Alex Forsyth (@AlexForsythBBC) on X (original) (raw)

Presenter of Any Questions? on BBC Radio Four & Political Correspondent for BBC News

• Pinned
  
  Appreciate there’s a lot of news around today but this is huge for me! It is a total privilege to be the new host of a show I’ve loved and listened to for years, and to be joining the R4 presenting team.
  
  
• 
  Boris Johnson has pulled out of a planned visit to a bakery this morning after this protest gathered 👇🏻at the entrance to the venue - understood it was due to security concerns & on police advice.
  
• 
  PERSONAL NEWS: Thrilled & very excited to be taking up a new BBC role as a Political Correspondent based outside of London. The idea is big themes and great stories, politics & policy, Brexit & beyond, driven by the people who feel the impact of decisions made in Westminster.
• 
  Sir Martin Donnelly, former permanent secretary at the Dept for International Trade, tells
  @BBCr4today
  leaving the single market and customs union is like "giving up a three course meal for the promise of a packet of crisps in the future"
• 
  NEW: The Independent Group has applied to be a political party in case they need to field candidates in the European elections if there’s a Brexit delay. They’ll be called Change UK - The Indepedent Group and Heidi Allen is the interim leader, with Chuka Umunna as lead spokesman
• 
  BREAKING: Constituents in Peterborough opt to remove their MP Fiona Onasanya- 19,261 signed the petition which will trigger a by-election.
  
• 
  According to the brilliant BBC analysis and research team; so far as we can tell this is the first time two cabinet ministers have quit within 24 hours of each other (outside cabinet reshuffles) since at least 1979. Happy to be corrected.
• 
  Justine Greening says "I don't believe this is a good deal for Britain's long term future" as she calls for another public vote
• 
  So there’s going to be an external inquiry into Islamophobia in the Conservative party according to pledges made on #BBCOurNextPM
• 
  The turnout at the Brexit Party event in Sedgefield - they’re waiting to hear from Nigel Farage on the day No10 turned down his offer of an electoral pact
  
• 
  Interesting that SNP and Plaid Cymru using this debate about no confidence in the PM to press Jeremy Corbyn to move on from his General Election plan and back another referendum.
• 
  This from a Government minister...
  
  Where are your manners, Mr President?
• 
  John Bercow responds; There was nothing arbitrary about the conduct of the Chair - I require no lessons or lectures from others about how to discharge my obligations to parliament.. I'll go on doing it no matter how much abuse I get ... it is water off a duck's back
  
  Andrea Leadsom tells the Commons - The role of the chair is to uphold the rules parliament has made for itself - not arbitrarily change them