Ian Fraser
@ianfraser.bsky.social
Author and journalist. Latest edition of my book ‘Shredded: Inside RBS The Bank That Broke Britain’, about the pivotal role of what's now called NatWest in the global banking crash, was reissued in 2024. Recovering financial editor.
Pinned
Updated edition of my book ‘Shredded: Inside RBS The Bank That Broke Britain’—about why the world’s largest bank by assets collapsed in 2008 and took more than a decade to recover—available here:
www.amazon.co.uk/Shredded-Ins...
uk.bookshop.org/p/books/shre...
www.hive.co.uk/Product/Ian-...
www.amazon.co.uk/Shredded-Ins...
uk.bookshop.org/p/books/shre...
www.hive.co.uk/Product/Ian-...
Boris Johnson, his ministers, civil servants and advisors — including Dominic Cummings — caused “huge distress” when they flouted the rules during the Covid pandemic and massively undermined their own messaging, Baroness Hallett's inquiry concludes.
Boris Johnson and team 'caused huge distress' with flagrant Covid rule breaks
The former Prime Minister and his closest advisors' actions with Partygate and other rule breaks have been found to have directly distressed Brits who observed the rules while caring for loved ones
www.mirror.co.uk
November 20, 2025 at 11:00 PM
Boris Johnson, his ministers, civil servants and advisors — including Dominic Cummings — caused “huge distress” when they flouted the rules during the Covid pandemic and massively undermined their own messaging, Baroness Hallett's inquiry concludes.
Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! says buying Maurizio Cattelan’s infamous solid gold toilet, titled ‘America’, for $12.1 million, is “definitely not money down the pan”.
Ripley's revealed as buyer of $12m golden toilet
The first edition of Maurizio Cattelan's work was stolen from Blenheim Palace in 2019.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 20, 2025 at 7:02 PM
Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! says buying Maurizio Cattelan’s infamous solid gold toilet, titled ‘America’, for $12.1 million, is “definitely not money down the pan”.
Reposted by Ian Fraser
‘Let the bodies pile up…’
The “toxic and chaotic culture” inside Boris Johnson’s Downing St was behind the UK’s “too little, too late” response to Covid-19, with Johnson singled out for particular blame. Inquiry chair Baroness Hallett said poor decisions by him, his ministers and officials cost tens of thousands of lives.
Covid response of ‘toxic and chaotic’ UK government was ‘too little, too late’, inquiry finds
Report criticises culture in Downing Street during Boris Johnson’s tenure
www.ft.com
November 20, 2025 at 6:23 PM
‘Let the bodies pile up…’
The “toxic and chaotic culture” inside Boris Johnson’s Downing St was behind the UK’s “too little, too late” response to Covid-19, with Johnson singled out for particular blame. Inquiry chair Baroness Hallett said poor decisions by him, his ministers and officials cost tens of thousands of lives.
Covid response of ‘toxic and chaotic’ UK government was ‘too little, too late’, inquiry finds
Report criticises culture in Downing Street during Boris Johnson’s tenure
www.ft.com
November 20, 2025 at 5:14 PM
The “toxic and chaotic culture” inside Boris Johnson’s Downing St was behind the UK’s “too little, too late” response to Covid-19, with Johnson singled out for particular blame. Inquiry chair Baroness Hallett said poor decisions by him, his ministers and officials cost tens of thousands of lives.
Daily Express offers compensation to freelance journalist after "stealing" their work. Daniel Puddicombe's first person account of a Mexican railway journey was lifted and rewritten using AI.
Express offers compensation after freelances say work was stolen
First person account of rail journey apparently rewritten using AI.
pressgazette.co.uk
November 20, 2025 at 12:31 PM
Daily Express offers compensation to freelance journalist after "stealing" their work. Daniel Puddicombe's first person account of a Mexican railway journey was lifted and rewritten using AI.
Yantar spy ship enters British waters latest. According to IT Russia’s goal is to provoke Britain into escalating, so it can play the victim on the world stage. “By lowering the threshold for action Britain, risks triggering the very crisis it seeks to avoid.”
Russian Spy Ship Targets RAF Pilots With Lasers | Britain Changes Rules of Engagement
YouTube video by Indiatimes
youtu.be
November 20, 2025 at 12:23 PM
Yantar spy ship enters British waters latest. According to IT Russia’s goal is to provoke Britain into escalating, so it can play the victim on the world stage. “By lowering the threshold for action Britain, risks triggering the very crisis it seeks to avoid.”
The world needs more journalists like ABC chief White House correspondent Mary Bruce.
November 19, 2025 at 10:22 PM
The world needs more journalists like ABC chief White House correspondent Mary Bruce.
Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves’ decision to yield to the finance lobby and roll back financial regulations could prove catastrophic for the UK.
@uni-of-warwick.bsky.social’s Nick Kotucha
@uni-of-warwick.bsky.social’s Nick Kotucha
The UK government’s risky rollback of financial regulation threatens long-term growth
Some rules are there for a very good reason.
theconversation.com
November 19, 2025 at 9:38 PM
Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves’ decision to yield to the finance lobby and roll back financial regulations could prove catastrophic for the UK.
@uni-of-warwick.bsky.social’s Nick Kotucha
@uni-of-warwick.bsky.social’s Nick Kotucha
Absolute scenes at Hampden Park at 9.46pm last night. Alasdair Lamont: "We are returning to the World Cup! What. A. Night!"
November 19, 2025 at 11:36 AM
Absolute scenes at Hampden Park at 9.46pm last night. Alasdair Lamont: "We are returning to the World Cup! What. A. Night!"
Reposted by Ian Fraser
I mean, look, I'm not a reporter, so who am I to talk?
But on a day where the president both just called a woman reporter "Piggy" and is celebrating someone who had people bone saw apart one of my colleagues, I might just be a little ready to defend my colleagues and profession.
But that's just me
But on a day where the president both just called a woman reporter "Piggy" and is celebrating someone who had people bone saw apart one of my colleagues, I might just be a little ready to defend my colleagues and profession.
But that's just me
November 18, 2025 at 5:26 PM
I mean, look, I'm not a reporter, so who am I to talk?
But on a day where the president both just called a woman reporter "Piggy" and is celebrating someone who had people bone saw apart one of my colleagues, I might just be a little ready to defend my colleagues and profession.
But that's just me
But on a day where the president both just called a woman reporter "Piggy" and is celebrating someone who had people bone saw apart one of my colleagues, I might just be a little ready to defend my colleagues and profession.
But that's just me
December 1980: Not the Nine O'Clock News lampooned the UK media’s positive obituaries of fascist leader Oswald Mosley.
Mel Smith, Griff Rhys-Jones, Pamela Stephenson (with Rowan Atkinson) perform a punk eulogy to Mosley, interweaving quotes from papers including Times, Telegraph and Guardian
Mel Smith, Griff Rhys-Jones, Pamela Stephenson (with Rowan Atkinson) perform a punk eulogy to Mosley, interweaving quotes from papers including Times, Telegraph and Guardian
November 19, 2025 at 10:24 AM
December 1980: Not the Nine O'Clock News lampooned the UK media’s positive obituaries of fascist leader Oswald Mosley.
Mel Smith, Griff Rhys-Jones, Pamela Stephenson (with Rowan Atkinson) perform a punk eulogy to Mosley, interweaving quotes from papers including Times, Telegraph and Guardian
Mel Smith, Griff Rhys-Jones, Pamela Stephenson (with Rowan Atkinson) perform a punk eulogy to Mosley, interweaving quotes from papers including Times, Telegraph and Guardian
ABC's Chief White House correspondent Mary Bruce was doing her job — and doing it well. Donald Trump is such a thin-skinned narcissist.
Trump attacks ABC reporter after question about killing of Saudi journalist Khashoggi
President Donald Trump denounced ABC News chief White House correspondent Mary Bruce as a “terrible reporter” and threatened the network's license to broadcast after she asked three sharp questions in...
apnews.com
November 19, 2025 at 9:38 AM
ABC's Chief White House correspondent Mary Bruce was doing her job — and doing it well. Donald Trump is such a thin-skinned narcissist.
Scotland will go to the World Cup for the first time in 28 years after defeating Denmark 🏴 4 🇩🇰 2 at Hampden Park.
Scotland vs Denmark LIVE: UEFA World Cup Qualifiers - watch, listen, team news, updates, report, reaction, stats & head-to-head
Scotland will go to the men's World Cup for the first time in 28 years after two stoppage-time goals on an astonishing night of drama sinks Denmark.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 18, 2025 at 11:20 PM
Scotland will go to the World Cup for the first time in 28 years after defeating Denmark 🏴 4 🇩🇰 2 at Hampden Park.
Reposted by Ian Fraser
This news is devastating. It follows more than 400 jobs lost at Grangemouth refinery earlier this year — yet the UK and Scottish Governments have clearly failed to learn from these mistakes 🧵
Exxon Mobil to close part of plant at Mossmorran - BBC News
Hundreds of staff have been told their jobs are at risk with the Fife Ethylene Plant in Mossmorran due to close in February.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 18, 2025 at 4:04 PM
This news is devastating. It follows more than 400 jobs lost at Grangemouth refinery earlier this year — yet the UK and Scottish Governments have clearly failed to learn from these mistakes 🧵
When global fish farming took off in the late 1980s, many had good intentions. But few questions were asked about what it would mean to rapidly domesticate, confine and annually slaughter hundreds of billions of animals with distinct needs — and the capacity to feel pain.
@kennytorrella.bsky.social
@kennytorrella.bsky.social
What we’ve done to the salmon
The particular cruelty behind farming America’s favorite fish.
www.vox.com
November 18, 2025 at 10:22 AM
When global fish farming took off in the late 1980s, many had good intentions. But few questions were asked about what it would mean to rapidly domesticate, confine and annually slaughter hundreds of billions of animals with distinct needs — and the capacity to feel pain.
@kennytorrella.bsky.social
@kennytorrella.bsky.social
“Britain’s northwestern outposts, with nothing between them and America but 2,000 miles of blue water.”
62 years ago, journalist Fyfe Robertson toured the Hebrides on the motor yacht St Ebba.
Tonight Special – The Call of The Isles was first broadcast on the BBC in May 1963.
#bbcarchive
62 years ago, journalist Fyfe Robertson toured the Hebrides on the motor yacht St Ebba.
Tonight Special – The Call of The Isles was first broadcast on the BBC in May 1963.
#bbcarchive
1963: Fyfe Robertson's Hebridean Voyage | Tonight Special | BBC Archive
YouTube video by BBC Archive
youtu.be
November 18, 2025 at 9:59 AM
“Britain’s northwestern outposts, with nothing between them and America but 2,000 miles of blue water.”
62 years ago, journalist Fyfe Robertson toured the Hebrides on the motor yacht St Ebba.
Tonight Special – The Call of The Isles was first broadcast on the BBC in May 1963.
#bbcarchive
62 years ago, journalist Fyfe Robertson toured the Hebrides on the motor yacht St Ebba.
Tonight Special – The Call of The Isles was first broadcast on the BBC in May 1963.
#bbcarchive
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood’s comments on asylum seekers have “shaken me to the core” says Bishop of Edmonton Rt Rev Dr Anderson Jeremiah, adding people coming to the UK are being “scapegoated” for years of policy failure.
Anglican bishop shaken ‘to the core’ by home secretary’s asylum seeker comments
Bishop of Edmonton says people coming to UK are being ‘scapegoated’ for years of policy failures
www.theguardian.com
November 17, 2025 at 6:01 PM
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood’s comments on asylum seekers have “shaken me to the core” says Bishop of Edmonton Rt Rev Dr Anderson Jeremiah, adding people coming to the UK are being “scapegoated” for years of policy failure.
Shenzhen-based toymaker FoloToy withdraws AI-powered teddy bear “Kumma” after it was found to be giving wildly inappropriate responses, including tips on how to light matches, kiss, and engage in bondage.
AI-Powered Stuffed Animal Pulled From Market After Disturbing Interactions With Children
FoloToy says it's suspended sales of its AI-powered teddy bear after researchers found it gave wildly inappropriate and dangerous answers.
futurism.com
November 17, 2025 at 3:03 PM
Shenzhen-based toymaker FoloToy withdraws AI-powered teddy bear “Kumma” after it was found to be giving wildly inappropriate responses, including tips on how to light matches, kiss, and engage in bondage.
Tulip Siddiq’s aunt, former Bangladeshi prime minister Sheikh Hasina, sentenced to death for crimes against humanity.
Former Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina sentenced to death for crimes against humanity
The former leader, who is in hiding in India after being ousted in 2024, said the verdict was politically motivated.
www.lemonde.fr
November 17, 2025 at 1:05 PM
Tulip Siddiq’s aunt, former Bangladeshi prime minister Sheikh Hasina, sentenced to death for crimes against humanity.
Ghislaine Maxwell, currently serving a 20-year sentence for her role in Jeffrey Epstein’s sex-trafficking of teenage girls, is reportedly being given special treatment at Texas’s FPC Bryan—including custom-made meals, unlimited toilet paper, and a puppy. There's speculation Trump is behind it.
A puppy and unlimited toilet paper? Legal experts say Ghislaine Maxwell’s alleged prison life is uncommon
Maxwell is serving a 20-year sentence for her role in Jeffrey Epstein’s sex-trafficking of teen girls – and her treatment is prompting speculation
www.theguardian.com
November 17, 2025 at 11:50 AM
Ghislaine Maxwell, currently serving a 20-year sentence for her role in Jeffrey Epstein’s sex-trafficking of teenage girls, is reportedly being given special treatment at Texas’s FPC Bryan—including custom-made meals, unlimited toilet paper, and a puppy. There's speculation Trump is behind it.
People in glass houses? Michael Prescott, author of the infamous ‘Prescott Memo’, accuses the BBC of “splicing” Trump’s words in a way that caused viewers to be “materially misled”. But the Murdoch hack turned corporate lobbyist has been engaging in a bit of “splicing” of his own.
Not only that, Prescott misquoted Trump in his email, without indicating the changes he was making, to make the quote seem less threatening.
Why isn't THAT front page news in the Telegraph?
www.thenewworld.co.uk/james-ball-e...
Why isn't THAT front page news in the Telegraph?
www.thenewworld.co.uk/james-ball-e...
EXCLUSIVE: Michael Prescott himself doctored Trump quote in his anti-BBC report
A report alleging Panorama broadcast misleading Trump quotes contains misleading quotes itself
www.thenewworld.co.uk
November 16, 2025 at 6:46 PM
People in glass houses? Michael Prescott, author of the infamous ‘Prescott Memo’, accuses the BBC of “splicing” Trump’s words in a way that caused viewers to be “materially misled”. But the Murdoch hack turned corporate lobbyist has been engaging in a bit of “splicing” of his own.
The Prescott memo which sparked chaos at the BBC was in no sense a rigorous, systematic or scientific document. All it did was cherrypick a few examples of alleged bias, as well as a couple of mistakes. So why isn’t the memo being put under greater scrutiny, asks @stephencushion.bsky.social?
BBC bias? The Prescott memo falls well short of the standards of impartiality it demands
The Prescott memo contained no research questions or objectives, method, sample, time frame or, crucially, analytical framework for examining output.
theconversation.com
November 16, 2025 at 3:27 PM
The Prescott memo which sparked chaos at the BBC was in no sense a rigorous, systematic or scientific document. All it did was cherrypick a few examples of alleged bias, as well as a couple of mistakes. So why isn’t the memo being put under greater scrutiny, asks @stephencushion.bsky.social?
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s pro-corruption rant in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan ought to have cost him the immediate loss of his trade envoy role, and to have prompted the Queen to strip him of his Dukedom and other titles.
Here's a preview, if you care about the currrent royal scandal, from journalist Ian Fraser (old school and univerity friend)
2025.ianfraser.org/britain-is-f...
2025.ianfraser.org/britain-is-f...
Prince Andrew’s outburst in Bishkek proves it: Britain has become a Banana monarchy -
In October 2008, on a visit to Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, a “cocky” Prince Andrew not only welcomed, but […]
2025.ianfraser.org
November 15, 2025 at 12:28 PM
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s pro-corruption rant in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan ought to have cost him the immediate loss of his trade envoy role, and to have prompted the Queen to strip him of his Dukedom and other titles.
Reposted by Ian Fraser
East Coast Fish and Chips, painting by Tracy Savage, Scarborough artist. #WomensArt #NorthernArt
November 15, 2025 at 8:58 AM
East Coast Fish and Chips, painting by Tracy Savage, Scarborough artist. #WomensArt #NorthernArt
Reposted by Ian Fraser
I just don’t see how we can pretend even for a moment that anything involving our federal government is remotely normal when the president is covering up his involvement in a child sex trafficking ring. Like, what are we doing here
November 15, 2025 at 1:14 AM
I just don’t see how we can pretend even for a moment that anything involving our federal government is remotely normal when the president is covering up his involvement in a child sex trafficking ring. Like, what are we doing here