Simon A Ball

@stuart4swinton @breeallegretti @GWJournalism More than likely.

@breeallegretti @GWJournalism @SimonBa11 must be busy plotting her leadership challenge in May

Exc with @GWJournalism: Angela Rayner has skipped nearly a third of major votes in parliament since resigning from the government, it has emerged. The former deputy prime minister did not vote 57 times in 185 divisions, after stepping down as housing secretary last September. She was absent from the Commons on at least 13 different dates, covering bills on bus services, local government finance, schools and border security. The Times analysed details of all divisions that have taken place since, counting only those where 150 Labour MPs or more voted to exclude votes where backbenchers were given permission to abstain by party whips. Of the remaining 185 votes, Rayner did not vote in 57 divisions: 30 per cent. She voted “aye” 58 times and “no” 70 times. March 2026 marked Rayner’s highest number of missed votes in her career as a backbench MP, stretching back to 2015. She has the 56th highest absence rate of Labour backbenchers in major votes. A spokesperson for Rayner said: “These absences were authorised in advance by the Labour Whips’ Office in the proper way. Angela has been slipped and paired on a number of occasions due to her other diary commitments as an MP, which is a normal arrangement right across the Commons.” It is understood that none of the absences were for Rayner to be able to attend paid speaking engagements. However, her extra work outside parliament has been privately criticised by some Labour colleagues, who think it is at odds with the stance she took in opposition over Tory MPs’ second jobs.

@the_dadchef Smeg do that also.

Never buying a Samsung again. Second time this has happened.

Well this is a strange one.

Keir Starmer: “We will arrest Netanyahu if he steps on British soil.” Also Keir Starmer: *Literally invites a former Al-Qaeda terrorist to the UK*

That brilliant Starmer fuel crisis plan in full: 1. Chair COBRA meeting 2. Blame everyone else for fuel profiteering 3. Call for de-escalation in the Gulf 4. Post more dishonest drivel on X about how Labour are helping working people. 5. Repeat steps 1 - 4.

@stuart4swinton @Steven_Swinford @CowensSteve Socialism for you.

@Steven_Swinford Bloody hell not a bad hourly rate that @CowensSteve @SimonBa11

The first of Angela Rayner's speaking engagements has appeared on her register of interests She received £19,000 for a speech she gave at a dinner for the Management Consultancies Association on March 11, 2026. She said that it was for 5 hours, 45 minutes worth of work We can expect future disclosures on her BNP Paribas call with City investors, her forthcoming speech to estate agents at a property conference and the advance on her memoirs, which are being published later this year Allies say it will exceed £100,000 in total and enough to pay off any fine from HMRC plus any stamp duty that is due

@LindsayHoyle_MP why are you doing one thing with one party and not doing it with the other?

Spot the difference between then and now.

Working “flat out” my eye. @stuart4swinton

🚨Father of the House Sir Edward Leigh raises a point of order about Keir Starmer NEVER answering questions at PMQs. Lindsay Hoyle says there is nothing he can do. NONSENSE! He can pause proceedings and ask Keir Starmer to answer, but he *never* does. ABSOLUTELY USELESS!

Starmer realising what the country has known since July 2024, he is completely out of his depth #PMQs

So this is the sequencing: a) 11 September, Mandelson resigns b) 11 September - 13 October, No.10 start putting together strategy for dealing with Tory demand for messages between Mandelson/McSweeney c) 20 October, McSweeney reports phone stolen. All messages reportedly lost

Yep what’s the next deflection.

"Although I had 11 days prior notice of the planned attacks on Iran, I didn't ready any ship or send reinforcements to Cyprus because of the previous Tory government"

Ouch

For the love of all things alive get rid of these cretins before we don’t have a country anymore.

Already relegated, not won since September, stuck on -6, likely to start next season on -15, and can't sign a player for money until next summer's transfer window. However, the #SWFC fans, yet again, are trying to enjoy themselves! They haven't stopped for a good ten minutes.

ANDREW NEIL: We’re heading into what could be the greatest energy emergency ever with a bunch of clueless inadequates at the tiller mol.im/a/15665931

Rachel, today the FTSE 100 fell below 10,000. Are you going to be taking the credit for knocking 8% off the value of shares in 3 weeks?

The UK 10 year government bond yield is now at it's highest since 30th July 2008, when we were in the middle of the Great Financial Crisis.