Britain’s Labour Party stares into the abyss in its Welsh heartland In the old coalfields of south Wales, Britain’s center-left establishment faces being crushed by a nationalist left and populist right. POLITICO went to find out why.

“It has long been the case that a lot of Labour supporters have had a very positive view of Plaid Cymru — they just didn’t have a reason to vote for them until now.” - Professor @richardwynjones.bsky.social 👇
www.politico.eu/article/uk-b...

The Hormuz Reckoning And how the neglect of one aspect of naval warfare is costing us dear

How the US and UK neglect of naval mine warfare could now cost us dearly in the Strait of Hormuz markurban.substack.com/p/the-hormuz...

So grateful to Keir Starmer and his leaked memo for justifying the entire premise for my book on the week it's released.

Get your copy here: www.ylolfa.com/products/978...

UK must stockpile food in readiness for climate shocks or war, expert warns Prof Tim Lang says country produces far less food than it needs to feed population and is particularly vulnerable

UK "54% food self-sufficient ... Netherlands [is] 80% ... Spain is at 75% ... The default position that others can feed us is hardwired into the British state system ... The government has no plans to improve the UK’s self-sufficiency..."
www.theguardian.com/global-devel...

Sheep are disappearing from our hills and our dinner plates Have we have passed

"changing tastes in the UK mean mutton, made from mature sheep, is no longer eaten in the same volume it was by previous generations" - have tastes changed? Or is it more the case the food industry rarely affords the opportunity to taste mutton?
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Sir Chris Whitty: Relying on weight-loss drugs to stop obesity would be 'societal failure' England's top doctor says the drugs should be for a minority and more effort is needed to prevent obesity in the first place.

"other countries ... doing a much better job of eating healthily & preventing obesity."

In "the early 1990s & the UK and France had similar levels of obesity. But obesity levels in France have remained fairly stable for over three decades while the UK's have soared"
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Stripped: The Citizenship Divide This report released by the Runnymede Trust and Reprieve shows that up to nine million people are vulnerable to having their British citizenship stripped, three million more than previously estimated....

The UK is the only G20 nation to strip citizenship in bulk. Only Kuwait, Bahrain and Nicaragua have stripped more people of citizenship than Britain. These powers must be abolished. Find out more in our report, co-authored with @runnymedetrust.bsky.social

My involvement in the Chinese spying 'scandal' Martin Shipton Having one’s front door smashed in at 6.20am is not the best way to start any day – nor is the arrival of an eight-strong team from the counter-terrorism division of the Metropolitan Po...

Modern dilemma: if someone's banging on your front door shouting someone else's name, do you open it and risk assault by a group of drunks or not open it and risk it being smashed in by a group of policeman...
nation.cymru/feature/my-i...

FT comments section this morning - saying what everyone else is thinking, right?

Understanding the needs of media users in Wales: New survey uncovers striking gaps in public knowledge of devolved powers and party leaders ahead of May’s Senedd election — Researching the impartialit... With just over two months until the Senedd election, a new Cardiff University/YouGov survey has revealed widespread public confusion about the responsibilities of the Welsh Government, with many peopl...

Depressing, but not in the least surprising. Welsh Gov doesn't seem to put much effort into explaining it's powers, and reporting by BBC etc too often fails to make clear whether it's a Welsh or UK Gov minister they're quoting
www.enhancingimpartiality.com/blog/knowled...

The Global Dengue Observatory is live. It estimates current dengue cases across 88 countries by correcting for reporting delays and filling gaps using seasonal models. globaldengueobservatory.org

Tech firms and AI farming tools ‘playing with the food system’, warns thinktank Google, Microsoft and Amazon among companies using algorithms and AI to influence what crops are grown and how, say critics

“The more global the system is, the harder it is to guarantee that you’re actually going to have it work, and food security is something which really needs to be as local as possible,”
www.theguardian.com/global-devel...

MPs condemn hosting of Tommy Robinson by Trump administration The far-right activist’s trip came amid calls for the US to be included in a probe into foreign interference in UK politics

Robinson's actions make him a security threat to the UK. He's out of the country & can claim Irish citizenship. Why not take advantage of this & remove his British citizenship? Or does UK Gov think he's less of a threat than the British children held in al-Roj?
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

Lucy Letby case expert witness was under fitness to practise investigation during trial Exclusive: Jury was never told about inquiry into key prosecution witness Peter Hindmarsh, which looked into allegations including of harm to patients

On top of all the other doubts, this is beginning to make Letby's conviction look very unsafe..
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

With Iran's retaliation using up so many drones, will this curtail supplies of Iranian drones to Russia lessening the number of attacks against Ukraine?

Eluned Morgan pledges to "end homelessness in Wales by 2034".

This will seemingly replace their previous 2021 plan to "end homelessness by 2026".

Today, we’re writing to the Prime Minister, calling on the UK Government to abolish citizenship stripping.

Using these extreme powers, the Home Secretary can deprive some British citizens of legal rights simply by saying it is 'conducive to the public good' to do so.

reprieve.org/uk/2026/02/2...

The Guardian view on saving Westminster: parliament should leave London | Editorial Editorial: The long-overdue refurbishment could be an ideal opportunity for Britain to spread power to other parts of the UK, and send a powerful message

"If MPs were to move to Manchester, York, Leeds or Birmingham for a decade, would that not send a powerful signal to the public?" - why not permanently, with Birmingham's centrality to the transport network making it the obvious choice?
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Israel responsible for two-thirds of record 129 press killings in 2025, says CPJ Committee to Protect Journalists report says Israel also to blame for 81% of ‘intentionally targeted’ journalist killings

Russia 4, Mexico 6, Sudan 9, Israel 86...
www.theguardian.com/media/2026/f...

Join us for the launch event! We are excited to invite you to the official launch of the Global Society for Infectious Disease Dynamics (GSIDD) on February 26th, 2026.This launch marks an important milestone for our global communi...

Launch of the Global Society of Infectious Disease Dynamics. 🎉

2 online webinars on Thursday 26th.
Do join to see what it's all about, and get involved in the community as it kicks off!

www.gsidd.org/post/join-us...

Mandelson accuses police of arresting him over ‘baseless’ claims he planned to flee abroad Former Labour grandee’s arrest over his links to Epstein came after Met police informed he was preparing to fly to British Virgin Islands

Mandelson’s lawyers: "[his] overriding priority is to cooperate ... and to clear his name". Whether or not he's found guilty of a crime, he'll never clear his name. Ostensibly a public servant, he prioritised his own interests, overlooking Epstein's crimes.
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

Australian women held in Syrian camp say they would accept children returning home separately Exclusive: Some of the 11 mothers detained in Kurdish-controlled al-Roj camp say they want Australian government to repatriate children at any cost

"the psychological state of the 23 children, some of them as young as six, was regressing as they grew more hopeless over their years-long detention" - British children are left in the same camp too, making a mockery of UK Gov claimed concern for child welfare...
www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

As Ukraine war continues, will Putin's support hold in Russia? A deep dive into the Russian public's apparent support for the war suggests it's more fragile than the Kremlin would like to believe

Interesting attempt to gain insights about the true level of public support for Putin's war...
www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2...

France blocks US ambassador’s access to ministers after he fails to show for meeting Charles Kushner, father of president’s son-in-law Jared, had been summoned to explain US comments relating to death of far-right activist

"In 2005, Kushner, 71, pleaded guilty to 16 counts of tax evasion, making false statements & witness tampering – including hiring a sex worker to seduce his brother-in-law, who was testifying against him ... spent 14 months in prison ... pardoned by Trump in 2020"
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/f...

Chart showing Reform voters are far more obsessed with immigration than supporters of far right parties in mainland Europe.

Fascinating. Reform UK voters are way more obsessed with immigration that those who support their populist radical right and extreme right counterparts in continental Europe.
(Source: news.gallup.com/poll/701990/...)

‘Is university still worth it?’ is the wrong question The graduate earnings premium isn’t really measuring what most people think

Turns out (says @jburnmurdoch.ft.com) it's not so much an oversupply of graduates in the UK (the same would be true of other similar countries but it's not) as an undersupply of the kind of jobs that a better-performing, more productive economy would supply.

Nightly raids and violent beatings: Australia urged to accept citizens trapped in Syria as conditions in Roj camp deteriorate Aid workers say the camp where 34 women and children are being held are ‘dire’ and present more risk than if they were repatriated

'“It’s getting more dangerous, more uncertain,” a Syrian source said. “Other countries are undertaking these repatriations. Australia has completely abdicated its responsibility.”' - as has the UK Gov with British mums & children in Al-Roj
www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

#127: Professor Polaris Koi on why self-control is not what you think it is — The Academic Imperfectionist Be honest. You're here because you think you completely suck at self-control, aren't you? You're constantly disappointing yourself, and it's getting you down. The people around you seem to be able to ...

The impeccsable @rebeccaroache.bsky.social interviewed me on self-control on the @academicimp.bsky.social podcast. It was a huge pleasure to get to rant, unbridled, about my work on self-control, neurodiversity, and how individual differences in self-control are a structural justice problem.

Spoiling a lot of takes but begging a large number of other questions... "Worsening graduate fortunes, it turns out, are a particularly British problem"

www.ft.com/content/649d...

Everyone should read this...