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Gavin Barwell
@GavinBarwell
Former No 10 Chief of Staff, Housing Minister & Croydon MP. Now running NorthStar, which advises on UK and geo-politics #LFC fan, Tolkien nerd & Nandos addict
Croydon
Joined January 2011
Posts
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    27% of Britons reckon that they could qualify for a sport at the 2028 Olympics, if they started training today % saying they would definitely/probably qualify for... 10m Air Rifle: 15% Archery: 13% Badminton: 10% Table tennis: 9% Rowing: 7% 100m sprint: 6% Road race: 6% 100m
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    Let me put this politely: it is not *entirely clear* why the Prime Minister needs to wait for Sue Gray's report to find out if he went to a party in his own garden
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    What the Prime Minister needed to do today was to show contrition. No attacks on his opponents. No more lame excuses. No more failure to answer simple questions. Instead what we got was an exhibition of every single trait that got him into this mess. He's not going to change
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    I despair at my timeline this morning. We are a few weeks in to a crisis that has months - possibly years - to run and people are already trying to conduct the inquiry that will come afterwards. Is it too much to ask that we focus on what to do now rather than who to blame?
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    You were brought down because in a matter of weeks you lost the confidence of the financial markets, the electorate and your own MPs. During a profound cost of living crisis, you thought it was a priority to cut tax for the richest people in the country
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    You would have thought the Foreign Secretary was aware we are in a military alliance with France
    Asked if President Macron is "a friend or a foe," Liz Truss replies that "the jury is out".
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    I cannot say this strongly enough: Ministers need to stop anonymously briefing journalists and start speaking directly to the public. Trust in government is going to be vital during the difficult months ahead and it is best fostered by transparency, not off the record briefing
    Elderly to be quarantined for four months in 'wartime-style' mobilisation to combat coronavirus, writes Robert Peston spectator.co.uk/article/uk-qua…
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    Not the first to say this and I won't be the last, but the Government is going to have to explain why if Northern Ireland's position is so good it would be so bad for the rest of us
    Rishi Sunak - "Northern Ireland is in the unbelievably special position... in the entire world... in having privileged access to the UK home market... but also the European Union single market... nobody else has that... only you guys" in Northern Ireland. 🤦
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    He prevented people from saying goodbye to dying relatives, but he thinks it was ok for him to have leaving drinks with people. He doesn't get it. Zero contrition
    The PM says some events identified in Sue Gray's report were held for the purpose of "saying goodbye to valued colleagues". He adds that "some people will think it was wrong even to do that" but "I respectfully disagree." Live: trib.al/DkRY0kS 📺 Sky 501 and YouTube
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    He is an MP. If he has questions, he could have asked them in the House of Commons yesterday - but he wasn't there. Instead he prefers to encourage those spreading misinformation on here. Utterly shameful
    My response to the attack in Southport.
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    When you listen to the Chancellor today, try to imagine how the Conservative Party would react if - with debt and interest payments at their current level - a Labour government announced a package of tax cuts targeted at *its* core vote paid for by a big increase in borrowing...
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    The tragedy of @DavidGHFrost and those who think like him is that they can't see that the high tax burden they dislike is in part the result of the hard Brexit they chose 1/4
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    Today's Conservative Party: "Immigration is too high" "But our population is ageing, we need immigration" "Nah, women need to have more kids" "And we should encourage mums to stay at home to look after their kids" "Yeah and slash maternity pay"
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    Turns out Boris and his Brexiteer fans think Parliament is sovereign up until the point it decides something they don't like