'Is that a really good use of his time?' 'Raising money for a cancer charity?' The Green Party's @floschechter brands Andy Burnham going on Gogglebox as 'ridiculous'.

"It's a direct lie... Either Prime Minister Burnham is lying, or the intelligence service of Great Britain." Former Putin spokesperson Sergei Markov says that the PM's claim that Russia interfered in the 2016 Brexit referendum is "absolutely a clear lie." #Newsnight

Burnham yesterday: Russia interfered in Brexit Doughty today: yeah but they weren't successful Make up your mind 🤷‍♂️

Children conceived through IVF may have different DNA. For decades, in vitro fertilization (IVF) has helped millions of families have children, but the earliest days of a lab-conceived embryo may leave a permanent mark. A study conducted by researchers at Sun Yat-sen University compared blood and umbilical cord samples of 33 children conceived through IVF with those of 42 naturally conceived peers. The findings revealed that the IVF group possessed a slightly higher proportion of LINE-1 DNA sequences. Famously referred to as 'jumping genes,' these unique genetic segments are capable of replicating themselves and inserting those copies into entirely new locations within the human genome. While these genomic alterations are subtle, they represent a fascinating molecular signature of assisted conception. Intriguingly, when analyzing three families with both an IVF-conceived child and a naturally conceived sibling, the IVF sibling consistently showed elevated levels of these 'jumping genes.' While scientists emphasize that these findings do not prove IVF causes harm or directly triggers health issues, some of the altered sites are near genes associated with cardiovascular, metabolic, and neurological pathways. These preliminary results highlight the need for larger, long-term studies to explore whether the laboratory environment during IVF plays a key role in shaping our genetic blueprint. source: Li, J., Huang, J., Zhang, Z., Xian, J., Liu, Y., Zhang, Q., Chen, H., Guo, Y., & Li, Y. (2026). IVF-Conceived Offspring Exhibit Altered LINE-1 Retrotransposition Dynamics Associated with Long-Term Disease Risks. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

NEW: Reform UK’s James Orr and Dan Jukes cleared by internal party inquiry into whether they broke electoral law on foreign donations. An inquiry by Met police, who are presumably better placed to assess this, is continuing.

Let’s be blunt. After several years of economic insecurity, seismic demographic change and asymmetric multiculturalism, native English folk are hunkering down, yearning for the familiar and retreating to their tribe. That’s why ethnicity is now an issue in our politics. It’s sad - but it should hardly come as a surprise.

I worked with Farage from 1999-2003 when he was first elected as an MEP, sharing an office with him in Strasbourg. I stayed at his home, travelled with him, dined and entertained when we were in Europe, and worked with him in the UK. Outwardly charming, he is in fact a vindictive, aggressive bully, with a huge chip on his shoulder. He is intolerant of criticism, has no loyalty to anyone, and will shaft anyone who disagrees with him, gets in his way or poses a threat (usually by underhand means, via third parties). I am not surprised, therefore, that you have come to your view. Most people who have been close to Farage feel the same way and would not trust him in the slightest. Many more will come to the same conclusion, and eventually the Farage bubble will burst. I hope it does so before he does even more damage.

Dear Teachers, please stop sitting disruptive boys next to well-behaved girls because you think the girls will “settle them down” It is not their job.

Update: Gwent Police says it had arrested a man "on suspicion of assault and engaging in controlling/coercive behaviour"