20 ideas for Andy Burnham’s 100 days – a special edition of Arguably. Featuring @davidlawrenceuk.bsky.social on GB Crossrails, @zoegrunewald.bsky.social on banning second jobs and @ruthcurtice.bsky.social on an emergency boost for living standards. www.arguably.uk/p/20-ideas-f...

📢 NEW REPORT: 'Sovereignty by design: security, resilience, and growth' by @matthewfeeney.bsky.social There are two stubborn technology policy challenges facing the UK: 1) global technology supply chains underpin the economy, and 2) geopolitical instability risks disruption to these chains.

Great piece from Thomas Johnson at GMCA - on how devolution can create a different operating model for the state in relation to the fundamental challenge of how to allocate "finite public resources to maximise long-term public value." www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/publication/...

My piece this morning in @labourlist.bsky.social ahead of Burnham's speech later - on why he should go big on fiscal decentralisation as the key to unlocking the full potential of devolution in England

I know I should have got over it by now, but bananas are SO CHEAP. I think this every single time I buy them.

Some initial thoughts in this week's Re:View on Burnham, devolution and public services

The Re:View is out! This week, @alwalker.bsky.social asks what an Andy Burnham premiership could mean for public service reform, and whether the Greater Manchester model can work nationwide. Read more 👇 restate.substack.com/p/the-review...

Great piece from @samfr.bsky.social on the likely substance of Burnham's policy platform And nice to see our report on fiscal devolution from last week get a shout out - completely agree that this will be one of the big tests of the ambition of his devolution agenda

NEW PODCAST | Different leaders, same fiscal devolution agenda 🎙️ As we approach a change in leadership we discuss why the drive towards fiscal devolution must continue and what that might look like 👇 buff.ly/y7XfhCn

👀 With Andy Burnham returning to Westminster, attention is turning to his potential policy agenda. If devolution is front and centre, will he make plans for its missing ingredient: fiscal firepower? 💷 In case you missed it, our new report sets out a radical new approach to tax decentralisation 👇

Brexit and devolution💡📝 Ten years on from the referendum, @profnicolamcewen.bsky.social reflects on Brexit and devolution, writing that the vote to leave the EU a decade ago continues to test the resilience of the UK Union today. Read in full: www.gla.ac.uk/research/az/...

🚨 NEW REPORT 🚨 🔟 Marking 10 years since the EU referendum, we've got a new report on the UK-EU relationship 🔦 It highlights ‘stark divide’ between the economic impact of Brexit and the govt.’s proposed response 🪜And sets out a ‘staircase’ of options for the future 🔗 ukandeu.ac.uk/events/ten-y...

If Burnham wants to accelerate the devolution agenda from No 10 ("the heart" of Manchesterism according to Louise Haigh) fiscal devolution is the obvious starting point Shameless plug, but we set out a blueprint for this last week: re-state.co.uk/publications...

Our latest report 'Taxing for take-off: a new plan for fiscal devolution' was covered by @room151.co.uk. The report argues that the Treasury’s approach to fiscal devolution will be one of the defining tests of the Government’s wider devolution agenda. www.room151.co.uk/funding/mayo...

Very excited to see our big new report "Taxing for for take-off" out in the world today, a day on which nothing else is happening! We've been working away on this for a while - it sets out a substantive plan for fiscal devolution in England covering both immediate reforms and long-term goals.

Read the full report here: re-state.co.uk/publications...

Simon Kaye, Director of Policy and Research, and Alex Walker, Senior Researcher, wrote for LGC on why the treasury must collaborate on fiscal devolution. Read the full article here: www.lgcplus.com/politics/dev...

Civil servants – tell us what you think. Our Alternative People Survey 2026 launches today - and takes less than 10 minutes to complete. Read more about it and find out how to take part in @jo3hill.bsky.social's op-ed for @civilserviceworld.bsky.social: www.civilserviceworld.com/news/article...

"This opening of the door to fiscal devolution represents a huge opportunity, but one that could easily be missed if what we end up with is simply a rebadged version of central government grant funding." New piece from @stkaye.bsky.social and me in the LGC. www.lgcplus.com/politics/dev...

Really excited to see this published today. The first output from our Devo Next Initiative (a partnership with a group of ambitious strategic authorities, which has now grown to eight!) it's a set of design principles for what could be one of this government's biggest legacies: fiscal devolution.

"The Pride in Place prospectus includes a pre-approved menu of interventions. The instinct is often to build compliance frameworks first, then invite communities to decide within them; in our experience - echoed by Big Local’s - this is the wrong way around."

In case you missed it📢 Last week, we published 'Building the Preventative State', setting out ideas for how the State can shift from managing growing demand for public services to preventing problems before they arise. Read the full report here: re-state.co.uk/publications...

Catching up on this and it's seriously good. Clear sighted but ends (somewhat) optimistically: "Manchester at least proves decline is not inevitable. Britain is not doomed. Institutions can improve. Growth can return. Places can regain confidence."

If you want to know what "actual existing Manchesterism" is and how it came about 👇👇👇 (Plus every section in it is a Stone Roses lyric, so how can you resist that???)

"Over time, legacy IT leads to legacy government." Great piece from Laxshia on the cost of legacy IT systems for the public sector - as illustrated by the crazy time Guy's & St Thomas' had to go analogue because its ageing data centres failed during a heatwave restate.substack.com/p/legacy-gov...

The Re:View is up ⬆️ This week @alwalker.bsky.social takes a look at the ideas shaping the Labour leadership contest from @labourgrowth.bsky.social and the Tribune Group. restate.substack.com/p/the-review...

Bring on compulsory voting and the democracy sausage!

Wes Streeting wants a "battle of ideas" about where the government goes next - and earlier this week @labourgrowth.bsky.social and the Tribune Group in @renewaljournal.bsky.social set out their take on what those ideas might be. I take a look at some of them for this week's Re:View!

A week is a long time in politics. But there's no chance that the debate within the Labour Party about the Government's policy agenda is going away. It's been great to see how impactful our work has been on some of the leading thinkers in Labour this week - great summary from Alex.

NEW ISSUE: In this special extra edition of Renewal, @louisehaighmp.bsky.social, @yuanfenyang.bsky.social, and other members of the Tribune Group of Labour MPs set out paths to repairing Britain's broken economic settlement. renewal.org.uk/journal/volu...

Today is a big day at the Constitution Unit as @alanrenwick.bsky.social takes over as Director and Tom Fleming becomes Deputy Director. Congratulations and good luck! Read our announcement from last month 👇

The local elections in one chart. Labour has been squeezed between the Greens in young wards and Reform in older working-class wards www.economist.com/britain/2026...

It looks like leaders in the Labour Party are going to spend the next few months on the hunt for new ideas. So it’s great to see so many of our own reflected in this @labourgrowth.bsky.social paper out today, where the Group’s leaders set out their stall for a future economy www.labourgrowth.co.uk

Good piece. People may have voted for change, but what can local government do to actually deliver it? Not a lot without more political and fiscal autonomy and a new social care funding model (which might in time also mean higher levels of participation)

I like this a lot. Rather than producing yet another report, Re:State will "...draft legislation, codes, rules, plans and frameworks - that the current or an incoming government can use to rewire Whitehall." @charliepickles.bsky.social @re-state.bsky.social open.substack.com/pub/restate/...

A New Civil Service Code Today we have published a new draft of the Civil Service Code - in the wake of the Cabinet Secretary Antonia Romeo setting a review of the Code as one of her objectives. re-state.co.uk/publications...

#Growth is not made only in capitals. The JRC report "Local taxes and economic growth" shows how prosperity often starts at the municipal desk: a permit, a road, a nursery, a bus route. Give towns a fiscal stake and caution becomes thirst for development. dx.doi.org/10.2760/1826...

How to fix a problem like Whitehall Governments normally rely on the civil service to reform itself - an approach which has not delivered results. Re:State are launching our new 'Plan for government' to fix that. Read more from @charliepickles.bsky.social restate.substack.com/p/how-to-fix...

Great to be quoted in this piece in @thehousemag.bsky.social on English devo - fiscal decentralisation is needed to properly unlock spending flexibility for strategic authorities, and reorientate accountability towards local electorates rather than Whitehall. www.politicshome.com/news/article...

NEW SUBSTACK: The latest installment of the Ideas Bank is out — a series for my new-ish Substack, Notes on Local Government. This week I explore another 10 practical examples to push power out of Whitehall and into places.

Great piece on why we should return to a tried and tested mechanism for funding infrastructure - public corporations issuing long term debt with specific future revenue streams to pay back bond holders www.bennettschool.cam.ac.uk/blog/new-tow...

New Re:Think from me for the @re-state.bsky.social Substack! I argue that we should properly empower strategic authorities with the fiscal tools to pursue different approaches to place-based economic policy and allow them to test out new levies. restate.substack.com/p/why-we-sho...

Postcode lotteries are the worst nightmare of any Whitehall policymaker. But they're inevitable, and we should embrace regional variation in policy. @alwalker.bsky.social has written for Re:Think on why fiscal devolution is an essential next step. restate.substack.com/p/why-we-sho...

We are set to enter a new era on 13 May as @alanrenwick.bsky.social takes over from Meg Russell as our Director. Tom Fleming will become Deputy Director and a new lecturer will join us next year. We can also confirm that our annual conference will happen on 24 and 25 June. Read all about it 👇

Great thread!

Piece from me on fiscal devolution in England for the @acadsocsciences.bsky.social Devolution Hub. I look at some of the evidence around fiscal decentralisation, and the key questions that need thinking about as the Treasury prepares its fiscal devolution 'roadmap'. acss.org.uk/the-missing-...

🚨NEW BLOGPOST 🚨 From Vance and the Pope to Tommy Robinson, the populist right is both embracing and quarrelling with Christianity. It points to the rise of Christianism, an identity focused, civilisational and often incoherent co-option of faith. open.substack.com/pub/joxleywr...

New leadership. New tone. But will it deliver? In this weeks Re:View, @alwalker.bsky.social discusses Antonia Romeo's objectives as Cabinet Secretary – a rare move that signals a shift toward transparency, performance and accountability. Read more: open.substack.com/pub/restate/...

This is really good - Henry Kippin on how to do good place based policy. Feels like the right mix to me.

We are pleased to be working with the North East, East Midlands, Greater Manchester, West Midlands and West Yorkshire Combined Authorities on this important work. ✍️ Read the launch essay from @stkaye.bsky.social & @alwalker.bsky.social: restate.substack.com/p/where-shou...