Alexandra Topping

Alexandra Topping

@lexytopping.bsky.social

Political correspondent at the Guardian. Northerner stranded in the South. Long-suffering Evertonian. Views are mine alone. Got a story? alexandra.topping@theguardian.com

1.4K followers334 following142 posts

Alexandra Topping
@lexytopping.bsky.social

It's incredible that the @ukhomeoffice have DOUBLED the amount of paid paternity leave police officers are entitled to after campaigning from @dadshiftuk.bsky.social +others ..and they still only get 2 wks. But it's a start! Better paternity leave = more equality www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

theguardian.comPaid police paternity leave to double after fathers reported being ‘ostracised’Exclusive: Pay increases to two weeks in England and Wales after Guardian revealed officers ‘mocked’ for taking time off
Alexandra Topping
@lexytopping.bsky.social

I met Julie and Carole in 2022 when they were setting up @killedwomennw.bsky.social with 9 other families. There are few women I admire more. Here's the story of how they changed the law in honour of their murdered daughters >> www.theguardian.com/society/2026...

theguardian.com‘Imagine this was your daughter’: how grieving mothers campaigned to close sentencing gapDavid Lammy’s decision to increase minimum sentence for domestic murder victims follows years of tireless lobbying

Alexandra Topping reposted

Sam Freedman
@samfr.bsky.social

This kind of crap from the BoD really undermines those of us who are trying to push against antisemitism across the political spectrum. Infuriating.

Jonathan Portes@jdportes.bsky.social

Completely unacceptable from the Board of Deputies. This nakedly partisan hypocrisy does not represent me or many other British Jews. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

Alexandra Topping reposted

Jessica Elgot
@jessicaelgot.bsky.social

Without minimising the dire results for Labour, it’s extraordinary how chipper the Tories are. They’ve lost 500 seats from a low watermark, lost historic major councils to Lib Dems and Reform, show no signs of recovery in the esp LD areas they need to win. But MPs seem to think it’s going well.

Alexandra Topping
@lexytopping.bsky.social

I chatted to Lucy Hough before we really knew what was going on and talked about goats 🤷‍♀️>> What next for Labour as Reform wins big in elections? - The Latest www.theguardian.com/politics/vid...

theguardian.comWhat next for Labour as Reform wins big in elections? - The LatestNigel Farage’s Reform UK has made substantial gains in local elections while Labour suffered heavy losses. So can the prime minister fight on? Lucy Hough speaks to political correspondent Alexandra To...
Alexandra Topping
@lexytopping.bsky.social

Excl: Women will be massively underrepresented on ballot papers across the UK next week, with research revealing that almost twice as many men as women are standing as candidates across the local, mayoral and devolved elections www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

theguardian.comNearly twice as many men as women standing in May elections in UKExclusive: women ‘massively underrepresented’ in next week’s local and devolved elections, campaigners say
Alexandra Topping
@lexytopping.bsky.social

Exclusive with @peterwalker99.bsky.social - big shake up in British EU stance as minsters introduce bill which would enable the gov to adopt single market rules without a full MPs’ debate and vote as part of UK-EU reset >> www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

theguardian.comBritain could adopt single market rules without MPs’ vote as part of UK-EU resetExclusive: Ministers planning new legislation for alignment without full parliamentary scrutiny if in national interest

Alexandra Topping reposted

Peter Walker
@peterwalker99.bsky.social

In this week's Politics Weekly UK, me & @lexytopping.bsky.social talk war, how on earth you deal with Donald Trump, and how, if at all, this affects the crucial elections in May. Contains a touch of swearing - mainly Trump's own language. www.theguardian.com/politics/aud...

theguardian.comTrump and the Middle East: can Starmer do anything? – podcastPeter Walker and Alexandra Topping look at how the UK government is responding to Donald Trump’s fast changing position on the Middle East
Alexandra Topping
@lexytopping.bsky.social

Corbyn-backed candidates took 14 of the 24 available places on the party’s Central Executive Committee (CEC). Sultana-backed candidates took 7 of the seats, while three went to independents.

Alexandra Topping
@lexytopping.bsky.social

As a lot of people had expected given their name recognition Zarah Sultana AND Jeremy Corbyn are BOTH voted onto Your Party's leadership committee as "public office holders" As my piece explains below, that's going to make things interesting www.theguardian.com/politics/202... 🍿

theguardian.comZero hour: Corbyn and Sultana duke it out in battle for the soul of Your PartyAfter eight months of rows and rifts, results of leadership election offering ‘fundamentally differing visions’ are due
Alexandra Topping
@lexytopping.bsky.social

Well, I say we're off...lot of process being explained here. 25,347 people voted in the Your Party elections... a 61% turnout

Alexandra Topping@lexytopping.bsky.social

And we're off! Andrew Jordan apologises for the delay in the start and says Your Party has achieved something "extraordinary" in building a new socialist movement .... but admits "it's not always been plain sailing"

Alexandra Topping
@lexytopping.bsky.social

And we're off! Andrew Jordan apologises for the delay in the start and says Your Party has achieved something "extraordinary" in building a new socialist movement .... but admits "it's not always been plain sailing"

Alexandra Topping@lexytopping.bsky.social

We were told "The results of the inaugural leadership elections for Your Party will be announced tomorrow, Thursday 26 February at 11am." Well....it's now 11.36, 1,500 are waiting on YouTube and Your Party are promising that the results will be coming shortly

Alexandra Topping
@lexytopping.bsky.social

Enjoying the Your Party members bantz as they wait tho

Alexandra Topping@lexytopping.bsky.social

We were told "The results of the inaugural leadership elections for Your Party will be announced tomorrow, Thursday 26 February at 11am." Well....it's now 11.36, 1,500 are waiting on YouTube and Your Party are promising that the results will be coming shortly

Alexandra Topping
@lexytopping.bsky.social

We were told "The results of the inaugural leadership elections for Your Party will be announced tomorrow, Thursday 26 February at 11am." Well....it's now 11.36, 1,500 are waiting on YouTube and Your Party are promising that the results will be coming shortly

Alexandra Topping@lexytopping.bsky.social

“Anyone that’s chosen can speak,” declared the voice. “Anyone else I will fucking throw out.”>> irate hustings and flying accusations, inside the battle for Your Party >> www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

theguardian.comZero hour: Corbyn and Sultana duke it out in battle for the soul of Your PartyAfter eight months of rows and rifts, results of leadership election offering ‘fundamentally differing visions’ are due

Alexandra Topping reposted

Avert Your Eyes, Pamela Ganache!
@pressfuturist.bsky.social

Unusually, a rhetorical question in a newspaper article to which the answer is undoubtedly yes.

Alexandra Topping@lexytopping.bsky.social

This week Nigel Farage was accused of patronising a female journalist, hired a hardline anti-abortion theologian as his head of policy and promised to repeal the Equality Act on his party’s first day in government. Does he have a women problem? www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

theguardian.comDoes Nigel Farage have a problem with women?Critics say Reform leader’s patronising rhetoric is part of worrying trend. He says scrutiny is a two way street.
Alexandra Topping
@lexytopping.bsky.social

This week Nigel Farage was accused of patronising a female journalist, hired a hardline anti-abortion theologian as his head of policy and promised to repeal the Equality Act on his party’s first day in government. Does he have a women problem? www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

theguardian.comDoes Nigel Farage have a problem with women?Critics say Reform leader’s patronising rhetoric is part of worrying trend. He says scrutiny is a two way street.
Alexandra Topping
@lexytopping.bsky.social

Sam Freedman is one of the people everyone in Westminster, no matter what their political persuasions, listens to 👀

Sam Freedman@samfr.bsky.social

Giving Braverman the education brief is quite a choice for Reform. I was on an education commission with her once before she went completely mad and she knew absolutely nothing at all.

Alexandra Topping
@lexytopping.bsky.social

This interview by Charlotte Higgins with Tracey Emin in today’s Guardian is really a masterclass in arts journalism. She provides content, structure and the space for Emin to breathe, elucidate, be without ever clumsily inserting herself. It is just brilliant www.theguardian.com/artanddesign...

theguardian.com‘Regrets? Number one: smoking. Number two: taking it up the wrong hole’: Tracey Emin on reputation, radical honesty – and ReformShe scandalised the art world in the 1990s with her unmade bed, partied hard in the 2000s – then a brush with death turned the artist’s life upside down. Now she’s as frank as ever
Alexandra Topping
@lexytopping.bsky.social

This is such a great scoop by our @pippacrerar.bsky.social the 👸

Pippa Crerar@pippacrerar.bsky.social

EXCL: An website claiming to launch Angela Rayner’s Labour leadership campaign was published temporarily last month, prompting further speculation the former deputy PM is gearing up for contest to replace Keir Starmer. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

theguardian.comRevealed: ‘Rayner for leader’ site briefly went live in Januaryangelaforleader.co.uk domain also registered – but MP’s team dismiss half-finished site as ‘fake’ that was created without her knowledge
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Alexandra Topping
@lexytopping.bsky.social

So what does the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) think? Nothing to do with us! “The NPPF is a planning document. It sets out guidelines for housebuilding and planning in England. The VAWG strategy is about protecting women and girls from violence and misogyny.”

Alexandra Topping
@lexytopping.bsky.social

They said it was “unclear as to why anyone would expect the two things to be combined” . Hmmm. Lib Dem MP Anna Sabine, who wrote to Phillips and housing minister Matthew Matthew Pennycook called that response "incredibly arrogant".

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Alexandra Topping
@lexytopping.bsky.social

The sexily named National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) - basically the rulebook for planning - doesn't mention gender or women's safety at all. This is despite being published in the same month as ....

Alexandra Topping
@lexytopping.bsky.social

The second part of the Angiolini inquiry! Commissioned, of course, after the death of Sarah Everard. It states that police officers tasked with “designing out” crime are sometimes ignored and had not all “been tasked with focusing on preventing violence against women and girls”.

Alexandra Topping
@lexytopping.bsky.social

This is after Jess Phillips promised the VAWG strategy would be absolutely cross -departmental. She joked that she was finding some way for energy secretary Ed Miliband to get involved, because every department had to have skin in the game ...

Alexandra Topping
@lexytopping.bsky.social

The VAWG strategy states that: “Women and girls must both feel safe and be safe in every aspect of public life […] Well-lit streets, accessible transport, and thoughtful urban design can deter violence, reduce opportunities for harm, and send a clear message that public spaces belong to everyone.”