JW

@edwardstrngr65 @drhingram That works

@drhingram ‘relative’?

Choose any word in the dictionary and prefix it with ‘you absolute”

@Rabientissimus @jeromestarkey @FennellJW @AlistairCarns Long game? He’s only got 3 more years before he’ll need to find another party.

@jeromestarkey @FennellJW @AlistairCarns playing the long game and quite well at that. Well placed to move up…

🚨 Frustration in the MoD... ARMED forces minister Al Carns has taken aim at fellow ministers for dithering over defence plans. The ex-Special Forces commando said: “We need investment decisions to be made. "We’ve got to move faster and spend more.” thesun.co.uk/news/38854548/…

@TimPearson16 @jeromestarkey There are more than 27500 people in the RAF maths genius.

@jeromestarkey There are 55000 civil servants in the MOD. More than twice as many people as in the RAF, sack half of them and at the same time stop prosecuting veterans

@WalkerMarcus No, 4 is not correct. The person making the appointment (in FCDO) is told that clearance has not been granted. But the details of why remain opaque. That’s why you just trust the vetting and don’t make the appointment - unless the PM has told you to JFDI…

So to get this straight: 1) the position is so sensitive that developed vetting is needed 2) the developed vetting is so important it needs to go into intensely sensitive areas 3) it goes into such sensitive areas that it would be inappropriate to tell anyone what was revealed 4) therefore the person making the appointment may not know that the candidate has failed the vetting and can appoint him anyway. This is not plausible.

@Tory_Brexit69 @SamCoatesSky @metpoliceuk You’re probably stupid, but certainly don’t understand what you’re talking about.

@SamCoatesSky If this is proven, Robbins must be arrested and charged with treason @metpoliceuk He knowingly put the security of the UK at risk, without informing the Prime Minister. This is treason of the highest order.

What do I think really happened with Mandelson and vetting? In October, November and December 2024, No10 indicated it wanted to appoint Peter Mandelson as Ambassador to Washington. It was presented with an array of people telling them not to: Cabinet ministers, spooks, officials in a vetting report. All raised major red flags. Starmer and McSweeny made clear they weren’t interested in any objection, and this must go ahead at all costs. So Mandelson’s appointment was announced mid December 2024. The vetting we are focussed on today came later, in January 2025. Vetting of ambassadors is the responsibility of the FCDO and Olly Robbins. One bit of the system said no - the UKSV agency said don’t appoint Mandelson. We don’t know on what grounds, but probably the grounds No10 had seen and rejected as a reason to block. Olly Robbins cleared Mandelson. Very quietly, Mandelson didn’t get the very highest level of clearance when he got the job, but he got the overall OK because of Robbins. Robbins did No10 a favour. This is because Olly Robbbins knew that going to No10 post announcement, and saying the Mandelson appointment can’t happen, was politically impossible. And civil servants want to deliver for their political masters. So Olly fixed it for Keir: and is now paying a price. Olly Robbins has - incidentally - done No10 a second massive political favour. The really really toxic claim doing the rounds last night was that surely someone - anyone - in No10 DID know the UKSV agency turned down the vetting Olly Robbins is making clear he didn’t tell people the UKSV verdict because that would be inappropriate as part of the process he followed. It’s not even clear he saw it. No10 don’t seem to realise he’s done them a favour, and are releasing documents to challenge alternative versions of events. Let’s see how it plays out. The bottom line is No10 wanted Mandelson come what may. They rammed it through. One quango; post appointment announcement, was never realistically going to be allowed to stop Mandelson taking the job because the top of Government had publicly committed to it. They hadn’t wanted to heed the warnings earlier; and were in too deep That’s where I think we are

@Empireaesth @earthviewss1 Wales is part of the kingdom of England. Look at the union flag and point to the bit that represents Wales. Conway castle is a symbol of how that came to be confirmed.

@earthviewss1 “North Wales, England” what

Conwy Castle, North Wales, England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

@DavidTBTaylor @Empireaesth @earthviewss1 It’s a photo of Conway castle mate, not really sure what you’re on about.

@Empireaesth @earthviewss1 That is a castle by the water, it could well be in England, it is certainly not an accurate depiction of Conwy.

@Siege_Perilous @bbcnickrobinson Tell me what you want to be true while ignoring the evidence in front of your eyes.

@bbcnickrobinson That's plain daft. Starmer is a former DPP: u don't get there without a forensic ability to interrogate the evidence. He's a lifelong public servant..his interest is in the benefit of society not the beligerance of what 'he wants to happen'..this isn't Boris Johnson or Liz Truss

The case being made for the defence of @Keir_Starmer this morning appears to be that neither the Prime Minister nor any other minister knew how vetting works & no official pointed this out to them. No wonder @darrenpjones told @BBCr4today it was “quite frankly flabbergasting”.

@CalumMillerLD @gw_emily You’re missing the issue slightly, they wouldn’t be able to change the vetting outcome, but they may have put someone without a DV into a role which required a DV. Who pushed that through, on whose authority and who knew are the questions.

No10’s account is incredible. I held Developed Vetting for nearly ten years and spent three years at the heart of the Cabinet Office. I have never heard of a Developed Vetting denial being overruled. Here’s why…🧵

@Joshstones09 Bit of confusion over the rig then?

Team

@IanStev91 @ross_baglin No, it’s standard pronunciation of could’ve, but written that way by illiterates who don’t understand. You only have to ask yourself what on earth you think ‘of’ means to understand the error.

@ross_baglin "Should of" is simply a local pronunciation of "should've", common in some places. Though not the standard pronunciation it is perfectly grammatical. Of course writing it as "should of" is incorrect unless by intention to show how someone actually speaks.

I just had a 10 tweet exchange with Oliver Kamm who writes for the Times and tells me that “should of” is grammatically good English. At some those with their fingers near the levers of cultural power will have to be cleared out if we are ever to recover basic standards.

@park_loveseco False choice though, isn’t it? If this was the only or even just the best source of green electricity, then you’d have a point. But it isn’t. And your argument ignores all the other related factors, not least food security.

2700 acres of solar versus climate catastrophe? Easy choice. I support this farm with strict biodiversity safeguards. Blocking renewables to save the countryside ignores that climate change will destroy that countryside first.

@MrChares @YorkCityFC Which two, you and who else?

@YorkCityFC These two feed off attention and drama - good or bad - desperate to be liked

We would like to make it clear that neither Matthew nor I were involved in this decision, and we were not aware of the circumstances surrounding what is alleged to have occurred at the LNER Community Stadium during the Altrincham game. First and foremost, we want to acknowledge and support our loyal supporters. We understand how concerning and frustrating this situation is, and we recognise the important role fans play in the club. Your support is valued, and it is important to us that you feel heard and treated fairly. We have requested a meeting with the police to review any available evidence and to fully understand the seriousness of the decision that has been made. It is essential that all the facts are carefully considered. The management team that issued the original letter did so with the intention of acting in the best interests of safety. However, we have now formally asked for a review, with the aim of working constructively alongside the SMC and the police to reassess the outcome. Our priority is to ensure that any actions taken are fair, proportionate, and based on a clear understanding of the circumstances. We are committed to supporting both the safety of the club and the fair treatment of our supporters, and we will continue to seek a positive and balanced resolution. -Julie-Anne Uggla. #YCFC🔴🔵

@GordonNewell6 @Makwirameeti @RDPHistory He said “in combat”.

@Makwirameeti @RDPHistory I think that changed recently when an Iranian ship was torpedoed

April 14th 1982: HMS Conqueror surfaces off South Georgia (see Antrim and Plymouth above her) to take on supplies as D Squadron, 22 SAS is ordered to undertake reconnaissance of Leith and 2 SBS are ordered to reconnoitre Grytviken... 1/2

@reportingLibya @Makwirameeti @RDPHistory “in combat”

@Makwirameeti @RDPHistory Until this year anyway.

@kevhsy @dufflecoatdan @talkSPORT Don’t you like going to watch football? 2 matches a week is what winter is made for.

@dufflecoatdan @talkSPORT I’d couple it with making all four EFL leagues 20 teams - yes a little revenue from games is hit, but the sheer number of games is silly with all the cup competitions too. A cup run and some bad weather and you’re playing twice a week for months.

😡 "It's got to change" 🤯 "It will be a disaster" Jeff Stelling's passionate rant about the National League format! 😤

@davidnaylor83 @dufflecoatdan @talkSPORT Er, York?

@dufflecoatdan @talkSPORT Me and my pal where saying the same in the pub. Look at the sides in NL now majority are former league sides. Southend Hatlepool Carlisle Sutton Rochdale Morecambe Probably more than that but that's just off the top of my head

@shivmalik @TrooperSnooks If you are saying the UK is nature depleted compared to 2000-5000 years ago, then it’s a ridiculous thing to say, if you are saying we are nature depleted compared 100 years ago, let’s talk.

@YorkshireJW @TrooperSnooks Why are we so nature depleted as a country?

Richard, that’s a shame especially since you haven’t read the full proposal yet. We have supporters from Reform to the Greens. And as a business man I’d have thought you’d support the future of British businesses who are DESPERATE for cheaper energy, lower taxes and space to innovate right next to Cambridge. Two of the best economists @PJTheEconomist and @timleunig are backing it for just this reason.

@BladeoftheS What the fuck has it got to do with you? Leave the Falkland islanders alone!

The Falklands is a barely inhabitable hellhole, arctic cold, permanent gales, nothing to do. Less than 3,500 people live there and it costs over £100,000 per person per year to keep them there. It is time to stop pretending it is anything but a massive worthless drain on the UK

@shivmalik @TrooperSnooks “Nature depleted” depends on your metric, but if we accept that premise, then it’s because we made a number of sequential shifts in farming practices since the Second World War which moved us further and further from said land management.