Great to meet and learn from archivists, journalists, activists and academics today at the Holywell Trust, where I spoke about trauma and archives.

Breaking news: Peter Mandelson has been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office following claims he leaked confidential UK government memos to Jeffrey Epstein ft.trib.al/cRr1m4T

"It has been all about demonstrating....that his voice is still needed on the international stage - that he can make a difference. Except that it’s an illusion. What’s left for the historians is a blackened shell. Latest Inside-Out column. philipstephens.substack.com/p/the-fall-a...

Can such an astoundingly bad decision by the U.K. Ministry of Defence best be explained as stupidity or corruption? Time will tell.

Back at the National Army Museum today, smiling due to the brilliant help provided by the archivists in the Templer Study Centre.

A defence of a broken university funding system by a man who refuses to accept his opinion 20 years ago was a mistake. Universities can be funded from general taxation alone if those who benefit most in salary terms are taxed at a higher level than those who never attended.

The constraints - such as “fiscal rules” and “no going back on Brexit” - are self-imposed. They are political choices by elected leaders. They are not immutable laws of economics. The British Government can increase defence spending whenever it likes.

Delighted to have talked about “Uncivil War”, my book on the British Army in Northern Ireland, at the National Army Museum. If you missed it, here’s a recording:

A phrase indicative of HM Treasury attitudes towards Ministry of Defence spending, from 1991. Has anything changed since then?

That £240m contract Palantir won after Peter Mandelson took Keir Starmer to visit them? Government asserts "there were robust processes in place to ensure that government contracts are awarded fairly and transparently" but the award notice says it was a "directed award", ie without any competition.

My postdoc at @durham.ac.uk is now open for applications! Three years research, open field. Happy to answer any questions/chat/give feedback on applications. NB: You *must* be nominated by a department - check with the department for the internal procedure/deadline. www.durham.ac.uk/research/ins...

Real leadership from Spain on protecting the public from digital harms. Is the U.K. government capable of such ambition?

Given the further revelations of Peter Mandelson’s potentially criminal conduct, UK Security Vetting, and the Prime Minister, have some questions to answer.

Glen has nailed what is happening to UK universities (again). All the grand strategists pontificating about the UK's future in a post-rules based international order need to realise that one of the critical sectors they tout as "world leading" is on the verge of collapse.

Two things should happen on Monday morning. Starmer should withdraw the Labour whip and the police should open a corruption investigation.

🕵️‍♀️ Last chance to nominate #intelligence books for the Polly Corrigan and Kjetil Hatlebrekke Book Prizes. 🤩

We're thrilled to be welcoming legendary broadcaster Kate Adie to the @mileendinstitute.bsky.social for our 5th distinguished Hennessy Lecture. She'll discuss her life as a reporter and explore the challenges & paths ahead for journalism today. 16 Feb 6:30.Book here! www.qmul.ac.uk/mei/events/m...

Terribly sad news.

A fascinating discussion on German defence policy. The U.K. defence debate needs to pay a lot more attention to Germany, which is set to eclipse U.K. military influence in Europe. We have taken our leading position for granted and this is at risk.

Are Labour deliberately seeking to lose power in Wales? If so, their plan is working brilliantly!

I am very happy my article on the secret training facilities of the British Army of the Rhine for postings in Northern Ireland during the Troubles has now been published! Thank you @ghilondon.bsky.social for the excellent cooperation. www.ghil.ac.uk/publications...

Now is exactly the time to exert maximum pressure on Starmer to stop imitating Reform, and to dramatically improve relations with Europe. In that context, Andy Burnham is doing the right thing.

For reasons unknown, my first book, British Grand Strategy in the Age of American Hegemony, is on sale for £28.99 on Amazon UK - a 62% reduction in price! It would be rude not to at that discount! H/T to @jfb1066.bsky.social www.amazon.co.uk/British-Gran...

Worth a listen. The FM seems to be trying to use the electoral threat of Plaid (‘seperatists’) to generate leverage for the Welsh govt in dealing with the UK govt so as to ensure that it treats Wales ‘fairly’ in those areas in which it has *already* refused to act (rail, justice, crown estate) 1/

Enjoyed talking about this project with @newbooksnetwork.bsky.social this week, have a listen here: newbooksnetwork.com/framing-the-... @draefox.bsky.social @mpmfinch.bsky.social @univpressofkansas.bsky.social

The Trump administration apparently blinking first on economic war with Europe is good news. If everyone can slow-walk talks on a "deal" it will be even better. But it would be dangerous to assume the crisis is definitely over. And I don't think the damage to NATO can be undone.

‼️ Trump walks back tariff threat. That was fast

Mark Carney's speech is now only the second most acute analysis of where the world is at right now:

We hear it all the time: Since the turn of the 2010s, thanks to the rise of tech, the US has pulled ahead economically. This idea is everywhere from Washington to Davos—and it's paralyzing Europe But it's simply not true! Let's look at what's really happening, with charts🧵

Reeves is comprehensively out of her depth Stuck repeating recycled Brexiter ritual incantations about “bringing down barriers to trade” when the main barriers to trade are ones the country imposed on itself and that she and Starmer refuse to address www.ft.com/content/221a...

Excited/dejected to submit my first complaint to the Information Commissioner. What John Major, Douglas Hurd, Tom King and Norman Lamont said about defence policy over 22 months in 1990-91 is apparently so sensitive that the Cabinet Office cannot disclose a single sentence. Absurd!

The UK government needs to wake up, accept Carney's analysis, and begin to shift public opinion NOW:

More of this to follow:

In January 2025 Silicon Valley's elite lined up behind Trump as he was sworn in for a second term. They've enjoyed a lucrative year since, underscoring Washington's alignment with Big Tech – and its transactional nature. An #FTEdit animated 🧵 on how tech titans have become even richer under Trump 👇

Good news - I'm hiring at Durham University! 1-year full time postdoc in Space Security - looking for someone to join me at the Space Research Centre and a Northeast England based space tracking/analytics company to work on geopolitical analysis in Space Domain Awareness. Details 👇👇👇

"This does mark the end of the Western alliance." Bronwen Maddox on the impact of Donald Trump's economic approach and foreign policy on perceptions of the United States. Watch in full➡️ bit.ly/4pHKSpH

Let’s see how respected America is tomorrow when Wall Street opens and capital flight accelerates.

Fukuyama: Trump is a bully who wants to dominate everyone around him. Trying to placate him with concessions is a fool’s errand. He despises weakness. As an American, I say to my European friends: do not back down. Appeasing Trump with flattery has failed and must stop. 1/3

Starmer has missed another opportunity to shape public opinion: the U.K. has become too dependent on the USA for our security and this must change rapidly. His statement is a defence of doing nothing.

There is evidence that at least some senior figures in the UK defence/security community understand the scale of the change in US foreign policy. Is Barrons' assessment more widely shared?

A source confirms to me that this disturbing letter from Trump to the Norwegian PM is real.

Deutsche Bank here with the good stuff. Game on.

This opens up wider questions about how far the UK and Canada in the 5 eyes intel sharing framework as well as other former allies of the United States can still provide the Americans with any sensitive intelligence information at all

France is pushing for the EU to use its tough anti-coercion law to respond to Donald Trump’s trade blackmail on Greenland, according to French government sources reported in the press today. The EU has “robust” legal weapons to defend itself, the sources said 1/ www.lefigaro.fr/economie/en-...

If Labour's attack line on Jenrick cannot be that Jenrick is a despicable racist, then what is the point of the Labour Party? Yet again, trying to out-do Reform will lead to nothing but disaster.

To what extent have military historians even begun to consider how neoliberalism has reshaped military institutions over the last few decades? Is this long development now about to end?

Debates continue to circulate—as they should—about the utility of neoliberalism as a category of analysis and political practice. Myself + three other historians wrote a brief overview of how it works in our field for the Royal Historical Society @royalhistsoc.org www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

Hang on, I thought British politics was supposed to be boring and normal again. This Jenrick press conference is wild!

Porter and Blagden powerfully argue for a fundamental rethink in UK grand strategy. They are ahead of the curve in UK strategic studies, which refuses to accept what is happening in the USA. Porter/Blagden are too pessimistic about Europe's defence industrial capacity; otherwise they are spot on.

Uncivil War, my book about the British Army and the Troubles in the early 1970s, is out in paperback on 15 January. Come and hear me talk about it at the National Army Museum on 13 February: www.nam.ac.uk/whats-on/unc...