Nothing quite like trying to quickly write an email that you'd forgotten to do earlier, while simultaneously getting your toddler to eat their tea and preventing them from standing up in their highchair #havingitall

You don't *have* to speak a different UK language to work at IfG, but if you do you *will* get put in front of a camera. Fab work by @howesdaniel.bsky.social and @meganbryer.bsky.social! Any Cornish speakers out there?

Sorry, going to be late to pick the toddler up from nursery, it’s time for my 15 minutes managing Chelsea

oh no Chelsea oh no

Excited to be be part of this brilliant @instituteforgovernment.org.uk panel discussion on R&R next month. Register here: www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/event/what-n...

Thank you for your attention to this matter

The mental journey of going from ‘no, that screenshot of POTUS’ latest ramblings must be fake’ to realising that it is, in fact, not

As a reminder - No, you can’t accuse another MP of lying in the Commons - Yes, it is broadly sensible that MPs can’t just stand up and accuse each other of lying - Yes, there is a substantive process that can be used if an MP is felt to have misled the House - Yes MPs know what the rules are

So this is kind of important. Why is it right that Romeo and Little waited a month to disclose to the PM that they now knew about the vetting outcome, versus why Robbins chose not to. Starmer says they were right to await legal advice. Key q for Robbins whether he took legal advice.

BINGO! Couldn't have gone a whole session about PM correcting the record without someone getting themselves named (chucked out) for 'using unparliamentary language' (calling the PM a liar). Explanation here (and why Speaker made a statement). www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/explainer/mi...

Look, I'm sorry, we can't have the PM giving a statement in the Commons and Trump doing his morning social posts at the same time, it's too much

PM will make a ministerial statement in Parliament. We hear that he's going to 'admit he inadvertently gave MPs misleading information' (guardian). But the nerd in me wants to know if he's going to do a proper correction using the suggested wording... guidetoprocedure.parliament.uk/articles/wT3...

Absolutely spot-on from @hannahkeenan.bsky.social, who reminds us that "process is no substitute for judgement"

As we gear up for the PM's statement, check out this key analysis from my brill @instituteforgovernment.org.uk colleague @hannahkeenan.bsky.social- all you need to know about what's happened and what impact it's having on an already fragile system: www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/mand...

some things about becoming a parent are radicalizing in ways I expected - e.g being reminded viscerally how screwed we'd all be if childcare and other care work disappeared. but other things are radicalizing in ways I didn't - like experiencing constant spontaneous solidarity in ways big and small

Not a comment on the specific issues involved, but not sure the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act can really be described as "obscure" as per Playbook this morning. It's a pretty significant area of legislation in many areas and was only passed in 2010!

And it’s only Sunday evening

Either I will be converted to snooker or I will ruin it for @gavinfreeguard.com for life. Could go either way

Delighted to report that my local fancy shopping centre now has its own podcast

This is really important and worth reading in full.

assuming everyone has already read this but if not: please be advised that the first time I read it I was at my desk at work and I had to go for a little walk halfway through because I thought I was about to die from quietly laughing

Our new IfG report explores what a better system of employment support for people out of work due to ill health could look like. DWP's centralised approach to date has some strengths, but has limited integration with other services and the innovation needed to better understand what works 🧵

fascinated that the PM found out on Tuesday but told neither Cooper nor Jones, who both only found out yesterday it seems? what were no10 doing with the information, if not discussing it with the ministers who oversee the vetting process and the department in question?

The same Sir Adrian Fulford currently charing the Southport Inquiry? Retired makes it sound like he has more time on his hands for this than I imagine he actually does...

Antipope Clement VII:

In a first for the IfG, @meganbryer.bsky.social and I have translated two pieces about the upcoming Welsh and Scottish elections into Cymraeg! 1/🧵

I absolutely live for Leeds tram content. It helps to pass the time when I've got to wait 30 mins for the next bus to get anywhere.

Thanks to Politics Home for the chance to talk about our recent @instituteforgovernment.org.uk report - and the lessons ministers can learn from recent predecessors on how to drive reform in public services.

Amid all of- well, all of this- a lot of potential material for Conclave 2

Naturally @profmarkelliott.bsky.social is quite right. There is nothing new or unconstitutional about powers to track EU measures by secondary legislation (s. 2(2) of the European Communities Act 1972 did that while we were in the EU and ministers of all stripes used it all the time)

There’s a lot of confusion right now among journalists and MP about secondary legislation and what a possible EU deal would mean. A quick thread to clear a few things up on votes, Henry VIII powers & parliamentary scrutiny. 🧵 1/ First: what is a “normal parliamentary vote”?

not sure what people thought "dynamic alignment" would mean when govt said it was prepared to sign up to it (checks notes) 11 months ago -- this from @thetimes.com

@nigelfletcher.bsky.social is completely correct (of course!) and if you're looking to refresh your knowledge of secondary legislation- it's been a few years since we had debates over its use to implement aspects of the UK's relationship with the EU!- do we have the set of explainers for you

A wild concept for a Monday morning: train wifi that works

Nothing quite as magical as when your toddler backs up to you to sit in your lap and read a story

Side point: Kennedy was very careful, during the Cuban missile crisis, to refer to what was obviously a blockade of Cuba as a “quarantine” because a blockade was an act of war.

Done a version of this joke before but *taps mic* If I had a dollar for every time that an American administration featuring somebody with the name “Robert F Kennedy” did a naval blockade I’d only have two dollars but it is weird it’s happened twice

Ah, the classic ‘blockade a vital waterway to open it up’ move

Great opportunity for year 12 students to do work experience at the House of Lords. Apply by 22 April www.parliament.uk/business/new...

I mean, yeah

I mean I guess the good news here is that this indicates he does realise he will one day have to leave office

I really enjoyed this opportunity to talk about our new @instituteforgovernment.org.uk report on ministerial leadership in public service reform AND have such an interesting discussion with @charliepickles.bsky.social and Baroness Finn about their own experiences and insights! Click to listen below

Quick point on this: As far as I can tell, this only allows you to ‘vote’ on whether to support/oppose a Bill in its entirety. Which doesn’t account for the fact that bills change during their passage; nor that much of the time MPs/peers are voting on specific amendments not just whole bill

Tulip mania, but make it oil futures

HENNIMORE!

new online paper by @rosahodgkin.bsky.social @danhaile.bsky.social and me on how govt needs to get a grip of the economic consequences of the Iran war. Needs to stand up coordinating machinery - like Gordon Brown's National Economic Council www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/publication/...

please, the agreements, lists, and letters, they are so numerous but also everything is very ordered and everyone knows what’s going on and it’s all under control and fine 👍🏻

Trump just openly stating his intention to commit genocide at this point: "A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again."

Losing contact with the Earth for 40 minutes sounds ideal

As this article says, there have been so many inquiries and investigations and recommendations and yet- here we (still) are