global warming for high temperatures now. What caused the heatwave that broke records 84 years ago ?

We’ve provisionally recorded the UK’s highest daily minimum temperature for May on record 🌡️ Temperatures didn’t fall below 19.4°C at Kenley Airfield overnight, provisionally breaking the previous May record of 18.9°C set back in 1944

@DaveKent101 @jennyre83732548 Labour - What’s next - will you bring back the window tax ! It is getting ridiculous now.

Another new tax coming from wannabe PM Andy Burnham. He wants to replace Inheritance Tax with a 'Care Levy' which would hit ALL households who don't pay IHT the hardest. Of course such a tax would be ramped up ever more too. So Burnham wishes to inflict an effective IHT on all households while currently only just under 5% pay IHT. Put this alongside his proposed 'Land Tax' and you can see what a money grabbing wastrel Burnham really is... Makerfield, on behalf of the country please DO NOT elect this tax grabbing buffoon.

@ksorbs If it’s a sacred site, they may have upset Native American spirits…. punishment may be on its way.

These Indian men just defaced a sacred Native American site known as Cathedral Rock in Sedona, Arizona. Deport them.

@LozzaFox Yet some people still walking their dogs in my local park in midday heat in these high temperatures. Makes me so angry. Let them take their shoes off and see how they like getting their feet burned!

Knackered.

@BBCNews Yes thousands of Brits are going… more immigrants arriving . I call that a recipe for financial disaster.

UK migration drops to 171,000 - almost half 2024's figure bbc.in/49cgwGF

@educationgovuk @bphillipsonMP Whoever thought this was a good idea ? I thought it was a parody !

The GC and Education Secretary @bphillipsonMP chat maths, pi, and what we're doing to make sure there's 'always an opportunity out there for everyone' ✨ Find out more 👇 educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2026/03/new-v-…

@ClarksonsFarm1 BIASED. They broadcast what they think we should be told and not the whole picture. It has to fit the BBC narrative.

What are your thoughts on the BBC?🤔

@SkyNews Wes Streeting is Keir Starmer mark 2.

BREAKING: Wes Streeting announces he will run in any Labour leadership race #liveblog-body" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">news.sky.com/story/starmer-…

@fabreeze1 @ZiaYusufUK Wes Streeting is Keir Starmer No.2. Same rubbish …. different face.

@ZiaYusufUK Zia, have you just seen the Wes Streeting speech? He's just finished the Labour Party off big time.

Personal update: I was planning on taking a couple of days off over the next month. Given the news, I will instead be dedicating myself to helping the Reform candidate for Makerfield end Andy Burnham’s career and accelerate an early general election. Will be fun!

@piersmorgan Piers you are wrong to mock ordinary people who have had enough of this government and are marching because they don’t feel safe in their own country. Sky News and BBC always lie about numbers anyway.

50,000? Wow.. so that’s 2,950,000 fewer than Robinson claimed were on his last march. Poor Tommy, that’s utterly humiliating. Hope he’s OK. 🙏

@DavidLammy Shame on you ! These people are marching because they want to feel safe in their own country - that is not spreading hate. You are spreading the hate . Your party is so out of touch with public opinion which is why Labour are finished.

The Unite the Kingdom march organisers are spreading hatred and division. They do not reflect the Britain I’m proud of. Peaceful protest is a fundamental right and one I will always protect. But if protest turns violent, we will act swiftly, with extra court capacity in place.

@Keir_Starmer They are marching against the division caused by YOU allowing thousands of unvetted males into this country. You care more about their rights than ours. You really cannot read a room - which is why you are toast.

Today the voices of division will be loud. They don't speak for the country I know, one that belongs to all of us. That's our Britain. A Britain worth fighting for. lbc.co.uk/article/keir-s…

@AngelaRayner Are you going to publish the emails from HMRC so we can see the results ?

I welcome HMRC’s conclusion, which has cleared me of any wrongdoing. I have been exonerated by HMRC of the accusation that I deliberately sought to avoid tax. When purchasing a home of my own with a mortgage, I did not own any other property and had no personal financial interest in the court-instructed trust set up to manage my son’s financial award. I was advised by experts that I should pay stamp duty at the standard rate. I set out to pay the correct amount of tax. I took reasonable care and acted in good faith, based on the expert advice I received, and HMRC has accepted this. I have always sought to act with integrity, and I believe politicians should be held to high standards - that is why I resigned from government and cooperated fully with HMRC.  I wanted to ensure that I paid every penny that I owed, and have done so. I am relieved that my family can now move on - and that I can get on with my job.