michael smith

@Reuters How is this bloke anywhere near government or a position of responsibility, which surely a prerequisite of the post is good judgment. It’s scandalous! Underwear pics on a gay dating app!!!!

UK trade minister gives statement on Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor x.com/i/broadcasts/1…

@educationgovuk @DawnButlerBrent @bphillipsonMP Do you actually think this is endearing to voters. Jesus, you are so out of touch it’s unbelievable. You were given a victory 2 years ago, you weren’t actually wanted, you were the least 💩 option, but it’s turned out to be 💩 💩 💩

Gemma Collins is in the building and she's got questions. Coming soon📷 @bphillipsonMP

@MattChorley Your show hits the nail on the head perfectly. Keep going. As for real voters - Labour were given the last election victory, tories lost it. Reform will implode in the next 3 years, Greens will be a Corbyn dull fart. Tories if they can distance themselves from the past, maybe!

Let’s stop hearing from real voters so we can hear more from policy academics (who write reports) and partisan talking head pundits (who are endorsing them)

@TalkTV @darrengrimes @TVKev A bit bored of this identity 💩. “One of us”? Do all northerners think exactly the same as each other? Do black people, brown or Asian? Women, men? Muslims, catholics, Jews? No. Diversity of thought is v important. But I wouldn’t trust Burnham as far as I could throw him.

WATCH: @darrengrimes tears into Andy Burnham "There is a supreme arrogance that you can parachute yourself in anywhere, and just because you've got a Northern accent and an Everton season ticket, the working class people are going to say 'you're one of us'." @TVKev

@kateferguson4 Voters have moved on. Labour of old doesn’t represent anyone. It reminds me of the outrage when they changed all the old radio 1 DJ’s (DLT, Simon Bates etc). No one wanted to listen to your grandad telling you about a great song you should be listening to. New blood req’

NEW: Andy Burnham says labour needs to be the party of the working class again. Tells BBC: "I want Labour solidly to be the party of working class people and working class communities and that requires a lot of change. "I think Britain has been on the wrong path for 40 years."

@MrTCHarris Cynical ploy to get BDS remainers to vote for him. By all means go for rejoin, but set out an evidenced and credible case.

Disagree with this, but in his position it's probably his best chance of winning support from party members.

@michaelwhite That’s the third reference I’ve heard about the north today (twice on very patronising Times Radio today), as though we’re some sort of homogeneous people that all think the same,we shouldn’t be trusted and our views are to be given less consideration. Absolutely scandalous.

My hunch is that Rayner’s tax problems are chicken feed compared with a Farage tax audit . But hey, she’s a working class woman from the north, so fair game to the tabloids - unlike London public school posh boy Nige, he’s more like chippy elitist, Mail’s Paul Dacre really.

@LeeHarris @JuliaHB1 @TheSun Starmer was a full supporter of Corbyn. Disaster. Then he reinvented himself as Mr sensible. Took the leadership. Capitalised on how bad the Tories were and people thought, oh he must be a type of Blair. He’ll be safe. Tory voters stayed at home. Labour in power. Usual disaster.

@LeeHarris @JuliaHB1 @TheSun This should have been the case with Corbyn!

This may surprise you but Angela Rayner is my first choice for next PM… We need a truly TERRIBLE leader to give us a short, sharp shock to help us come to our senses and sort our country out. My column for @TheSun ⬇️ thesun.co.uk/news/39112881/…

@DavidHenigUK Not sure you know the north west David!

Think all the commentary (e.g. London Playbook) on Burnham's coronation misses the real obstacle. He'll win Makerfield handsomely if I know the north-west, his problem will be sounding Prime Ministerial from this moment forward, which means talking coherently on everything

@ShippersUnbound Sadly, even after many interactions with the post, no response from @ShippersUnbound on my comment. As usual Bradford and the plight of Bradfordians ignored. Look at Bradford, it is a glimpse into the future of the country, from the past, unless action is taken.

I have to live among people who voted for this nonsense. How about fixing the bins

@ShippersUnbound I lived in Bradford for 50 years and a mile away for a further 12. The country is only just starting to understand what Bradforians have long been accustomed to. We were denounced by the progressives as rascists, but our culture has disappeared and been replaced. No one listened.

@Adrian_Hilton If she can distance herself from the previous Conservative government’s poor performance and convince people that her party has changed, will be Conservative and will not try to please every last person (so becoming Liberally wet), she is the only serious candidate for PM.

My word. What a spontaneous burst of raw energy and political authenticity this is. Moral character and eloquent principle of the sort we haven't seen since Mrs Thatcher. No script. No rehearsed platitudes. No regard for focus-group sensitivities. Just authentic Kemi. Marvellous.

@LibLabConman @DanielJHannan I’ve lived in Bradford for 50 years and next to it for another 10. You are talking out of your backside @LibLabConman. This isn’t a Tory thing. The country is starting to experience what I have for decades. People spoke out about the change in culture. They were berated. Wake up.

@KemiBadenoch @CCHQPress You can’t defeat extremism with tolerance, or fascists with pascifism. It takes direct and at times uncomfortable government action, so that we can one again live in a tolerant society.

Yesterday, I visited the site of the antisemitic terrorist attack in Golders Green. I spoke to the police and met the brave Shomrim volunteers who helped take down the assailant. The feeling there was clear. Jewish people are afraid and angry. This is a national emergency. It’s time for the government to act.

@theresa_may @chiefrabbi You can’t fight extremism with tolerance. When will the west wake up.

I agree with @chiefrabbi: “words of condemnation are no longer sufficient." Yesterday's attack in Golders Green, and the escalating attacks of recent months, have shown, beyond doubt, that we must do more to protect our Jewish community. Without its Jews, Britain would not be Britain. In the first instance we must now see better policing of marches which have created a dangerous atmosphere of intimidation and violence.

@TalkTV @JuliaHB1 @JakeWSimons When will we learn? You can’t fight extremism with tolerance. You have to remove the root cause.

BREAKING: Keir Starmer was booed as he arrived at Golders Green a short time ago. "Starmer has been fanning the flames of anti-Semitism with one hand and reaching for the fire extinguisher with the other." @JuliaHB1 @JakeWSimons

@Edwina_Currie Lefties are just angry, jealous awful people, constantly demanding everyone should think and be like them. They hate success, see it as inequality, even if person has bettered themselves. This is usually after they have been successful and they won’t be affected by any change.🤮

Judge by results, eh, Professor? Then you can be “sure”… 👇👇👑👑👏👏🇺🇸🇺🇸🇬🇧🇬🇧❤️❤️

@SuellaBraverman @LeeHarris If you don’t stop and reverse the indicators of a declining society, it starts to decline exponentially and fails. See all historical examples. Politicians of all persuasions always look for a reason and justification NOT TO ACT, instead of the reasons TO TAKE ACTION. Wake up!!!

He should have applied for the hate marches to be banned. He should have been arresting antisemitic protestors on the streets of London. Instead, we got apology and inaction. He’s part of the problem.

@Fox_Claire My experience of a considerable number of leaders in the public sector is, that they always look for a reason NOT to act, instead of looking at an issue and acting for a reason.

The most shocking word of the Southport Inquiry is 'preventable' - Rudakubana was a butcher hiding in plain sight while state authorities looked away. I asked the minister if there will be consequences - will people be sacked? And I was irritated when the minister suggested that it was wrong to bring race into the issue, when in fact it was a bastardised anti-racism that paralysed officials, teachers, social workers and police from confronting the dangerous threats posed by Rudukubana (as well as Calocane in Notts) - because they were black and vulnerable. "Lessons must be learned" reply from the government is unsatisfactory.