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On The
Ground

Josiah Mortimer

Reform’s Dodgy DOGEing

What are Reform UK-run local councils doing with their new-found power?

Word reaches me from councillors in two areas with a majority for Nigel Farage’s party that the only thing that seems to have shifted since May’s local elections is the Pride flags that have been removed from buildings.

At West Northamptonshire Council, I’m told the new Reform administration has boldly gone where no others would tread: questioning a Microsoft Office 365 licensing renewal. The party’s “DOGE”-style suggestion for cuts? Downgrading staff to an email-only subscription package, saving a whopping £75,000.

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previous article Edition 75 – July 2025 next article

News In Brief – Wexit Too Good To Check?

As Josiah Mortimer reports, a supposed millionaire ‘exodus’ that was given blanket coverage in the British media – credited to the Labour Government’s decision to weaken reforms to ‘non-dom’ tax avoiders – did not actually happen, according to a new study by the Tax Justice Network.
Byline Times Team
Gavrilo Princip

Peter Oborne's Diary – End of the Order

Last month in Sarajevo, I asked a guide to take me to the street corner where Gavrilo Princip (pictured) ignited the First World War by shooting dead Archduke Ferdinand of Austria and his wife, Sophie.
Peter Oborne