This is becoming a pattern. When Boris Johnson was faced with voting on the third runway for Heathrow, which he had pledged to oppose but his government was pledged to support, he used his position as Foreign Secretary to wangle a trip to Afghanistan. Last week he headed off to Kyiv rather than turn up in Doncaster to let his Northern MPs know that the cupboard is bare; and their careers are likely to be short. This week, on the day of two by elections unlikely to go well for him, he has popped up in Rwanda so he is a long way away when the exit polls drop and there’s some awkward explaining to do. These trips are becoming ever more frequent, so he might not want to come back.

The BEIS has issued a statement that they are introducing legislation to make it easier for agency workers to be used as scabs during industrial disputes – which assumes that there is a load of people out there who are eager to be loathed by their communities. TUC petition against this is here.

Mick Lynch’s demolitions of lying government ministers – like the hapless Under Secretary for Tech, Chris Philp seen here having his bubble burst- and collusive media hacks, like Kay Burley or Richard Madeley, who have shown up their role as propagandists for the established order every time they have opened their mouths – have been a breath of fresh air and struck a nerve with quite a broad layer of people who appreciate a bit of honesty when they see it and don’t like being manipulated. If you have a Labour MP, Momentum have a tool for you to press them to come out in support of the rail workers here. And the Greener Jobs Alliance has a briefing on why climate campaigners should support them too, which is here.