Suedehead2

It is available now from the front page or latest news box.

Not sure if that is the exact date, but it was definitely late January.

Some interesting appointments among the junior posts, including giving jobs (and a seat in the Lords) to experts in their field. I’m not a huge fan of the principle (particularly as they retain that seat for life), but at least these are more about getting the right person for the job than for rewarding cronies. I am particularly encouraged by the appointment of James Timpson as Prisons Minister. He has been chair of the Prison Reform Trust and, until now, CEO of his family from Timpsons. That company employs prisoners, rewarding them with a job on release if they work hard enough. They offer free dry-cleaning to unemployed people with a job interview. They even pay their taxes properly. Another member of the Timpson family was a Tory MP from 2008-15 and was easily one of the saner ones.

Every election result throws up some quirky, geeky facts. Use this thread to post them. Here are my first contributions. You can travel from Eastbourne to North Devon entirely through Lib Dem constituencies. None of the 92 clubs that started in the Premider Lwague or Football League last seasom are now ina Tory constituency. There have been seven Tory PMs from Thatcher to Sunak. Only two of the constituencies represented by them (including both of Johnson’s) now have a Tory MP.

It’s a bit later than that. The five-year limit is the time between the parliament first sitting and it being dissolved.

What’s the betting there will be some unforecast bad economic news in the next couple months, thereby explaining why Sunak didn’t wait until the autumn?

We have had Tory governments for over twice as long as Labour governments since WWII. Most of the years when the national debt has been reduced have been under Labour governments. The Tories supposed reputation for economic competence is wholly undeserved. AV is not PR. We have never had a referendum on PR.

…will appear here tomorrow, when I’ve had some sleep.

Why have you missed out the biggest parliamentary party that wholeheartedly backs voting reform?

She’s finally turned up, without a lettuce. And she’s gone!

Truss hasn’t even turned up for the declaration.

Rumours that Liz Truss has lost :lol:

Yet another former PM’s seat has gone Lib Dem - Theresa May’s Maidenhead.

Henley, once represented by Boris Johnson, has gone Lib Dem

Surrey Heath, Gove\s old seat goes Lib Dem. It was once one of the safest Tory seats in the country

I read at the weekend that it will be at 11:00.

For the SNP, it’s Bathgate no more

Lots of Lib Dem gains in the last few minutes including Glastonbury and Dorking & Horley

Keegan beaten by over 12,000 votes

Greens gain Bristol Central

John Redwood’s old seat has gone Lib Dem

Lib Dems win Stratford-on-Avon, Shakespeare’s seat.

As did Michael Green and Sebastian Fox.

With a swing of over 20%.

Lib Dems gain Chelmsford. That was a key target in the 1980s but fell well down the list for a long time.