We’re in the middle of an ‘orderly transition’ of power from Keir Starmer to whoever might just possibly take over from him – it’s anybody’s guess – as prime minister. Many were worried that this would leave the government in policy paralysis, unable to commit to anything. If only.

It turns out that the hard-won freedoms of the British people are to be ended not by legions of brutes rolling down Regent Street in tanks, but by a gaggle of gormless supply teachers

It turns out that the hard-won freedoms of the British people are to be ended not by legions of brutes rolling down Regent Street in tanks, but by a gaggle of gormless supply teachers

Because both Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy and Deputy Leader Lucy Powell – close allies of Andy Burnham – are confidently mooting new ideas. Nandy has flounced off X, taking her department with her, just before announcing her big idea that social media firms must give ‘prominence’ to state-sanctioned ‘trusted’ news outlets.

Powell, meanwhile, is gung ho for restrictions on social media during elections, in a similar way to the silly ‘purdah’ demanded of broadcasters. How that would actually work is a puzzler. Are members of the public really to be treated like TV channels? Will........

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