Some key facts from Michael Gove's announcement of Cambridge's New Quarter:

🧪 In 2021, Boston had six million square feet of lab space under development; in an average year, Cambridge and Oxford together manage just 300,000 square feet.

🕙In Cambridge today, you have to wait almost a year for the next available lab space.

The demand is clear.

Boris resignation statement:

"I have received a letter from the Privileges Committee making it clear - much to my amazement - that they are determined to use the proceedings against me to drive me out of parliament." "They have still not produced a shred of evidence that I knowingly or recklessly misled the Commons."

"Their purpose from the beginning has been to find me guilty, regardless of the facts. This is the very definition of a kangaroo court."

George Osborne up at the Tory Northern Research Group conference now, interviewed by Carlisle MP and NRG Chairman John Stevenson:

Says ‘the north’ used to be thought of as a Labour idea - Tories thought of counties rather than one area. Says things changed 2013/14. Osborne: “I’m more encouraged about the party’s leadership than I have been at any point since I left office in 2016.”

Ben Houchen says the Conservative Party should get back to the phrase Northern Powerhouse.

“We need to accelerate Levelling up, we need to accelerate the northern powerhouse, we need to accelerate devolution.” Adds that often jobs created in north lead to imported labour not just from the rest of the world but also rest of country.

Says skills and training needed, but accuses DFE of being the most anti devolution department in government. He wants DFE to devolve some skills powers.

US Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Sunak's Stateside visit:

"The President is looking forward to welcoming Prime Minister Sunak to the White House to further deepen the close economic relationship between the US and the UK, and to discuss key challenges & opportunities..." "... this will be the fourth consecutive month the President has met the Prime Minister. Already this year they have met in Hiroshima at the G7, in Belfast in April, and in San Diego in March at the AUKUS trilateral event about our long term defence and security partnerships..."

Perhaps try to write out that tweet again, this time sounding a little less like an actual terrorist?

https://twitter.com/socialist_crow/status/1666238657865416705

"Tom needs to learn that the government needs to concede to their demands or the disruption will continue."

Exclusive: The LGBT wing of the Labour Party is actively considering withdrawing from all Pride events across the UK.

I understand this is due to what how Labour is currently viewed in the LGBT community. Members don't feel comfortable marching as Labour.
Why is that? It's all to do with recent events regarding trans rights.

In 2020, Sir Keir said the Gender Recognition Act was "in desperate need of reform to introduce self-declaration for transgender people", and as recently as October said that “we will also modernise the GRA”.

BREAK: Cumbria coal mine approved I understand that Gove agreed to grant planning permission for the new metallurgical coal mine in Cumbria following recommendation by the independent planning inspector.

Margaret Thatcher speaking on the Jimmy Young Show a week after becoming Party Leader

Eerily - albeit in the context of reshuffles - she said

"I'm very well aware that the time will come when I'm out, and I'm determined then to make it easy for the chap or girl who tells me..." "I'm told I've changed, even my husband says that I've got a new confidence... the great change really occurred about a fortnight before the ballot."

NEW: asked if Labour impose taxes on school fees gradually, rather than in the middle of a child’s schooling to avoid thousands of middle class children having to leave their schools, Sir Keir’s spox says:

“I don’t accept the premise of your question.” Labour confirms their school tax would be imposed in one fell swoop in the first term of a labour government.

Sir Keir’s spox went on to say that school fees have risen every year for last few years and number of children in private school has risen too.

Why on earth is BBC Newsnight saying that Crimea is beyond Ukraine’s borders?

When did our ‘public service broadcaster’ start taking on the Kremlin’s lines?

https://twitter.com/bbcnewsnight/status/1558089339908792320

The video talks of Ukrainian army ‘refusing to stop at Kherson’ and performing operations in Crimea.

Crimea is Ukraine.

What on earth is the BBC playing at?

Stop asking how much will it cost to build nuclear power plants.

Start asking how much it will continue to cost us all *not* to build them. The SNP inexplicably continues to maintain the Scottish Government's ban on new nuclear in Scotland.

"By hook or by crook I will get things done. I have shown I have got things through Whitehall." Says Liz Truss, adding team is important and she will not micromanage her Cabinet if elected. Truss says she would want three things in her Cabinet ministers:

1. That they are competent

2. That they share her Conservative values, and are willing to stand up to Whitehall

3. That they are loyal, not spend time briefing the press but getting on with the job.

BREAK: Jacob Rees Mogg launches a new UK Government dashboard of ‘retained EU law’ cataloguing over 2,400 pieces of legislation spanning over 300 policy areas.

The public will be able to ‘count down’ EU law as the government reforms it. ‘This dashboard is the supply-side reformer’s El Dorado and, naturally, I am pointing to the treasure trove of opportunity this publication represents.’

Truss begins by highlighting how important it is to protect the Belfast Good Friday Agreement.

Says the agreement is under strain and the executive has not been fully functioning since February, because the protocol does not have the support of one of the communities in NI. Says all parties in NI have argued the protocol needs changes.

Bloody hell.

The government's global LGBT conference has just lost *all* its UK attendees.

It was a manifesto commitment to hold this conference, entitled "Safe To Be Me".

Now more than 80 LGBT & HIV groups have pulled out due to the trans conversion therapy U-turn. This is an appalling look for the government. Truly shocking. The UK was going to be leading the way in helping discriminated LGBT people - particularly abroad.

Now the conference is in tatters.

PM: “We stand with the Ukrainian people and our hearts go out to them. And tens of thousands of people in this country are opening their homes to the Ukrainian people, and we say thank you to them.” Boris describes Putin’s ahistorical rant as “Nostradamus meets Russian Wikipedia”

Says Putin wanted to go into Ukraine because they had a free press and he saw that as a threat.

Shapps up now. #CPSC22

Says he thought he had it tough over Covid… until he spoke to his opposite number in Ukraine who had to find safe passage for millions of vulnerable citizens out of his country. Says how incredibly lucky we are to be in this country. Secure both economically and militarily.

Says though that this success is not a given. Only countries that can reinvent themselves succeed. And one key ingredient: infrastructure.

Jacob Rees Mogg now up saying he arrived in Blackpool singing to himself ‘oh I do like to be beside the seaside’. JRM: “The old Labour adage that the man in whitehall really does know best is the opposite of our view.”

Cites how the Tories trusted the people this winter, while the nationalists in Scotland and socialists in Wales enforced mandates.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak in conversation with Blackpool North MP Paul Maynard here at the Tory Party Spring Conference #CPSC22 “It feels like it has been a little bit crisis to crisis, which isn’t great.”

Says Rishi, speaking about the turbulent experience of being appointed Chancellor as the pandemic struck, and now with war in Europe.

It might well be the case that more people sign up to host Ukrainian refugees than actually want to come all the way to the U.K.

Perhaps excess hosts could be offered refugee families from other countries, and we could potentially stop splashing so much taxpayer cash on hotels. 👆Number 10 says "we are at relatively early stages... certainly we will absolutely keep that under review, about how we make best use of the generosity of the British public."