Brian Doherty

UK officials would talk to the EU about “options”, after Burnham opened the door to UK readopting free movement of people, a customs union, the single-market & even rejoining the bloc Policies coming from Brussels cause serious UK manufacturing problems & needed addressed www.ft.com/content/5149...

Andy Burnham backtracks on idea of referendum if UK accepts EU free movement Downing Street has appeared to backtrack on PM Andy Burnham’s suggestion that he could call another EU referendum if Britain decides to readopt the bloc’s free movement rules - www.ft.com/content/ef27... via @FT

I didnt know about this. To deprive the Ukraine, is to allow continued bombing of civilians

blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandp... Burnham says the UK could join the single market without a referendum In this blog I suggested this to Starmer providing the UK Parliament approved new EU rules & could trigger a speedy exit if the EU adopted laws the UK could not accept @lsepoliticsblog.bsky.social

1/2 An object lesson in the difference between acknowledgement of an enslaving past and reparative justice: South African wineries pay tribute to past generations of captives while evicting their uncompensated descendants: www.theguardian.com/world/2026/o...

"The frustration for me... when we had the referendum is that a lot of those facts didn't get the airtime... So I would like us to have an honest conversation about what the trade-offs could be" - Rayner Good to see the trade-offs getting a look in www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Enrico Letta, former Italian PM & author of report on how to improve the bloc’s internal market- -the proposals -are “a game-changer" but the bar should not be lowered “A watered-down proposal would send the wrong signal & undermine the ambition behind this initiative www.ft.com/content/0db7...

"The defeat of Serbian nationalist strongman leader Aleksandar Vučić has kindled hopes of a more pro-European direction for the Balkan linchpin, after years of nonchalance in Belgrade towards the country’s theoretical EU membership path" FT www.ft.com/content/5476... via @FT

Burnham appeared to set down “red lines” in the event a future Labour government applied to rejoin the EU, saying: “I can’t see myself ever recommending anything that would involve joining the euro or Schengen.” www.ft.com/content/ef27... via @FT

I spoke, as Chair of @soclablaw.bsky.social, at the Oxford Union last night against the motion “This House believes that the UK should leave the European Convention on Human Rights”, alongside a trio of talented students. Supporting the motion were Suella Braverman, Lord Lilley, and Martin Howe KC.

In troubled times Trump’s attempt to sue the BBC ... which is backfiring on him quite spectacularly... brings both hope and amusement newrepublic.com/post/216805/...

Alumina is not currently included in the next sanctions package which is under negotiation. Estonia has told us it wants this to change. www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2026...

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minnesota) raised more than $1.5 million in campaign funds on the day and day after the federal government searched her home in D.C. this month, according to a Post analysis.

🤬"Trump’s diesel deal derailed Ukraine-Russia peace progress, says Czech president Czech President Petr Pavel said the U.S. diesel deal with Russia gives Moscow “new hope."" www.politico.eu/article/dona...

JUST POSTED: Today at The NYT we are publishing a major investigation into how President Trump used his executive powers to expose millions of Americans to greater cancer risks. A six month-long investigation built on more than 10,000 pages of FOIA records. Read it www.nytimes.com/2026/10/24/c...

“we believe there is merit in exploring new areas of cooperation" - Šefčovič to EP today There's more in the statement, including the usual reminder of the commitment of the UK - and EU - to www.rapporteur.com/news/brussel...

“The central concern… is that the EU is labeling the relationship before agreeing what it would mean… objecting capitals are annoyed that von der Leyen proposed the label without first consulting national governments.” www.politico.eu/article/germ...

Calling Putin a ‘Humanitarian,’ Witkoff Thanks Him for Releasing an American www.nytimes.com/2026/10/21/u...

Musk’s SpaceX ambitions may be ‘dangerous’ for Europe, warns EU lawmaker - www.ft.com/content/f9e4... via @FT

Barack Obama just delivered a blistering rebuke of Trump's actions against Ilhan Omar. This is worth reading in full.

Ossoff: "It's the most corrupt administration of all time & everybody knows it. While the crook president & his crook family rake in billions from all over the world, you pay more for everything... they lied us into war & spent most of the last year covering up for the world's most famous pedophile"

Ukraine did not receive a warning from the US about an impending Russian missile attack on Sunday evening, Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said, reviving concerns that Washington is withholding intelligence in order to bully Kyiv into capitulating to Moscow www.irishtimes.com/world/europe...

The proposed changes are part of a push to strengthen Eu technological sovereignty EU want to to reduce their dependence on US technology amid concerns about the unpredictability of Trump and the risk of relying on foreign companies for critical infrastructure www.ft.com/content/d1e2...

A fascinating chat with Colm Tóibín about living in America and the political landscape on Marty in the Morning. Hear the full interview on RTÉ Listen 🎧 #martyinthemorning www.facebook.com/share/v/14pT...

Dozens of masked militant Israeli settlers have burned olive trees and thrown rocks at Palestinians in a coordinated attack on a West Bank village's annual harvest. At least two people were injured in the incident, including a journalist

I think a lot about what Carl Sagan said in one of his final interviews.

In this blog I criticise Trump for rewarding Putin's aggression. Some are predicting regime change in Moscow, and I urge Europe to offer a new deal for Russia if a new leadership delivers a just peace to Ukraine that respects Ukraine's sovereignty, and contributes to Ukraine's reconstruction.

Ukraine is down to its last Patriot air defense missiles, leaving its population vulnerable to Russia’s continued attacks and raising questions in Kyiv as to whether the Trump administration has turned its back on the country.

I shall be starting a debate in the Chamber on Thursday 22 October on proposals for a written constitution – a pet project of our current PM. The House of Lords library has prepared this useful introduction. lordslibrary.parliament.uk/debate-on-pr...

One big down side of reopening the Brexit debate is that there will be more vacuous and misleading articles like this that say since the UK has trade deals then Brexit must be working, that don't notice the EU still has more... labourlist.org/2026/10/reop...

Donald Trump’s repeated acts of indulgence towards Vladimir Putin, supposedly in pursuit of peace, undermine deterrence, hastening further crimes. And for what?

Hegseth tells UK counterpart that Ukraine’s access to Starlink restored www.irishtimes.com/world/uk/202...

"EU leaders should not forget that rising imports can also have a salutary effect, forcing domestic producers to innovate and improve.. ..After all, there is nothing better to spur competitiveness than competition" www.ft.com/content/8890... via @FT

Everyone still on X. Everyone Elon Musk has turned off his Starlink satellite in favour of Russia. He’s working against Ukraine and working against us. It’s terrifying and YOU ARE ALL working against the safety and security of all of us, including your own families.

Moscow ignores Trump’s ‘energy ceasefire’ as strikes leave 600,000 without power & Ukraine caught off guard by Starlink restrictions and intelligence gaps during Russian attack www.irishtimes.com/world/europe...

She has a big lead in the polls, has already vowed to stop aid for Kyiv beyond some operational help & soldier training, saying France can no longer afford it. ..Le Pen was for a long time sympathetic to Russia and her party once received a loan from a Russian bank www.ft.com/content/45e8... via @FT

Even though she dropped her push for France to leave the EU& the euro nearly a decade ago, she remains profoundly Eurosceptic She wants EU power to shift back to member states, reversing what she sees as the Commission’s attempts to “take competencies” on diplomacy&defence www.ft.com/content/60d0...

No nation should be above the law. Impunity must not be normalised. Speaking at Columbia University, Mary Robinson urges us to reject a world ruled by force, underscoring The Elders’ call to leaders at UNGA to stand up for the international rule of law. youtube.com/shorts/P08ks...

In the latest RUSI Commentary, Professor Derrick Wyatt KC argues that Europe should start “talking over Putin’s head” to his potential successors, offering a political and economic reset in return for a just peace for Ukraine.

For a short time, Trump's Iran war distracted him from his efforts to undermine Ukraine/support Putin. But now he has stumbled across the idea of blaming Ukraine for the effects of his war with Iran, he has redoubled his efforts in support of Putin.

With atomic weapons back at the center of Europe’s security debate, France wants its air-launched nuclear-armed cruise missiles to be a credible deterrent. Russia is paying attention. 🔗 vist.ly/5m2k5

"And for people trying to understand the Trump presidency, the deal is further proof of the accusation that Nancy Pelosi flung in Trump’s face in 2019: “With you, all roads lead to Putin.” "

“My instinct is that it will be a longer process , even if the political will is there. Britain is not Finland; we’re a bigger economy. There are those in the EU who will want to weigh the competitive benefits and advantages of having us back" - @lordrickettsp.bsky.social www.ft.com/content/3aa9...

Andy Burnham to tell MPs that refusing closer EU ties a ‘dereliction of duty’ - www.ft.com/content/011a... via @FT

Republican Rep. Michael McCaul criticized the lifting of sanctions on Russian oil, warning it “will only fund the Kremlin’s war machine” and encourage further violence and destruction. He said the Graham sanctions law gave Trump leverage over Russia and China. #Russia

Possibly the most sad and pathetic we’ve yet seen him - and that’s saying something. Embarrassing.

Russia can’t even produce enough diesel for its own needs! “Guardian analysis of port records and ship-tracking data found that in July and August over 176,000 tonnes of fuel, mostly diesel, was loaded at several South Korean ports on to seven tankers that made 14 voyages to Russia’s far east.“