Geri Scott
@Geri_E_L_Scott
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Senior political correspondent @thetimes | Ex @PA @yorkshirepost @EDP24 | Trustee @SPAJournalism | 50/50 blood to caffeine ratio
London, England
Joined November 2010
Rishi Sunak tells This Morning that if he goes to McDonald's with his daughters they all get the breakfast wrap. as a breakfast wrap aficionado I can confirm they were taken off the menu in March 2020 due to Covid, and in January it was confirmed they will never return!.
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James Cleverly: “We need to be more normal.”. Tory MPs: “No!”.
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After PM's appearance at the 1922 tonight, one Tory MP told me it was the "worst 1922 I've ever been to". They said: "With each tough question she looked like she’s had the wind knocked out of her, 31st Oct could finish her off on the basis of the reception she got in that room.".
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Suella Braverman struggles to find safe seat for next election.
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It’s all kicked off at a by-election hustings in Rochdale this evening, where Simon Danczuk, the Reform candidate, has been turned away at the door. Organisers say it’s because he hasn’t registered, he accuses them of being George Galloway supporters.
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EXCLUSIVE: Nadhim Zahawi has been secretly working with close allies of Sir Lynton Crosby on a Tory leadership bid for months.
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Overheard on my train platform: “There’re going to be so many hot guys in Brighton…”. Do they… do they know what weekend it is?.
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Bad news: Bagels and Breakfast Wraps are officially gone from the menu. Good news: You can get a McMuffin for 99p today via the McDonald’s App…. …you’re still thinking about the bad news, aren't you?
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Today in parliament . a man I met in a lift - who I can only assume was a peer from his flamboyant dress sense - is offering out Heroes chocolates, but he's DIY-ed the box to read zeroes and stuck photos of Liz Truss and other cabinet ministers to it. Normal country.
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New: Keir Starmer has sacked Rebecca Long-Bailey as Shadow Education Secretary.
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Excl: Conservative ministers and MPs have failed to “get behind” campaigning and have refused to knock on doors, a leaked memo from Tory headquarters sent days into the general election campaign has revealed.
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Goodnight to everyone except David Hall and all the others like him who see a woman being knowledgable on the TV and can’t resist seeking out her private social media profiles to put her right.
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Your regular reminder that you don't have to be a father or a husband to care about women's safety, and that politicising an active murder investigation is crass af.
As a father and husband it breaks me to think that my wife and daughter have to live in fear in their own city. It doesn’t have to be this way. As Mayor, I‘ll ensure that we are working to deliver for the safety of women and girls in London.
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Excl: Keir Starmer is writing a book to set out his plans for a “renewed Britain”.
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Enough Tory MPs have lost to make this unidentifiable but one who has lost their seat overnight made me cry when I was a baby lobby journalist by just being an unbelievably unpleasant person. So to that person and that person only, good riddance.
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Some news! Extremely pleased to be promoted to Senior Political Correspondent ahead of what will surely be a quiet and relaxing (subs pls check) year with brilliant @thetimes lobby team 🎉.
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A pro-Truss MP admitted there was "a big split" but they wanted her to "plough on ahead" with anyone who rebels losing the whip. If PM rows back they said she will have "been leveraged into that position by our own party" and those agitating were those "with 20,000 majorities".
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Big promotion for No 10 pets Dilyn the dog & Larry the cat. Asked why the taxpayer is footing the bill for 3 snappers amid (admittedly v cute) pics of Dilyn in the snow, PM's spox said: "They document the work not just of the Prime Minister but of the whole Cabinet."
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I have some of that *news* everyone is always talking about… so excited to be joining The Times lobby team and can’t wait to get started!.
Delighted that the hugely talented @Geri_E_L_Scott from PA Media will be joining The Times lobby team as a Political Reporter. We're really looking forward to having her on board.
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Last week at PMQs Ed Davey told the story of Jean, who he said faced an 8 hour ambulance wait, drove herself to hospital, collapsed at the entrance to A&E, and then died an hour later - but almost all of those details were wrong. Davey now facing calls to correct the record.
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Labour piling on pressure for Govt to name a date for Wakefield by-election. Shadow frontbencher Louise Haigh, who is over-seeing Labour's campaign, said as "a new session of Parliament starts today, the Conservatives must allow the people of W'field to be represented in it".
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One man on #bbcqt says Boris Johnson is the only one with a mandate, man in front of him does a dramatic eye roll and seems to say “bollocks”. It’s going to be a long week.
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If you're one of the journalists who did this, have a proper word with yourself, christ alive.
MP’s sex life was ‘trawled through’ after her allegations against PM’s father (via @PA) .
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New: Understand writ will be moved tomorrow for both the Wakefield and Tiverton and Honiton by-elections and they're likely to be held on the same day - June 23.
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Hunt tells the 1922 Committee, according to someone in the room, “this would be really interesting shit if I wasn’t in the middle of it”.
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Somewhat threatening leaflet in this Tony Blair ideas conference goodie bag.
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Veterans minister Johnny Mercer speaking over Labour councillors celebrating in the background followed by *that* look not painting a positive picture for the Tories’ results so far
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We often moan about how all MPs come from the same sort of background. Spoke to @RohYakobi for whom - if elected - that could not be further from the truth. ‘I owe a debt to Britain’: the Labour candidate who fled the Taliban.
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.@Keir_Starmer having dinner with @kimleadbeater tonight, at Healds Hall Hotel in Liversedge, West Yorkshire - I’m told they ordered the seabass and the cod special 🐟
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It’s my first day @thetimes tomorrow - how very exciting! - and I really do enjoy a coffee and/or a lunch, my DMs are open if you also enjoy that kind of thing, or if you maybe even have a story 📩.
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Michael Gove leads daily briefing today and says “we must go further, faster” to increase ability to carry out coronavirus tests but says this is being hindered by shortage of chemicals needed.
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Words I never thought I'd file in my career: . The Prime Minister does not refer to himself as “big dog”, No 10 said.
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Despite becoming chancellor yesterday, Zahawi has been preparing a Crosby-approved plan to become prime minister behind the scenes, which includes cutting corporation tax and VAT and looking at stamp duty.
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Turns out, @SirPatStew is a big devolution fan and is backing @TracyBrabin in the West Yorkshire mayoral race 👇🏻. Now there’s a sentence I didn’t expect to type today.
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I am *convinced* @JayMitchinson must be talking about someone else but I guess the cat is out of the bag so. 📣 PERSONAL (well, professional) NEWS KLAXON 📣. I'm leaving @yorkshirepost next month to join the @PA lobby team - v excited but also sad to leave brill YP friends.
Owing to the inexorable rise - and impending departure - of one of the brightest talents I've ever hired and had the privilege of working with . we've a vacancy. You'll be a hero in the north, a pest in Whitehall and . you'll care about injustice. Watch. This. Space.
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Boris Johnson now won’t be coming to a Q&A with northern MPs in Doncaster, it seems. Little bit awkward when a few hours ago it was obviously expected he would be turning up 😬
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He is understood to be ready to activate the campaign immediately “if shit hits the fan” and the small team had been preparing a resignation letter centred on trust had he not been made chancellor. More in @thetimes tomorrow.
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Going to get this printed on a t-shirt or a hoodie or something.
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Bumped into Jared O’Mara in Parliament, he refused to speak to me or tell me if/which way he’d be voting and threatened to call the police when I asked him questions, but a man with him said he would be voting today.
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Punchy email here to DfE from a Leeds headteacher who says his laptop allocation from Govt to allow remote learning has been slashed from 61 to 13 tonight. He said he needed more than 160. 😬.
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Not to be all ~some personal news~ but I’m over the moon to be starting as Westminster Correspondent at the @yorkshirepost next month!. It’s been an amazing four and a half years @EDP24 - a great patch, with such a dedicated and brilliant team, but time for something new.
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New: Former Boris Johnson aide David Canzini is back in the fold at No 10, he accompanied Liz Truss to a meeting with the ERG tonight and is “helping the prime minister” as part of her political team.
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Imagine making the choice - and it is a choice - to police the vigil in this way after the week that’s just been. What an absolute travesty. Grim grim grim.
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Just remembering the time when I worked for @yorkshirepost and Jared O'Mara threatened to have me arrested for asking him in parliament where he'd been and whether his constituents deserved a new MP. Wild times.
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EXCL: Tory MPs in marginal seats have been told to shun the use of “levelling up” because no one knows what it means. Those at risk have been advised to use phrases such as “stepping up”, “gauging up” or “enhancing communities” instead.
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Organisers say they’re just a group of friends who invited the three main parties plus Galloway. They say this was based on a number of factors including prominence and “issues of concern at the moment being raised predominantly within the Asian and Muslim communities”.
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London should look to the North as example of how to exit Tier 3 restrictions, Chris Whitty says.
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Former Commons speaker Betty Boothroyd admonishes Boris Johnson over 'collapse of the people’s trust' in the Government .
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Short thread 🧵. When reported last year that a Red Wall Tory “rising star” was accused of sexual groping - but not named - I got a tip off it was Imran Ahmad Khan. When I called to ask him, to my surprise he confirmed it (but denied allegations).
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Me, earlier this week: Oh I'm sure I'll ease into my first PA weekend shift with a nice steady one.
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Azhar Ali had accepted but cancelled around 2pm today, Paul Ellison (the Conservative candidate) also pulled out. So it’s just Galloway and Iain Donaldson (Lib Dems) on the stage.
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Not often I get my hands on a real life copy of @yorkshirepost but thought it’d be rude not to when passing through!
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New: Rishi Sunak's allies are pressing to increase the threshold for triggering a confidence vote in the prime minister to half of all Tory MPs. Harriett Baldwin, the chair of the Treasury Select Committee, made the suggestion in the Tory MPs Whatsapp group, in a move being.
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Thanks @MonidipaFouzder, this was good fun this morning!. And to reassure all the anon Twitter men in my mentions, my hair is not wet, it’s naturally wavy, no I don’t need lipstick on, I’m 28, not “a child”, I don’t smoke 60 a day, & yes I can reach my spice rack, thank you.
The paper review is my favourite bit of #Marr and @yorkshirepost's Westminster correspondent @Geri_E_L_Scott was excellent talking about the coronavirus and lockdown measures.
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Friends, the job is done. The man in the shop said he thought I was probably the first one and now I’m not sure whether to be proud or ashamed.
Surround yourself with people who get equally as excited by the Parliament Christmas jumper dropping as you do
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Overheard in parliament (as if to prove the point): “The problem is the place is teaming with journalists… and they look like normal people…”.
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Something colleague @gregwrightYP has done a lot on mentioned in Commons today, the #LoanChargeScandal - @Chris_Matheson asked: "If these arrangements were already illegal [. ] why was it necessary to bring in the loan charge in 2017 at all?".
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A year ago today, I started in Westminster with @yorkshirepost, since then we've had the prorogation of Parliament, party conferences, mad rush back from Brighton for un-prorogation, Brexit, a general election, & now a global pandemic, so a pretty chilled first 12 months, no?.
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Press conference at 7pm tonight with PM (virtually, as still self isolating), Andrew Pollard (director of Oxford Vaccine Group), and Prof Chris Whitty makes a return. We’ve not seen him for a while, I can only imagine this has been prompted by this returning to my lounge.
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Rishi Sunak started this election in the rain, @thetimes lobby team finished it in the rain. What a shift, what a team! . @matt_dathan @MaxKendix @breeallegretti @Smyth_Chris @oliver_wright @Steven_Swinford @lara_spirit
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In this-is-fine news, Tunbridge Wells Tory candidate says the party has “disappointed” with “some poor policies, worse implementation, infighting. Announcements in the rain”. 😬. Distances himself from govt, says: “We have let you down - I am so very sorry.”
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My investigation on @thetimes front tomorrow 👇🏻💥. More than a quarter of British unis have links with “extremely troubling” Chinese institutions which have been linked to either the Uighur genocide, espionage, nuclear weapons development, defence & security research, or hacking.
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I don’t post about this every time it happens because I’d never do anything else if I did, and Lord knows I get off easy compared to so many others, but man if it’s not the abuse it’s the creepy DMs and it gets old real quick.
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Exclusive: National Union of Mineworkers backs .@lisanandy for next Labour leader, who says their support is "really personal". Although the NUM's membership may have diminished, the emotional tie in this is important.
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There is a “real risk” that the Palace of Westminster will be destroyed before renovation of the building is able to even start, MPs have been warned.
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Commons speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle really not pleased with Matt Hancock and the announcement of new gathering rules via press release last night before the House was told, demands an apology or "will run him ragged" with a UQ every day.
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In Wellingborough today and one (young!) man asked me if I was “reporting on the by-election for uni”. At 31, absolutely thrilled with that assumption.
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NEW: Priti Patel is likely to back Boris Johnson if he does try and get back into No 10. Two sources close to the former home secretary say she would support the ex-PM.
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This is potentially of no surprise to colleagues who cover courts regularly, it’s been many years since I have, but if an MP is accused of a serious crime, the public is entitled to that being covered and the justice system should be providing info when asked, imho 🤷🏼♀️.
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NEW: Former Government minister and Conservative MP for Old Bexley and Sidcup James Brokenshire, who had been suffering with lung cancer, has died aged 53, his family has said in a statement.
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Me when hearing I was on the #WiW100 #OnestoWatch list vs me actually seeing it’s true. Thanks so much @TheHouseLive, what a lovely #IWD2021 treat!
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NEW:: Newmarket Town Council - in Matt Hancock’s constituency and includes his association chairman and deputy chairman - has officially called for him to resign. Councillors are set to write to Hancock. 12 voted for the resolution, one abstention and none against.
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'Brexit will go on for a very, very long time - even if we get a deal,' warns @hilarybennmp .
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Really excited to get started at @yorkshirepost today - and obviously it's a really quiet time in politics so a nice gentle time to ease in, right?! 😅 Got something you think I should know about? Email geraldine.scott@jpress.co.uk or my DMs are open!.
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@RobynVinter See also . Family: Did you hear about X?. Me: Yeah, that’s my story actually, I wrote that. Family: No I read it somewhere.
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THREAD: I know it seems like I'm banging on about it constantly, but the reason I asked Matt Hancock about these local lockdowns *again* today is we still really have no idea what they are, or how they might impact people's lives.
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Boris Johnson denies there's been a 40% cut to .@Transport4North's Budget at #PMQs following a question from @DianaJohnsonMP. that's not quite the impression TfN has had - recent story here from @victoriafinan
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Sure, everyone is knackered from the GE. And sure, they’ll all be live streamed. But not to have one single leadership hustings in Yorkshire - somewhere you’d think Labour would really want to win back support - during a two-month race, isn’t a great look, is it?
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Did a little bit of TV tonight and every time I do I get a slew of men seek out my personal Instagram and request to follow me so just to be clear, just because you’ve heard me wanging on about the North on telly doesn’t mean you get access to my top quality photos of my meals.
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Excl: The private plane used by Rishi Sunak and the royals is being upgraded to include an “XXL lavatory” and an expanded “VIP wardrobe”.
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NEW: Labour MP Chris Matheson found to have breached Parliament’s sexual misconduct policy. The ICGS found Matheson invited a junior female member of staff on a trip to Gibraltar in 2019, which was “sexually motivated”.
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.@yorkshirepost's own @gregwrightYP has been writing about this issue since the beginning, for him it is an issue of injustice. Hear what he's discovered through his reporting of the #LoanChargeScandal on this week's #PodsOwnCountry .
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Spent some time last week in the blue wall seats the Lib Dems are hoping to make gains in at next month’s local elections.
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Starmer has received an £18,000 as part of an advance from publishers Harper Collins which will appear in the register of interests when it’s updated next week. This will be given a mix of causes incl to a charity tackling violence against women and girls.
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Thanks @JustinTrudeau for the doughnut delivery to the PM’s plane, beautifully modelled by @StefanRousseau, less so by me… 🍩
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Jeremy Hunt, asked outside the 1922 Committee this evening, whether he was acting as de facto PM, said: “If only life were that wonderful.”.
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John Bercow says the decision has "vindicated the right and duty of Parliament to meet at this crucial time" and "the HoC must convene without delay. I will now consult the party leaders as a matter of urgency".
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Asked Matt Hancock about pharmacies delivering vaccines, he said they are “probably the most embedded” in their communities and will have more of a role in getting the vaccine out to more people - but also a trusted voice for those reticent about having the jab @yorkshirepost
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Interesting point raised by Mordaunt-backers to me yesterday, that MPs publicly declaring support for Boris Johnson may be doing so to please their constituents, but could end up backing someone else in private. Only the proposer and seconder for each candidate will be public.
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Might seem weird to be chuffed about this bc there are so many above it, but I’m so proud of what we’ve done with #PodsOwnCountry, now 20th in Apple podcast charts in the Government category, when it’s regularly recorded in my bedroom while also trying to fill the @yorkshirepost
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No 10 spox says he can't comment on whether or not there was a cake at the PM's birthday celebration in 2020 until Sue Gray's investigation has concluded. Normal country, normal job.
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