Yesterday's 10-year infrastructure strategy was a welcome focus on the long-term future of our public realm. And it included the govt making a commitment to consider where public-private partnerships might be the best way of funding some new projects www.gov.uk/government/p... (1/3)

@mattbevington.bsky.social argues in his Infrastructure Strategy analysis that the government should produce & publish assessments of the long-term costs of publicly financed projects. Read it here to find out more ⬇️ futuregovforum.substack.com/p/a-new-tool...

🚨New report with @homesfornorth calls on the government to adopt a novel approach to affordable housing investment: Giving Homes England a ‘National Affordable Housing Bank’ role to invest alongside the private sector in funds set up to deliver discounted rent homes. A 🧵on why this is needed:

Time to revive public-private partnerships? Today's Public Accounts Committee session on private finance in #infrastructure heard how government can: 👉 Deliver high quality infrastructure on time via private sector 👉 Give investor certainty with a long-term project pipeline 👉 Avoid costly disputes

How did Mark Carney overturn a huge lead for the Conservative Party into an election win for the Liberal Party? FGF Researcher @Shuab.bsky.social analyses the Canadian elections & identifies 3 lessons for progressive governments facing populist threats. futuregovforum.substack.com/p/from-colla...

And only half of the 74 take place in Titus Andronicus

As the publication of the UK 10-year infrastructure strategy looms, and public finances continue to look extraordinarily tight (even more so after Trump's tariff announcement), the govt needs as many infrastructure financing tools to hand as possible. Couple of interesting recent pieces on this:

How will the schools, hospitals and roads of the future be funded? Building Magazine spoke to FGF Policy Associate @mattbevington.bsky.social about Infrastructure Investment Partnerships ⬇️ www.building.co.uk/focus/is-pfi...

NEW: Public Finance story by ‪@jamiehailstone.bsky.social‬ quoting FGF Deputy Director @adamterryfgf.bsky.social on our proposal for a new model of getting private finance to build schools, hospitals, roads etc, called Infrastructure Investment Partnerships ⬇️ www.publicfinance.co.uk/feature/2025...

A lot of commentary about the future impact of tariffs on consumers, far too little on the impact they have had already on pensions and savings. Voters - especially older voters - can see these impacts in real time and it’s making them poorer. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Very excited to be working with @davidlawrenceuk.bsky.social @jujulemons.bsky.social and team to make the progressive case for growth as a fellow at the new Centre for British Progress @britishprogress.bsky.social

Interesting report out today from @nao.org.uk, looking over 140 previous publications for lessons learned on using private finance for infrastructure (hot topic in a world of constrained public finances). Lots chimes with our @futuregovforum.bsky.social work. [1/7] www.nao.org.uk/reports/less...

📣OUT NOW – Impactful Devolution 02: Local govt for the digital era Last week the PM set out plans for digital change across Whitehall. Our new report with @publicdigital.bsky.social sets out how digital can drive reform in local govt. Read it here ⬇️ www.futuregovernanceforum.co.uk/resource/imp...

Last week, we launched Rebuilding the Nation 05: Spurring Innovation 💡🔬 The report asks how govt can drive innovation in space, AI & quantum, unlocking new sources of growth & cementing the UK’s status as a tech leader. Read the report, or read on 🧵 www.futuregovernanceforum.co.uk/resource/reb...

These schools tend to be in more affluent areas (because that’s where the clientele is), so this would redistribute resources *away from* the most in need places 🤔 www.thetimes.com/article/513a...

China is now more of an ally for Europeans on these issues than the US, which is quite an achievement for the Trump admin

500,000 US soldiers were killed or wounded in Europe fighting Nazis in WWII…

With our hospitals crumbling, the Health Secretary's openness to "serious proposals" on leveraging private capital – on the right terms – is welcome. FGF has proposed Infrastructure Investment Partnerships – a new PPP model inspired by Labour govts in 🇦🇺 and 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 www.independent.co.uk/business/hea...

As big a question for European leaders tomorrow is what is our response if Russia tests the integrity of Article 5, even in a small way, suspecting the US no longer stands behind it

My only comment on the Super Bowl build up…

🚨 New starter pack alert 🚨 Some of the leading thinkers, practitioners and organisations shaping how government works – and how it could work better, all in one place. Take a look, follow and share around! go.bsky.app/E3DgZbX

Great quote by Blunkett on Prescott “John and I both grew up in South Yorkshire,” said Blunkett, “and he had all the traits of South Yorkshire: brilliant on the one hand, and bloody awkward on the other!” www.thetimes.com/article/f307...

🎉 IT’S HERE! 🎉 📔 Our major new report ‘The Brexit Files: from referendum to reset’ ✍️ Written by leading academic experts for the fifth anniversary of the UK leaving the EU, it covers three key areas of the Brexit story 🧵

The government’s renewed focus on getting regulation right to support the economy is very welcome Before the election, I wrote about how to get this right and what needs to be fixed for Progresssive Britain 👇 www.progressivebritain.org/rebuilding-t...

Pleasure to make a cameo in this on Cameron’s renegotiation - it’s packed with brilliant analysis by some of the best academics around. Give it read!👇

The government’s renewed focus on getting regulation right to support the economy is very welcome Before the election, I wrote about how to get this right and what needs to be fixed for Progresssive Britain 👇 www.progressivebritain.org/rebuilding-t...

This is highly misleading, suggesting the public sector is paying 3.3x what these assets are worth, which is not true… www.thetimes.com/article/97ac...

This is highly misleading, suggesting the public sector is paying 3.3x what these assets are worth, which is not true… www.thetimes.com/article/97ac...

A new NAO report out today points to a whopping £49 billion backlog in public sector property maintenance. The public realm is falling apart. www.nao.org.uk/reports/main... [1/6]

We're hiring here at FGF! Vacancy for a new Media Manager - looking for an experienced communications professional with a strong track record of ensuring policy and research work lands with impact. Please do get in touch if you're interested - and share with anyone else who you think might be!

This reminds me of a *2006* government report - "Risk, Responsibility and Regulation – Whose risk is it anyway?" - that sought to start a conversation on some of the same issues www.regulation.org.uk/library/2006...

I would highly recommend @daznewman.bsky.social’s sober piece explaining what’s actually likely to happen… rangeofreasonableresponses.com/2025/01/14/a...

Understand why it’s done but so damaging for public trust that so many messages they seem to get from the health service, especially GPs and A&E, is “stay away” www.mirror.co.uk/news/health/...

Or tell them they live in Hong Kong

Young Labour is on Bluesky! We’ve got exciting plans in the new year so drop us a follow to stay up to date 🌹

Pretty safe to assume there will be more, not fewer, private school places in five years’ time

If a net zero world looks barren of all joy, it will lose political support. I think people can be forgiven for driving to see relatives and buying them gifts. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

My brilliant colleague Felix Cazalet has delivered policy wonks an early Christmas present with his new report ahead of the UK government’s upcoming critical minerals strategy for @labourtogether.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

[email protected] has for years produced high quality research on the UK's links with the EU. Yet it now faces closure because of ESRC grant cuts. Some 66 of us Parliamentarians (38 MPs and 28 peers) have signed a cross-party letter urging ESRC + UKRI to reconsider their decision.

One interesting dynamic the white paper sets up is that we now know how tax-raising powers, if they are ever to be devolved, will be delivered, i.e. first to large mayoral authorities that have a strong track record of financial governance

📚Building a reading list on social democracy, starting with these two. Any suggestions welcome!

📚Building a reading list on social democracy, starting with these two. Any suggestions welcome!

Today's migration statistics show, as expected, that the post-Brexit/post-pandemic migration surge has abated.. However, the last two year's figures have been revised up. Total net migration over last four years is now 2.5 million (2020Q3 to 2024Q2). But visas issues now falling sharply..

The real story here is the Tories committing to “a hard cap” on migration numbers, which will either be so high as to be meaningless or so low as to be undeliverable www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/poli...

We're hiring at @futuregovforum.bsky.social - if you want to join us as we scale up next year, the advert's below www.futuregovernanceforum.co.uk/executive-op...

As on many issues, we should not transplant the low-pay debate in the US to the UK The UK has structurally raised minimum wages relative to average earnings over a decade - TBC if this continues - while the US federal minimum wage (yes, most states go further) has been stuck at same rate since '09

I have made a UK growth & progress starter pack! Let me know if you want to be added, or if I have missed anyone. go.bsky.app/2AGSHqi

Possibly the best quote of the election: “voters do not make their decisions at the polls on the basis of price-adjusted time series” www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...

Each governing party in the G7 that was in office at the start of the cost of living crisis in 2021 has subsequently: ▶️Lost: FR (National Assembly), UK, US, IT, JP (lost majority) ▶️Or is very likely to lose the next election: DE, CA ▶️And in each case very badly

I've updated this a bit, please feel free to share! go.bsky.app/Pfn8958