Hugo Bebbington

European leader spoke of shock at Trump’s state of mind after Mar-a-Lago meeting The Slovak PM, a Trump ally, told leaders at last week’s EU summit he was concerned about the way the U.S. president spoke to him, European diplomats said.

Slovak PM Robert Fico was left shocked by Donald Trump’s state of mind after a recent meeting with him, he told his European counterparts at a summit last week, according to five diplomats briefed on the conversation.

Trump Is Demolishing the Global Order. Here’s What Might Come Next. 17 experts on how the world moves on from America.

Who needs prediction markets when you have good old-fashioned long read journalism

www.politico.com/news/magazin...

Gerhard drinking pints > bleating on about xG

although no one is perfect

Inside the real life of a football manager The Athletic spent a month with a head coach in the most volatile and unpredictable league in English football: the Championship

This is an excellent feature for multiple reasons, but even I'm distressed by our managers running habits

the only place I feel unsafe in London is the possibility of being doorstepped by a TikTok influencer asking “lessons for my past self” when I walk down Carnaby Street during lunch

A headline to sum up our times:

The Labour tribes shaping Britain’s Brexit reset POLITICO sketches the tangled Venn diagram of Brexit camps in Britain’s ruling party.

🌹 Labour's Brexit tribes

This isn't the Tory "five families" or the Malthouse Compromise. Not yet.

But distinct strains of thought are beginning to emerge in the Labour Party and could burst out if there was a leadership contest

Where will it all end?

⬇️

www.politico.eu/article/meet...

I didn't need this right now

All the best career moves in communications happen in London Influence, so I’m thrilled to be among them and even more so to start this new role at POLITICO. 🎉

👉 www.politico.com/blogs/politi...

FIFA's president plays the American game How Gianni Infantino learned to navigate the country’s politics, from the White House to city councils.

"He loves dictators and billionaires. When he sees people with money, he melts."

A fascinating portrait of FIFA's Gianni Infantino and how he's learnt to navigate the America's politics from the White House to the local level.

www.politico.com/news/2025/07...

You can read more about our Playbook expansion in this interview with POLITICO's CEO Goli Sheikholeslami in @status.news. (which also contains some great tips on where to get Iranian food in D.C.)

bsky.app/profile/stat...

Playbook is already the must-read newsletter for understanding the latest from D.C., thanks to Jack Blanchard - but with the addition of Dasha Burns and The Playbook Podcast, it’s now essential listening too. 🎧

👉 www.politico.com/blogs/politi...

come for the insights on our growth in Europe and the UK over the last decade

stay for an all time great segue from @bronmaher.bsky.social

pressgazette.co.uk/media_busine...

Good to see my engagement and enthusiasm is suitably captured via AI transcripts

EXCLUSIVE: Trump has told his inner circle, including members of his Cabinet, that Elon Musk will soon be stepping back from his current role as governing partner, ubiquitous cheerleader and Washington hatchet man. www.politico.com/news/magazin...

Newscast - Au Revoir Marine Le Pen? - BBC Sounds Le Pen is barred from running for public office after being found guilty of embezzlement.

🔊 “Yeah, we're not boring, I can say that.”

POLITICO's @msolletty.bsky.social joined BBC's Newscast to discuss the fallout from Marine Le Pen being banned from running for public office by a court on Monday.

How to Dine Like a Washington Insider Where Republicans and Democrats are spending their money in D.C.

Not all of us can be political insiders, but at least you can eat like one.

www.politico.com/interactives...

Top Trump allies hold secret talks with Zelenskyy’s Ukrainian opponents As Washington ramps up its pressure on Zelenskyy to step aside, his rivals are talking to Trump’s team.

You can of course read the full report on @politico.eu ⬇️

Is Trump trying to topple Zelenskyy? Podcast Episode · The News Agents · 06/03/2025 · 31m

Nice hat-tip from @newsagents.bsky.social this evening on POLITICO's exclusive report about members of President Trump's entourage secretly meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy's Ukrainian opponents.

Attending @journalismfestival.com in Perugia? 🇮🇹

Join POLITICO's Jamil Anderlini for a discussion on how news outlets can deliver impactful journalism - no matter the political climate - and leverage subscription models for sustainable growth. #IJF25

www.journalismfestival.com/programme/20...

Trump wants to destroy the EU — and rebuild it in his image Donald Trump won’t deal with the EU. The EU can’t deal with Trump.

Donald Trump tried and failed to find a chink in the EU’s armor through a trade war in his first term.

But now he’s found a more vulnerable spot: The massive security crisis he’s engineered by withdrawing US support for Ukraine is exposing potentially lethal cracks in the 27-nation bloc.

🥲

Brexit stole the show from London Fashion Week — and gifted it to Paris As red tape and higher costs hammer British designers, France is ready to pounce.

Buyers and shoppers, particularly those attending the fashion week circuit, are choosing to spend in Paris over London.

And critics point to Brexit to explain the UK’s waning fashion influence.

Newscast - Can Starmer and Macron Win the Peace? - BBC Sounds And, Trump criticises Zelensky again online.

What's France's role in a peace deal in Ukraine?

POLITICO's editor at large in France, @msolletty.bsky.social, joined Adam Fleming and Chris Mason to discuss the latest on BBC's Newscast ⬇️

An ideal payday/weekend listen ⬇️

Cheers and then boos for evil penguin Feathers McGraw as statue unveiled Wallace and Gromit creator Nick Park revealed the sculpture in his home city of Preston.

10/10 headline and story combo imo

Rishi Sunak and David Cameron to cash in with US speaking gigs Former British prime ministers sign up to offer their wisdom at the Washington Speakers Bureau.

Need to rally the troops? Why not hire ousted British Prime Ministers Rishi Sunak and David Cameron for a stirring motivational speech?

POLITICO is joining forces with the Munich Security Conference in a one-of-a-kind partnership - and we’re opening the doors to the inaugural POLITICO Pub. (Yes, a pub)

Full press release below, but feel free to DM me for more details - hope to see you there! 🍻

👉 www.politico.eu/politico-and...

A massive thanks to the @inhousecomms.bsky.social team for all their work organising the awards and bringing together some of Westminster's finest to celebrate the growth of political podcasting.