Who can ever forget Gordon Brown’s 2008 ‘Biscuitgate’ debacle, when the notoriously dour and non-personable former Labour Party PM stubbornly declined to admit to leading women’s website Mumsnet what his favourite biscuit was, lest by answering ‘Hobnob’ he inadvertently ended up repelling hardline non-Hobnobbing voters who preferred Custard Creams or Jammie Dodgers? Brown stalled, went away, consulted actual salaried advisers, and came back 24 hours later to provide Mumsnet with the generically non-partisan information that he most enjoyed “absolutely anything with a bit of chocolate on it”.
Ever since, politicians who have agreed to tackle Mumsnet’s now traditional query have continued giving politically useful answers, with SNP MPs generally saying their favoured hot dunk is something by leading Scottish biscuit manufacturer Tunnocks. Former Labour Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell answered merely “broken biscuits”, thus signalling to his core Corbynista caucus how he, too, was born into abject poverty, thanks to the manifest evils of Late Capitalism. Meanwhile, Angela Rayner’s chosen treat was Winalot Shapes, but that had more to do with innate genetic predisposition than anything else.
Faking the biscuit
If only a politician could give an actual honest, non-focus-grouped, answer to the Mumsnet biscuit conundrum for once. Well, back in 2015, one such individual did – or so we are told. This was none other than Andy Burnham, the indigestible political baby-rusk we may all soon be forced to dunk and swallow as our nation’s next Prime Minister.
Then running unsuccessfully to become Labour leader


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Beer, cookies, jogging, chips…..I think britain best prepare for some remarkable tariffs from our great leaders in the USA. He does not care for socialism, especially when those paying for it continually get hit with even more tax. Will make for a wonderful show.
Make Mozzer PM!
Apart from the fact he’s a corrupt paedo protector, who goes jogging in flip flops?, once more the country will be destroyed.
The regime likes to rearrange the deckchairs when the going gets tough. Even I’ve noticed.
I just don’t get it, it’s pathetic. Boris Johnson was a mayor too and look how that turned out.
I would never venture out in public looking like that. Flip flops are bad enough on women but are absolutely toe-curling on men.
Interesting that the Hafnia company no longer exists and in fact a company names Hafnia today is a leading oil tanker shipping company – not very Net Zero. It is also the name of a bacteria which seems quite appropriate for Prince Andrew, the Northern Hero.
“Arrrh, he’s got a woman’s legs”
And eyelashes. Perhaps that’s why we’re being told that Labour has its first woman Leader. He’s just not yet bought the “Lily Savage” frock and heels.
Quite hirsute though..mancicured toes.
The Adoration of the Cock of the North seem to be a recognition by Labour MPs that their southern redoubts, primarily in North and East London, have been lost to the Green-Islamist Alliance and probably aren’t coming back.
They are therefore desperate to recover votes in the lost Red Wall in order to avoid an extinction-level event at the next General Election. They calculated that the only way to do that was to swiftly acquire a Northern Leader who can at least “talk human” and put up a decent pretence about caring for the areas which have been devastated by decades of Establishment / North London Policies.
The Pantomime in Parliament will continue with a different leading character continually parroting “I’m northern” instead of “I’m the son of a toolmaker.” And the other one continually telling us “that she’s an engineer and the CON Party is under new management” when we can clearly see that ALL the destructive characters of the past 16 years are still in the Party and are still very much in control.
That’s all.
Is his father a toolmaker too?
No News Round Up.
On the (rare) occasions this happens could we have an empty one to fill in with stuff we’ve found?
That made me chuckle. And for some reason, I don’t know why, it made me want to say (in the spirit of Blue Peter and sticky backed plastic and detergent bottles), “yes, here is one that I made earlier” Perhaps it’s the heat.
Spot on 👍
Has the lead photo been edited, somehow? Who on earth jogs in flip-flops?
Is that a dig at how he’s already u-turning on the things he’s said?
Or, perhaps it’s a a Manchester thing? 🤷🏼
Good spot to get the link, but AI says it is an edit. I’m surprised DS allowed that without at least a footnote.
Flip flops. Of course.
Footnote!
Yes, alright, I know the way out.
I assure you, no pun was intended! I’m not that smart Still think DS should have qualified the pic, though.
Well spotted, and obviously totally impractical to run in flip flops. So the whole thing was staged – to appeal to whom, precisely?
Oh dear, another Shallow Globalist W-anchor inbound….
I demand to know what brand of flip-flop he’s wearing!
It looks like something ending in ‘o’… ‘euro’ perhaps?
I know he is just another socialist, beyond that I don’t much care.
Off topic but in the absence of the news round-up here are the contact details for the new government propaganda proposal survey, also posted on Molly Kingsley’s article:
Here are all three ways to respond:
1. Online (preferred) Respond via the online survey at:
https://dcms.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_2fQ7ExcypoLCKZE
The GOV.UK page notes that using the online survey will assist their analysis of responses and enable more efficient consideration of the issues raised.
2. Email [email protected]
3. Post Watch this Space consultation First Floor Media and International Directorate Department for Culture, Media and Sport 100 Parliament Street London SW1A 2BQ
Also worth noting: the consultation closes at 11:59pm on 31 August 2026, so you have until the end of August to respond.
Asquith, H.H.
Attlee, Clement
Baldwin, Stanley
Canning, George
Chamberlain, Neville
Churchill, Sir Winston
Disraeli, Benjamin
Gladstone, William Ewart
Grey, Charles
Lloyd George, David
Melbourne, William Lamb
Palmerston, Henry John Temple
Peel, Sir Robert
Pitt, William (the Elder)
Pitt, William (the Younger)
Salisbury, Robert Gascoyne-Cecil
Thatcher, Margaret
Walpole, Sir Robert
Wellington, Arthur Wellesley
Wilson, Harold
And that thing in flip flops will be our next legendary leader!?
After the Dalek.
Thank you.
Thank you. If you’ve got further, some tips on which sections are the key ones would be helpful. I can’t post a screenshot, but I’ve got Section 1: Market and Audience Content, all the way to Section 8: Equality Impact.
Any tips to save time would be welcome!
I have finished it. Questions 13 to 20 are not overly interesting – more technical stuff, unless you you have views on broadcast vs. internet delivery, which I suppose one could have if you think internet delivery offers more scope for state control.
The questions are here: Watch this space: a new strategic direction for UK media – green paper and public consultation – GOV.UK
Thanks, and I’ve acted on it