This is real pithy criticism of local government finances. Southwark council spent £6,000 since 2022 on takeaways for households facing hunger and destitution. Their spending in 2025-26 is £1.2bn. Read the room... www.standard.co.uk/news/london/...

Dysfunction in Westminster making it very difficult for us think tankers, wonks and experts to avoid politics. Very happy to be with my spreadsheets.

Huge week for housing policy: Planning & Infrastructure Act now law, Leasehold Reform draft out, New Homes Accelerator 2 live, big social housing updates, construction regulator, Section 106 changes and new design guidance. A real flurry of new (and nerdy) changes - and dare I say a bit of optimism?

Of course Burnham should be allowed to stand. Any opponents should be be content that if allowed he has several contests to win if his ambitions are to be realised: by-election, leadership contest, general election, and the general contest of being a backbench critic. Hardly smooth sailing.

Grima Wormtongue of evil advisor in Lord of the Rings fame has defected to Reform UK.

Delighted to see our work spotlighted by @inclusionlondon.bsky.social. Data is critical for assessing the housing needs of Londoners - especially for those with accessibily requirements. See our research officer @danreast.bsky.social speak to this below ⬇️

Centre for London are right: There’s no clear picture of accessible housing across London. We need @mayoroflondon.bsky.social + councils to improve data standards across London so we can identify the demand and supply of accessible housing. Thank you @ellybakeram.bsky.social for raising this issue.

Going hard on the 'London is crime-ridden and awful' line didn't work for the past few mayoral elections and it won't work for Laila Cunningham and Reform. The politics of decline don't work in the capital. www.itv.com/news/london/...

Maduro being charged with conspiracy to possess machine guns against the United States is quite the irony.

Two months ago.

Turns out standing up on a stupidly overcrowded, congested and overheating Boxing Day train for well over two and a half hours means you walk like Quasimodo the next day.

Yes I know it's Christmas but the reaction to Haringey Council including the Rowans Bowling Alley site in their list of allocations has been atrociously communicated. There's literally no plans for redevelopment being proposed. www.independent.co.uk/voices/rowan...

Post-budget drama appears to have settled on a pretty muddy exchange of what ifs and who dids, instead of policy and its effects. Bit tired of it honestly.

Did somebody say mansion tax?? www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/...

If London meets targets, cutting to 20% would mean losing 13k affordable homes. But it's failing to meet targets. London is the most expensive place to build in Britain. There's many reasons for this. But a dose of realism is needed while recognising the desperate need for affordable homes.

Planning reforms should make bidets compulsory in new builds so we're not filling with wet wipes and causing millions of pounds worth of damage & disruption. Health and sanitary benefits to bidets also obvious. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Devastating to lose such a pivotal queer nightlife venue in Soho. G-A-Y was often the first queer bar visited after coming out, like a rite of passage for so many. Old Compton Street will struggle to replace it. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Will never miss the opportunity to share this performance from Danny la Rue at the Royal Variety Performance in 1969. Drag at its most vintage, outrageous, camp and authentic. youtu.be/dGXslU0H4qY?...

I don't know if I'm comfortable with the memeification of our party politics. Embarrassing for all involved, especially Bell.

*whisper* I don't think Thamesmead should count as a New Town when it's already (and historically been) a site of significant regeneration... But good news nonetheless. Extend that DLR out to Belvedere and Erith and then we're golden.

I'm sure the students handing out copies of The Communist newspaper outside Kingston Station have hearts in the right place, but I don't think the Yardley-Drummonds of the borough were interested.

It's happened before but I do think a Tube strike exposes a glaring divide in London's transport system: the sudden realisation that other forms of public transit exist.

To be Mayor of London, you have to have a positive, inclusive vision for the city. Describing your home as lawless, bleak and terrifying to live in is not that vision. London would significantly more unsafe with a Mayor who thinks hate speech should be decriminalised. inews.co.uk/news/politic...

Alan Campbell leaving the Chief Whip for the Commons Leader role, with Jonny Reynolds demoted to Whips Office is one to watch for backbench discipline...

Truly sad to lose one of the Labour Party's most authentic, genuine voices speaking from experience. There's been lots of disgraced former ministers but Angela Rayner isn't going to be one of them.

Truly banal, tiny tinfoil hat conspiracy theory to think Angela Rayner planned her stamp duty scandal to get the Treasury to agree on abolishing it altogether... www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/e67d46a...

Case against Powell's Rivers of Blood speech was one of principle - that it was "racialist in tone and liable to exacerbate racial tensions" as the Conservative Party leader said in sacking him - rather than one of politics and popularity of "taking people with you" as Jenrick thinks. Times leader

Fully agree with this great report. Devolving Homes England to mayoral authorities will support place-based partnerships which are vital to build more homes at scale. In London, devolving to the GLA has built thousands of affordable homes in opportunity areas. Absolutely right to roll out further.

🏛️ Come work with me! @centreforlondon.bsky.social is kicking off an exciting and provocative research programme - and we're looking for a researcher to build a commanding body of work. Enquiries via link or reach out if you have any questions. Thrilling times! centreforlondon.org/vacancy/rese...

If Andor has taught us anything, it's that original stories can and do work from existing universes. Fresh content in a setting we know, not poor quality remakes earning their tickets through familiarity. www.narniaweb.com/2025/08/firs...

The bar is exceptionally low for housing delivery in the New Forest.

The consultation on extending the DLR to Thamesmead closes next weekend. The extension must go ahead. But the line would still be unfinished. Instead, TfL should be futureproofing the sub-region and extending it out to Belvedere and Erith. That's good growth. haveyoursay.tfl.gov.uk/dlr-extensio...

love this new york times clip. they recently did a story about how sesame street's set has changed over the years, along with our urban politics. IG nytimes

Missed this ambitious and impressive Growth Plan from Wandsworth Council. And good to see placemaking and partnerships at the heart of planning - increasingly hard to build in Inner London without both. www.standard.co.uk/news/london/...

Bournemouth International Centre, lifeblood of the party conference season, has been battling a dramatic fire for the past few hours. Hoping all are safe. Would be a devastating impact for my hometown if damaged. Many happy memories there. www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/2536506...

The evolution of the term gentrification is really fascinating. And frustrating.

Please, I beg of the Government, book yourselves some comms workshops over the summer, instead of cosplaying as someone who uses Facebook.

⬅️ Looking back to June 26 - our researcher @danreast.bsky.social spoke to the The London Assembly on energy infrastructure He covered: 🔌 Plugging energy into planning 🏡 Community energy for residential 📜 A strategic vision for connectivity & capacity www.london.gov.uk/who-we-are/w...

Judeo-Christian values are a carvery Sunday lunch, pints of bitter, cricket on the village green, a reliable Morris Minor, a portrait of her Majesty behind the bar, and the warmth of a tastefully decorated conservatory. It's a total fantasy. A nationalist fairytale grounded in racism and exclusion.

Yes, driving does tend to be more expensive when you do more of it.

Truly, the summer reminds you that everything outside is loud and that leafblowers are the Devil's work.

Good to see votes at 16 having a measured and reasonable reaction from UK politics. "Ballot boxes won't spawn in Fortnite! Har har har!"

Guarantee these practices are happening widely without adequate regulation. Overvalued properties have become the norm rather than exception, especially in suburban London. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

I do not recommend walking over London Bridge today. It's so blisteringly hot it may as well be crossing the River Styx.

It’s almost as if arbitrarily designating a non-violent group as terrorists doesn’t automatically mean that everyone else agrees with you. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

Sorry but this is pretty shockingly argued. A 28-yr old consultant on £50k in 2019 earning double that after six years but feeling the pinch because of tax and inflation. I get the framing around generational wealth but it completely lacks self-awareness. www.cityam.com/100k-isnt-a-...

Comprehensive report from NESO on the Heathrow energy outage earlier this year. Absolutely crucial that the Govt strengthens resilience of London's grid, especially in the West. Wild that cross-sector resilience planning/engagement around CNI isn't mandatory. www.neso.energy/news/final-r...

Whatever the destination of the welfare bill Starmer's authority has been ripped away. Whether it was him to blame or not, he's got to retake the wheel or suffer months of speculation - which can kill off ambition very, very easily. See Theresa May from 2017 to spot the signs of heel-dragging.

Really looking forward to giving evidence at tomorrow's session of @londonassembly.bsky.social on growth, energy and infrastructure in West London and beyond. Lots to discuss! 🏗️

The question is now what level of embarrassing the Government is willing to accept. Humility or humiliation? U-turn, admit the failing, and drop the Bill to the cries of a thousand ableist front pages? Or get defeated and critically damage your stability? (Also it's a despatch box, not dispatch)