🍿 Haaland brace and Foden goal for Man City win against Ipswich Town! 7 games, 7 wins in Premier League. Who’s been your Man of the Match?

Pep and Khaldoon in the house #MCFC

Andy Burnham’s tendency to shoot from the hip is starting to raise eyebrows in Whitehall (as officials have to deal with the fallout). My column this evening: inews.co.uk/opinion/burnham-…

🗣️ "I haven't downplayed the seriousness of the findings." Andy Burnham has addressed concerns that he devalued the verdict against Man City after the club were found guilty of Premier League financial rule breaches.

Tackling affordability is one of the top priorities of this government. We're making it easier for families with a car to save an average of £40 a year by working with @googlemaps to show real-time prices at the pump.

Eva Marie Saint, who starred in memorable classic films such as “North by Northwest” and “On the Waterfront,” has died at 102. variety.com/2026/film/news/e…

LIVE: Our plan to create a Stronger Economy. #CPC26 Day 2 x.com/i/broadcasts/1rxmqprMy…

London takes a hit as super rich worth $160 billion exit the UK bloomberg.com/news/features/… via @BenStupples

A year ago, I announced that the Shadow Defra team would review all 34 Arm’s-Length Bodies that sit under Defra. I did this because, under @KemiBadenoch, we Conservatives are doing the hard work now to prepare a plan for government. I said that we would be honest and go back to first principles. We would draw up a plan, keep what works and dismantle that which does not. Since Conservative Party Conference last year, my brilliant Shadow Ministerial team of @_RobbieMoore, @DrNeilHudson and @AphraBrandreth have been travelling the country, listening to the custodians of our countryside and coast. The first stage of this review has now concluded. In this first stage, it has become clear that we must focus on how Defra works as a department and its two largest bodies, Natural England and the Environment Agency. Rural and coastal communities told us that it feels like Whitehall exists to catch them out, not help them. Across the country, we heard complaints of duplication between Defra and the ALBs, gold-plating of regulations and no accountability for decision makers. Again and again, farmers, landowners, gamekeepers and rural communities gave us real-life examples of how powerless Defra is to effect real change and how these bodies affect their lives. But why has this happened? Because it’s what often happens in Whitehall: a once well-intentioned policy slowly but surely morphs with mission-creep, serving only to justify its expansion, processes and existence, rather than focusing on the outcomes for our people and countryside. Very often, the hard-working officials within the system are as frustrated with its structures as the public. In other words, this system doesn’t work and our Conservative choice is to call time on this failing system. Doing this will require something bold, something that will make some special interest groups feel uncomfortable but will lead to stronger, healthier habitats that work for food production and nature. This is why the next Conservative Government will re-structure Defra to make it faster, simpler and fairer for us all. This is a massive task to which we have given a lot of thought. It encompasses how we manage our water systems, how we consolidate our world-leading scientific expertise, how we make it easier for farmers, fishermen and food producers to access advice, permits and funding. We will look at how we can reform our nature and habitat regulations into one coherent set of laws that actually works for our rural communities. I will set out the details of our plans in the coming months, but I can announce today the biggest change: we will abolish Natural England and the Environment Agency and return the powers that work back to direct ministerial control. Those parts that don’t work, are duplicated or gold-plated, will go. We have also listened to communities who are sick and tired of our countryside being dumped on and polluted. As part of this wholesale restructuring of Defra, I will create a tough new Environmental Crime and Enforcement Authority, whose officers will dare to go after organised crime gangs and others who pollute our countryside, dump waste and kill wildlife. I used to prosecute criminals for a living so I’m up for the fight for our environment. Because it is time to turn the tide and to put Whitehall back into the service of our countryside and coast. Our approach will not be to water down protections, but to make them work. We will also build on the success of farming clusters and Landscape Recovery Schemes introduced by the last Conservative government. They are proving that they deliver results for nature quickly and for good value if the government gets out of the way and lets them get on with the job. We will restore common sense and accountability to the management of our countryside, with the expectation of measurable improvements in our food production and habitats. If we are serious about backing British farmers, Defra must be re-positioned as an economic growth department at the heart of government. We will work with farmers, food producers and retail businesses to focus on what needs to be eliminated and what needs to be changed to help farmers make a profit. The last year has shown that when the @Conservatives Party, farmers and rural communities work together, we can achieve great things. So let us go to work and bring back common sense to farming and nature policy.