Jennifer Williams
@jenwilliamsft.bsky.social
Northern correspondent, Financial Times
📍Manchester
📍Manchester
Hinges on the party’s categorisation of various dos, such as a series of events around summer recess, as “commercial partnerships” that don’t constitute donations. Eg this was the party’s comment when the Guardian wrote about MPs getting annoyed about these dos in July
November 17, 2025 at 6:17 AM
Hinges on the party’s categorisation of various dos, such as a series of events around summer recess, as “commercial partnerships” that don’t constitute donations. Eg this was the party’s comment when the Guardian wrote about MPs getting annoyed about these dos in July
De Niro: yes I’m phoning it in, I’m in that railway arch where they used to sell hummers. And also I’m Robert De Niro, so make me
November 15, 2025 at 8:49 PM
De Niro: yes I’m phoning it in, I’m in that railway arch where they used to sell hummers. And also I’m Robert De Niro, so make me
Have been struggling to get over a bout of Covid this week, not entirely helped by sitting in a railway arch for three hours watching robert de niro being ennui about Manchester’s latest skyscraper. So to celebrate feeling normal again, Nigella crab mac n cheese plus classic Hollywood
November 15, 2025 at 8:46 PM
Have been struggling to get over a bout of Covid this week, not entirely helped by sitting in a railway arch for three hours watching robert de niro being ennui about Manchester’s latest skyscraper. So to celebrate feeling normal again, Nigella crab mac n cheese plus classic Hollywood
Be warned @stephenkb.bsky.social next time I write your newsletter the cultural bit will almost certainly be this
October 23, 2025 at 7:01 PM
Be warned @stephenkb.bsky.social next time I write your newsletter the cultural bit will almost certainly be this
I think you’ll find
October 18, 2025 at 2:11 PM
I think you’ll find
Woke up in the night to a podcast still autoplaying and talking about pancakes, so it had to be done (far better than my usual efforts)
October 11, 2025 at 10:37 AM
Woke up in the night to a podcast still autoplaying and talking about pancakes, so it had to be done (far better than my usual efforts)
I assume it was part of the general pitch to the membership, but was struck by his stance when people rang into Radio Mcr - few days before conference, when he made a notably big deal of being married to a European and Farage being to blame for loads of things (my notes from Sept 25, not quotes)
October 10, 2025 at 9:22 PM
I assume it was part of the general pitch to the membership, but was struck by his stance when people rang into Radio Mcr - few days before conference, when he made a notably big deal of being married to a European and Farage being to blame for loads of things (my notes from Sept 25, not quotes)
What about these. Are we all ok if I get rid of these?
October 6, 2025 at 3:08 PM
What about these. Are we all ok if I get rid of these?
And… guess you had to be there
October 6, 2025 at 2:53 PM
And… guess you had to be there
That’s more like it
October 6, 2025 at 2:52 PM
That’s more like it
Maths entertainment (first printed 1917)
October 6, 2025 at 2:40 PM
Maths entertainment (first printed 1917)
Today’s task is to go through many dusty books I scooped up when clearing out my parents’ house, from a high shelf on the landing. Retro. I remember the winemaking phase, but only because the “wine” remained in the airing cupboard gathering dust through the 90s
October 6, 2025 at 2:21 PM
Today’s task is to go through many dusty books I scooped up when clearing out my parents’ house, from a high shelf on the landing. Retro. I remember the winemaking phase, but only because the “wine” remained in the airing cupboard gathering dust through the 90s
We’ve somehow bought steaks so big I’m expecting a cartoon dog to appear any moment
September 27, 2025 at 5:48 PM
We’ve somehow bought steaks so big I’m expecting a cartoon dog to appear any moment
Enough now please
September 26, 2025 at 1:04 PM
Enough now please
Labour down to third in this by election in Manchester, which isn’t traditionally seen as their unsafest of territories
September 26, 2025 at 12:14 PM
Labour down to third in this by election in Manchester, which isn’t traditionally seen as their unsafest of territories
Also this Labour source quote on Andy Burnham reads like the kind of thing you’d expect to see briefed against the Tories.
September 24, 2025 at 8:39 PM
Also this Labour source quote on Andy Burnham reads like the kind of thing you’d expect to see briefed against the Tories.
Midweek nigella
September 23, 2025 at 6:48 PM
Midweek nigella
Timeline cleanse: I went to Whitby and bought the best thing in the abbey gift shop
September 22, 2025 at 8:03 PM
Timeline cleanse: I went to Whitby and bought the best thing in the abbey gift shop
Went back to Rhyl today. All going swimmingly
September 19, 2025 at 7:17 PM
Went back to Rhyl today. All going swimmingly
This pleased me ✅
September 17, 2025 at 10:51 AM
This pleased me ✅
Not that it probably matters, but there has only been one agreement so far to look at a council’s internal data and it isn’t clear what that’s led to. Otherwise every Reform council I emailed yesterday to ask if doge had been in yet said no, with the exception of a couple that never responded
September 5, 2025 at 4:05 PM
Not that it probably matters, but there has only been one agreement so far to look at a council’s internal data and it isn’t clear what that’s led to. Otherwise every Reform council I emailed yesterday to ask if doge had been in yet said no, with the exception of a couple that never responded
Finally found a rail system more arcane than ours. I feel like I’ve had a solid grounding in this though, perhaps that’s what it was all for
August 25, 2025 at 3:14 PM
Finally found a rail system more arcane than ours. I feel like I’ve had a solid grounding in this though, perhaps that’s what it was all for
Reminds of the fall out last summer after an exhausting ten days or so of proper riots here. At some point the planned protests lost steam and got outnumbered by the counter protests. In Brighton it ended up like this
August 24, 2025 at 9:17 PM
Reminds of the fall out last summer after an exhausting ten days or so of proper riots here. At some point the planned protests lost steam and got outnumbered by the counter protests. In Brighton it ended up like this
Here’s Warrington council at the end of July:
August 21, 2025 at 7:38 AM
Here’s Warrington council at the end of July: