Charlotte Middlehurst

Some personal news to share: After four and half exhilarating years on the UK news desk, I’m joining the @FT’s brilliant print team as Assistant News Editor to help expand and steer our outstanding newspaper coverage.

Northern councils are moving to shut down a key alternative to asylum hotels - houses of multiple occupancy - citing fears over community cohesion. Report by @JenWilliams_FT ft.com/content/a8be67…

“Demonising” asylum seekers, immigrants and lawyers by ministers helped lay the ground for the far-right riots, critics including senior politicians have warned. Reporting by @LOS_Fisher and William Wallis on.ft.com/3YA0OAu

The FT newsroom on election results day looks like the aftermath of a frat party

I just can’t get past Labour winning 65% of seats off 34% of the vote. Absolutely wild mismatch between the headline result and, well, everything else. Britain is now a multi-party system, and first-past-the-post can’t cope.

Has the effect of Reform’s surge on the Tories’ misfortune been wildly overstated? This graph from @jburnmurdoch tells a story on.ft.com/45PXD9q

Tory fortunes will be decided by a relative "handful of votes": The collapse of their support means there are apprx 120 "knife edge seats" where the margin of victory is expected to be <5% ft.com/content/113029…

FT/Ipsos polling shows Rishi Sunak's warning of a Labour "supermajority" is failing to cut through with most Tory voters - 25% said they were supporting Sunak to prevent a Lab landslide vs 28% who fear tax increases. Reporting by @rafeuddin_ ft.com/content/25aafc…

The FT endorses Labour: Britain needs a fresh starts ft.com/content/2290c1…

This UK election promises change - but it's the one in 2029 that will *deliver* it. Brexit, the pension triple lock and benefits are unmentionable this campaign but will be on the table next time aruond ft.com/content/79f362…

@JosephineCumbo Exciting news. Congrats!

🚨Job news klaxon!🚨 After 10 rewarding and happy years on the pensions beat with the FT, I am moving to a new editing / reporting role in the London newsroom. From next month, I will be covering stories across the breadth of the FT from business to finance and company news. 1/

The absence of honesty in UK election will undermine democracy itself - important column from Martin Wolf on the dangers of the “politics of evasion” on.ft.com/3RADzSv

for some reason this post from yesterday has been deleted

Electoral metaphor disaster as North Devon sheep try to get as far away as possible from @RishiSunak - in spite of the goodies he is offering them

Will ending the VAT exemption for private schools - raising fees by up to 20% - place an unbreabale burden on the state system in England? The answer is: No - according to analysis by @Laura_K_Hughes @amy_borrett

Voters are kicking up a stink about the failure to tackle sewage in their local areas - with Tories at risk of losing key seats to the Lib Dems in battlegrounds around the South East ft.com/content/0d3b53…

Rachel Reeves is breaking cover on Europe. She tells the #FT she would seek closer alignment on deals for City workers and in the chemicals sector. Reporting by @GeorgeWParker @Sam1Fleming on.ft.com/3KNrTbC

Greenpeace has spotted a contradiction in this election campaign - that most people do care about #climate and *yet* it’s not considered a key voter issue… Campaigners are swapping militant tactics for door-knocking. Reporting by @henrymance on.ft.com/3VsYFnk

SCOOP 🚨 Rishi Sunak has put forward JPMorgan Chase boss Jamie Dimon and former Google chair Eric Schmidt for UK honours - reporting by @LOS_Fisher