My column in this morning's Times – on Labour's asylum puzzle and the question some around Starmer are now asking: are ID cards the answer?

thetimes.co.uk/article/asylum…

Great column by Lara Spirit on Labour’s internal ID card debate 👇

My column in this morning's Times – on Labour's asylum puzzle and the question some around Starmer are now asking: are ID cards the answer?

thetimes.co.uk/article/asylum…

Labour lead at 25 points in this week's YouGov poll for The Times

CON 20 (-1)
LAB 45 (+1)
LIB DEM 9 (+1)
REF UK 13 (-1)
GRN 7 (-1)

Fieldwork 23 - 24 April

Given that Lara Spirit discusses it in today's Red Box I thought it was a good moment to re-up (which is how children say repost) this by Daniel Béland and me: ukandeu.ac.uk/is-the-conserv…

🟥Local elections are nine days away — which ones should we be looking out for? For Times Politics Red Box

Today, Bristol 👇

🟥New series on Times Politics Red Box: council of the day.

Local elections are next week. But the morning after can feel like a sea of thousands of councillors and confusing metrics. To make life easier, these are the ones to watch.

Today, Dudley 👇

Exc: Understand Labour has written to Lancashire police to call for an investigation into allegations of fraud and misconduct in public office by Mark Menzies

More in Red Box this morning

🟥POLITICS WITHOUT THE BORING BITS

PMQsUnpacked: Lettuce vs Lawyers

'It's Weetabix with crack cocaine on top'
Tim Shipman and I watch a decent Commons clash, Lara Spirit rounds up the best of the rest.

🎧 Listen shorturl.at/CIMV1

Tune in!

Great to have Max joining us at Red Box today -- get in touch!

Excl: Britain has entered talks to replicate the Rwanda migrant deportation scheme with Armenia, Ivory Coast, Costa Rica and Botswana.

Leaked documents reveal the government’s extensive search for additional third country deals:

thetimes.co.uk/article/uk-tal…

Exc: More than 6,000 children *under five years old* are being referred to the NHS for mental health treatment each month

And more six to ten-year-olds are being seen for mental health issues than any adult age group

Labour lead at 26 points in latest YouGov poll for The Times

CON 19 (-1)
LAB 45 (+2)
LIB DEM 8 (=)
REF UK 15 (-1)
GRN 7 (-1)

Fieldwork 10 - 11 April

EXC: Harold Wilson had an affair with a Downing Street aide, his closest surviving advisers have revealed after half a century of silence

Joe Haines & Bernard Donoughue say they want to commit the Labour PM’s affair with Janet Hewlett-Davies to history

thetimes.co.uk/article/harold…

YouGov Westminster voting intention (Scotland, 25 Mar - 2 Apr): Labour are now ahead of the SNP for the first time since the independence referendum

Labour: 33% (+1 from Oct)
SNP: 31% (-2)
Con: 14% (-6)
Lib Dem: 7% (+2)
Reform UK: 7% (+5)
Green: 5% (=)

yougov.co.uk/politics/artic…

Labour needs a clearer sense of its defining mission in government, a Starmerite think tank aiding the party’s preparations for power has said

Fascinating report on the 2010 Cameron transition by Phil Tinline published today

thetimes.co.uk/article/think-…