Kevin Piper

There is such cognitive dissonance in the damaged heart of the UK tabloids right now. Here is the Daily Mail, on one page seeing through Trump’s unhinged illiteracy ‘Is ANYONE in charge of the President’s misspelt, foul-mouthed online rants?’ and on another giving him a ridiculous credence as he makes a ‘Chamberlain jibe at PM….’

Wow 🚀

See, Starmer is not perfect, but he is the most sensible, reasonable and realistic PM we have had for a long time.

Why are so many editors of British papers happy to support Trump's attacks on this country? "President tells UK..." reports Mail, as if he was a sane and normal human being.

I have huge admiration for Verstappen as a driver. But this is a bad look for him and his team. Also - a pity that other journalists didn’t leave, or at least question him - or Red Bull - harder on that level of entitlement. It’s not like it was even a particularly nasty question

Now there’s a player and a half👏👏

“So the clashes between Keir and Kemi at PMQs felt almost existential. A battle between sanity and the distorted reality of an angry teenager. Thankfully sanity won out.” theguardian.com/politics/2026/…

Dirty Business on @Channel4. Brilliantly made, devastating. Water must be nationalised now. The owners of the private water companies jailed.

“Football is a sport, not a laboratory experiment. If the stewards of the game continue to prioritize technical perfection over the spirit of the law, they risk alienating the very people who make the game what it is: the fans. It is time to bring the “Beautiful Game” back to its roots.” This “urgent call for reform” email to IFAB will strike a chord with many fans. Broadcaster Dave Johnson voices the views of supporters' "growing frustration - and frankly, disillusionment” – with the current application of VAR in offside decisions. “While the pursuit of accuracy is noble, the current “microscopic” approach has reached a breaking point that threatens the entertainment value and emotional integrity of the sport”. “Football is a game of flow and spontaneous joy. Currently, that joy is being strangled by lengthy delays that often exceed three or four minutes, only to result in goals being overturned by the width of a shirt seam or a “toenail”. “The recent controversy involving Fulham and Manchester United, where a goal was disallowed because a player’s elbow was deemed offside, serves as a perfect indictment of the current system. When the “clear and obvious” error mandate is ignored in favour of sub-pixelgeometry, the game moves away from fairness and into the realm of pedantry”. Johnson outlines “key areas of concern”. 1. Spirit of the Law: “The offside rule was designed to prevent goal-hanging, not to penalise an attacker for having a larger shoe size than a defender”. 2. Fan experience: “Supporters in stadiums are left in a vacuum of silence, unable to celebrate goals, waiting for a verdict that often feels disconnected from the physical reality of the play”. 3. Margin of Error: “Current frame rates and the manual placement of lines do not account for the biological reality of movement, making “millimeter-perfect” decisions scientifically questionable”. He seeks “fundamental changes to how offside is officiated”. 1. "the serious consideration of Arsène Wenger’s proposal. By requiring a clear gap of “daylight” between the attacker and defender, the advantage is returned to the attacking side, encouraging goals and reducing microscopic disputes”. 2. “Margin of Error” buffer: “Implementing a 5-10cm “tolerance zone” where the on-field decision stands unless the infraction is undeniable”. 3 Time limit on reviews: “If a decision cannot be reached within 60 seconds, the original on-field call should be upheld. This ensures that only “clear and obvious” errors are corrected”. Johnson concludes his email by looking forward to “seeing these issues addressed in upcoming technical sub-committee meetings”. Good luck.

'Please, you don't have to have your hand on me' Watch the moment ITV News' @PeterAdamSmith was grabbed by a Reform UK staffer after being told to move on from his line of questioning while interviewing the party's new Scottish leader, Malcolm Offord

Strange business politics. Farage calls press conference to complain about cancelled council elections, then announces a star defector who says that, er, he won't be holding a by-election.

It cannot be said often enough: if you change parties in the middle of a Parliament, you owe it to your constituents and to any sense of decency and fairness to hold a by-election. You were elected on a different manifesto, you should make the case to the electorate again.

Reform: “Britain is broken. And what we need in our party are people who have frontline experience of breaking it”.

Jack Grealish and Leighton Baines visiting Alder Hey Children’s Hospital. Grealish, Baines, David Moyes and Seamus Coleman toured wards, handing out gifts to patients. Rest of Everton squad joined a Christmas party with kids who’ve been patients at Alder Hey in past year. Michael Keane made the point that as well as talking to the “excited” kids, “it's also important that we get to speak with the parents, who will have had difficult years and may even be here in the hospital with their little ones for Christmas. And the staff, too, who do incredible things every day”. 📸Tony McArdle #EFC

BREAKING: Senator Kelly just unloaded on Trump, calling out how Trump was bragging about his "tallest building" on 9/11 and writing birthday cards to Epstein while Kelly was doing heroic, patriotic things. "The President and Hegseth will not silence me."

John Major 🧵 🔥 1. Brexit Was an Act of National Self-Harm ✅Major does what Labour refuses to: tell the truth about Brexit by naming Brexit as a fraud pushed through on a minority mandate. “In an act of collective folly, the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union.” “Across the world our enemies celebrated and our friends despaired.” “We left the EU on a minority vote of 37% of the electorate.” “After a referendum campaign that was PACKED with misinformation and misjudgement.” 🧵

Retired doctor… but apparently still on call! My phone went off during a question on GP phone access. Old habits die hard! 😂

According to a new study from a respected US think tank, the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), Britain’s decision to leave the EU has meant that its GDP is between 6 per cent and 8 per cent smaller than it would have been.

Minority representation on TV causes outrage From the new Private Eye, in shops now.

Farage: epic grifter. Part 2