Lee Barnby 🇪🇺

@martinmbauer Fits a pattern of lack of transparency and leadership arrogance.

Why even hold a town hall if you only cherry-pick uncritical questions? The UK seems intent on dismantling one of the world’s strongest research communities

@AstroMikeMerri I read the article and the tone cones across as borderline offensive. Dismissing people’s concerns as a ‘kerfuffle.’ Anyway it is Jeremy Watson who has a track record of being anti ‘Big Science’ despite being on UKRI council.

This blog notes that the early-career researchers STFC funds should be protected, but that any cost overruns with the facilities STFC funds for other research councils should be paid for entirely by STFC. Where does he think the money will come from? profserious.substack.com/p/a-kerfuffle

@PeterStefanovi2 It could have unintended consequences and quash dissenting opinions within a party. Also it prevents important realignments at moments of crisis.

🚨Parliament has now debated the petition “By-elections to be called automatically when MPs defect to another party” This is a hugely important issue to the public (reflected in how quickly the petition garnered the necessary 100,000 signatures) so the fact this debate was so poorly attended is hugely disappointing as is the government’s response which remains “There are no plans to make changes to the current arrangements” Thank you to all those who did attend and speak in this important debate You can read the full transcript here hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2026-0…

@LoftusSteve I suppose it would be because there would be a reciprocal agreement, which would actually be a very good deal for UK students (or English ones at least).

This is ridiculous. Why should EU students pay home fees?

@RailwayHeritage @networkrail @CityofYork The wall clock looks like the one on the wall of the Morrisons in Darlington (North Road) which was the engine works.

A view that’s not been seen for 85 years - the facade of York Station’s Porte Cochere without its 1940s canopy removed - significant restoration work needed for which we will be looking to support @NetworkRail Eastern Region and @CityofYork.

@annaperryparis @AlexTaylorNews Wouldn’t it be discriminatory to stop admitting students at the agreed rates?

@AlexTaylorNews English universities will stop recruiting EU students if they are charged Home fees and other international students are charged the much higher rate International fees. Scottish universities now embrace EU students at International fees but aren’t keen on UK-in-EU at Home fees

Oh look ! Remember all the talk about a UK-EU reset & "youth mobility" ? Turns out the whole thing's gone pear-shaped with Britain in yet another "standoff with Brussels" To think the UK gave up all the stuff it's now spending years and years trying to get back. And for what ?

@kevinluff Sounds good. Not as exciting as the away game though 😉

A very good afternoon’s work that. Main a class act (yet again). Got 2-0 up and didn’t feel there was much drama. Onto the next match.

@MattMalley14 @jodymcintyre_ I don’t think so. There were regular huge swings against Tories in by elections in the 1990s.

@jodymcintyre_ If Labour get hammered in Mays local elections then a GE will have to be called 🤞🏼 which.l I have no doubt they will get hammered

Today could mark the end of Keir Starmer’s premiership. Over the last two months, I’ve been contacted by a stream of MPs and councillors. Last night, I spoke to a senior campaign manager in Gorton and Denton. Here’s why Labour will LOSE the by-election today:🧵

@DaveAtherton20 @flightbird1978 I am from Banbury where this is filmed and often at the station (🚲). The first two drivers send him to the front of the taxi queue which is usual etiquette whether or not you have a dog. I don’t have a dog so my question is how common is it for any taxi to take non-guide dogs?

Here a man is trying to find a taxi to go home with two dogs. All the taxi drivers who appear to be Pakistani-heritage Muslims decline to take them. 𝗦𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗵 𝗔𝗿𝗺𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 🍷@flightbird1978 said to me that "Muslims hate dogs trope is GCSE-level pub anthropology."

@keelyhodgkinson No. Otherwise you’d have allow times from mixed races too. I would also only allow pacing up to a certain point, say 50% of race distance.

Should Male pacers be allowed to pace female races? Thoughts ??🫵🏼🫵🏼🫵🏼

@Stillicho82 @OldWest1453 If we disestablish the CoE there is no need for his Catholicism to be a bar. Two birds with one stone.

@OldWest1453 The only plausible superior claimant would be along the 'Pretender' line which would set forth Franz von Bayern - his Catholicism would be a problem however.

British royal houses have changed multiple times in its history. Why does everyone assume that it's either the House of Windsor or no monarchy at all in the UK? Seems to me that the time is right for a rebel nobleman who loves his country to seize the throne.

@FcRedhouse @CTmazza004 This all stems from the reluctance of NL to join the pyramid. I believe they were offered a higher level. Once in there was a reluctance to accept promotion. Finally the former lower league NE clubs are non-league now, joined by a lot of NE clubs at steps in between.

@CTmazza004 That division they created above the NL has ruined the quality of the Nl some of the players playing div 1 now are average wearsjde league players

@PeterStefanovi2 @TrevorPTweets What is very unclear is how an individual’s repayment contributes to the ‘public finances’. The amount repaid reduces the individual’s balance owed, doesn’t it?

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson tells @TrevorPTweets it's 'really hard' to look at how to lower Plan 2 student loan repayments, given the 'shape of the public finances

@DarrenJohnson66 Sounds like a cross between Eastenders and Sound of Music

Bloody hell. She was the second girlfriend he abandoned on that mountain. "An ex-girlfriend testified that she also climbed the Großglockner with Thomas P in 2023. She said he had abandoned her on the route at night after her head torch ran out of battery leaving her distressed"

@IanTnf The WR itself would be outstanding. I was trying to guess from typical offsets between indoor (short track) and outdoor PBs. Probably somewhat athlete dependent and the later lane break now indoors means fewer turns on inside lane. Plus you need perfect outdoor conditions.

@leebarnby I'm cautious and wouldn't go that far just yet. 1:53.8 would be outstanding in itself.

Keely is the first woman to ever run sub 1:55 indoors. Only two women have ever run 1:53 in over 40 years. I am now convinced she can join them.

@kennedyk24 @tekipharm @elonmusk Exactly people from the Commonwealth were (are?) not foreign. Hence the ‘Foreign and Commonwealth Office’ (now titled Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office). Can’t believe people believe all non-nationals can vote (although no taxation without representation etc.)

@tekipharm @elonmusk They weren't it was a Commonwealth thing

Bravo! It’s a sign of how crazy these days are that this even needs to be said!

@ThatEricAlper I saw Radiohead support James in Manchester.

Have you ever been to a concert where the support act went on to become famous?

@AshyCompounds @The_Forty_Four I would even argue it should be 4 up, like between League 1 and League 2, as all are 24 team leagues. Promoted National League clubs must have one of the best records after promotion.

@The_Forty_Four Can they just allow 3UP from the national league? This is a bit ridiculous

🚨EFL clubs are set to vote to expand the Championship play-offs to six teams at a general meeting on March 5th The new format would be: 5th place vs 8th place 6th place vs 7th place In one-off ties at the home ground of the higher finishing club The winners then progress to a two-legged semi-final against the teams who finished in 3rd & 4th with the winners of that meeting at Wembley

@yeatskeats @ProfBrianCox With CERN I believe the budget is negotiated overall & member states pay in proportion to their GDP. Contributions to the experimental collaborations, either detector construction or staff at UK universities, can be reduced. This has actually happened to @LHCbExperiment upgrade!

@ProfBrianCox Unpredictable consequences for physics, or unpredictable consequences for bits of physics? I'm pretty OK with e.g. UK CERN contributions being cut.

The tragedy of this is that it’s totally unnecessary - I think it’s a result of hasty (to put it politely) decision making at a level below ministers, and therefore will be fixable. But if it’s not fixed quickly the impact will be severe and there will be unpredictable consequences for physics as a whole in the U.K. And that is daft (again, polite language).