David Boycott

@GordonFielden Burnham very clearly diverges from Khan on property development where Khan’s approach has ensured London is building approximately zero new housing.

One hears Andy Burnham speak at length about his record in Manchester, and there is no denying that he has sought to act in the interests of the city and its people. That, in itself, is entirely proper. Yet it is also right to be candid. Much of what has been advanced in Manchester bears a striking resemblance to the model long established in London under Sadiq Khan. The transport approach, the broader civic framework, and the general direction of policy follow a pattern that has already been tested elsewhere. There is nothing inherently wrong in that. When a model proves effective in a city of London’s scale and complexity, it is only sensible that it should be adapted and applied in a smaller city such as Manchester. Indeed, one might expect it. But let us be clear about what that represents. It is not innovation so much as replication; not a wholly new vision, but the application of an existing one in a different setting. It is also worth recalling that the move to the mayoralty came at a moment when his national political prospects appeared to have reached their limit. The office provided both a platform and an opportunity for renewal, and he has used it to some effect within that local context. None of this is to diminish Manchester, which is a fine and growing city in its own right. But it is not London, and the policies in question were not conceived there. They were, rather, adopted from a model that had already shown its worth. That may be prudent governance, but it is not the same as offering a distinct or original course for the country as a whole.

@DannyBeales “Pressure on the Elizabeth Line” would be easily addressed using the price mechanism. It’s really not fucking difficult.

The Government says a third runway at Heathrow will be privately financed, but public sector costs such as pressure on the Elizabeth line and wider infrastructure must be accounted for. I called for full transparency on how the Government's four tests will be assessed.

@vickyfoxcroft List all those nationalisations that have led to a successful, growing industry. We’ll wait.

Yesterday I voted to nationalise British Steel. By investing £2.5bn into the industry and bringing it back into public ownership, the Gov will get steel back on its feet. Here's to more nationalisation and more protection for manufacturing jobs.

@jwsal Housing benefit is paid to the recipients. They are the people costing the taxpayer. Very happy to abolish it tomorrrow and stop the artificial inflation of UK house prices.

Private landlords are costing the UK £40 billion in housing benefit every year. They are a drain on the economy and do no work, providing no productivity or growth.

@DanielaGabor @AndyBurnhamGM @ZackPolanski No bond investor expects “government spending to deliver growth”. Any bond investor who did expect that has already lost their shirt and their job.

I've written about how @AndyBurnhamGM or @ZackPolanski can stop worrying about bond vigilantes' veto on big, transformative ambitions. theguardian.com/commentisfree/…

@MikeTappTweets @NickFerrariLBC It is not a success to drive more Britons and billionaires to escape overseas.

When Labour has a success it’s downplayed and there are attempts to discredit. We have lots more to do. Facts 👇

@JeevunSandher Given it has been a regulated industry throughout its private ownership, you should take your complaints to the public sector regulator.

Natural monopolies are not competitive markets. When you pretend they are and let private companies take control (like you did with water), we all pay higher prices for poorer services. It's not quite economics 101, but it's definitely in economics 201.

@Channel4News Reeves has sold out rape victims for votes. She’s a proven liar and she deserves everything she gets.

"Just because you’ve got a flag in your van and you scream at people in the street doesn’t make you a patriot." Chancellor Rachel Reeves tells Channel 4 News' Economics Editor Helia Ebrahimi that being a patriot is about "loving this country and treating other people with respect", after being heckled during a previous interview.

@RachelforLWP Pathetic gimmick from a proven liar.

Good news for families across Leeds West and Pudsey - every child aged 5-15 in England will travel free on buses this summer, with unlimited journeys, no registration required, and no cost to families. Labour is tackling the cost of living and building a stronger Britain 🇬🇧

@joe_montfolisky @tomhfh @jamesbreckwoldt Read the sodding article, you moron. Sadiq Khan is delivering no housing.

@tomhfh @jamesbreckwoldt God forbid people should have access to affordable housing. You really are a vile, mean man.

Today 100,000 live in the centre of Manchester. By 2035 that could soar to 250,000. In 1990 the number was only around 500. That's not a typo. Five hundred.

@jonburkeUK If you genuinely believed there was little to no remaining production available then you would have no objection to the government taking money off the oil companies for new licenses would you? You’re lying.

Sorry Kemi, these are the facts: * 93% of North Sea oil and gas has been pumped because of Tory privatisation. * Extraction peaked in 1999. * The North Sea is going to shed at least 67,000 jobs between 2025 and 2035 and new licences will do nothing to change that.

@PatriciaNPino @herrvonari76181 “And yet following the war everyone agreed these policies were necessary and overall a positive.”. Total bullshit. amazon.co.uk/Forty-Centurie…?

@herrvonari76181 There was rationing too. But there were also price controls. The price of many food staples was capped. And your argument is the same argument that was made at the time. And yet following the war everyone agreed these policies were necessary and overall a positive.

Is it a good time to remind people that Britain successfully used price controls during WWII and that this, alongside other price targetting policies, are part of the reason Britain managed to sustain the war for so long?

@PatriciaNPino Stop lying, you utter cretin.

@helloKi30596224 Fuck off. Reeves secured her job by lying about her CV. Please post some evidence of female MPs getting more stick than male MPs.

I'm getting very sick of successful, female politicians who are serving our country, being harassed by GBeebies viewers. I remember the brutal murder.of Jo Cox by a man who was radicalised by the far right. This demonisation of MPs is what you are defending.

@BBCNews I realise you get only a mere £4 billion of taxpayers’ money per annum, but might you have asked why the hell the Greens appointed him and why the hell he has been un-appointed? Any chance of some - you know -journalism?

Green Party candidate pulls out of by-election bbc.in/4dE68Zw

@SkyNews “Braces”?! Have you fired the moron who wrote this headline yet?

UK braces for bank holiday heatwave as temperatures set to soar to record-breaking 33C trib.al/EPlqvHO

@Imogenlemon02 @tomhfh @RhonddaBryant Maybe you should post a link to that, or STFU.

@tomhfh Maybe you should go and do your own research on this rather than expect a Minister of State spoon feed you. Other journalists have and they have found @RhonddaBryant to be correct.

Strangely, no reply.

@Steph_Peacock Either you are really fucking thick or you assume that we are all really fucking thick. Take your short-term gimmick and fuck off, you utter moron.

☀️Great British Summer Savings☀️ 💷 VAT Cut to 5% for trips to the Cinema, Museums, Zoos and Theme Parks 🚘 Fuel duty freeze extended for the rest of 2026 🌾 Food import tariffs suspended on many goods in the supermarkets The Labour Government is backing working families.

@stellacreasy Stop lying, you cretin. High achievers are leaving the UK and you’re importing yet more Third World Labour voters.

Falling immigration numbers offer us a chance to reset the debate and ask how and why people coming to the UK and leaving it changes all our lives. Scream at me all you want but I refuse to ignore the facts in favour of anyone’s divisive fiction and will keep speaking up for a better way forward for all.