"One UK official insisted, however, that Mandelson’s appointment had made sense at the time — and that he had been instrumental in securing the UK tech and trade deals." Interesting detail that might explain how Mandelson stuck around for so long. as.ft.com/r/eae6ab33-c...

fascinating FT story via @danneidle.bsky.social UK ministers are working to resolve an anomaly in the Renters’ Rights Act that would otherwise leave hundreds of thousands of private tenants having to pay stamp duty in the coming years www.ft.com/content/c260...

In December the Labour government sent a letter to all councils warning them explicitly against adopting an official 4-day week. The fact is that many office workers are already working some version of an unofficial 4-day weeks thanks to casual work-from-home Fridays. as.ft.com/r/39a0a1b4-a...

For the New Statesman I tracked the career of the corporate raiding Thatcherite turned populist tribune, James Goldsmith www.newstatesman.com/ideas/2026/0...

Broke: Squaddies love a Friday night Chinese Woke: A CULINARY CONSPIRACY TO SPY ON OUR TROOPS

Hosted today's FT News Briefing, featuring segments on Chinese demographics, EVs, Saudi Arabian bank borrowing and an interview with @marymcd.bsky.social on Europe's pension woes. www.ft.com/content/ae01...

We're just a few exotic polymarket derivatives away from a generation defining Liar's Poker/F.I.A.S.C.O. for prediction markets

Wrote about a new data centre proposed as part of the Truman Brewery redevelopment. Bit of a sub-plot here: a battle between the independent Tower Hamlets mayor and the Labour central government as.ft.com/r/0e720ddc-5...

Visited the BAE Systems factory and Forgemasters steelworks in Sheffield for a story about whether the arms industry can be a driver of new jobs for post-industrial England, or if there are reasons to be sceptical about the investment push. w/ @sylviapfeifer.bsky.social www.ft.com/content/e46f...

Some great example of ADHD and autism "supplement" sales in a new Advertising Standard Authority crackdown announced today. Comes off the back of gov review of over-diagnosis... "The perfect gift for anyone with ADHD” www.ft.com/content/7511...

Travelled to Singapore to learn about how an affluent + ageing society + technocratic government has produced the ideal conditions for the mainstreaming of "longevity" healthcare. Presented by @mikepeeljourno.bsky.social, who also got to sample the longevity wares www.ft.com/content/8a2b...

Where did all the enthusiasm about longevity come from? Have scientific breakthroughs made the possibility of life extension viable, or has the commercial hype outpaced the research? First episode of our new Tech Tonic series out now. www.ft.com/content/a33d...

NEW: Our three-part podcast Defying Death follows the quest to live longer from ancient times to today's frontier technologies. Great to work with the wonderful @hannahkuchler.bsky.social, @flophillips.bsky.social, @joshgd100.bsky.social & the rest of the FT pod team. www.ft.com/content/a33d...

I've been bugging everyone in my life to listen to the latest Articles of Interest by @trufelman.bsky.social - just an absolutely fantastic documentary podcast series with a great sense of narrative, unexpected choices, and takes smart risks with the form. articlesofinterest.substack.com

Labour's pro-development policies have put it on a crash course with Labour councillors in London, with questions about whether the YIMBY movement is too close to developers, or just trying to get Britain building. Wrote about it for the FT. on.ft.com/3LLFnrX

Can UK restaurants spice up prospects for career waiters?-It has been difficult to increase productivity in restaurants and bars through technology: attempts to integrate AI pizza-making machines, and… www.ft.com/content/cd2a... @joshgd100.bsky.social @financialtimes.com

Interesting piece by @joshgd100.bsky.social on disputes over Birmingham’s available reserves and whether it has cut back harder than it needed to www.ft.com/content/9045...

The manosphere is going into business on.ft.com/46YrcYM | opinion

In the paper today with a piece about how male influencers have grown up and rebranded as business gurus, employing a particular mix of grooming, dating and professional advice. Part monetisation strategy, part Victorian etiquette guide. on.ft.com/47jDlX2

Spoke to @henryjfoy.ft.com for the FT News Briefing last night to talk about a suspected Russia GPS jamming on the European Commission president's plane. And to the FT's Gloria Li about Xiaomi's move into high-tech EV manufacturing. www.ft.com/content/481b...

The Labour government is betting that AI public sector contracts can drive efficiency in the civil service and carve out the UK's place as an AI leader. It's also been extremely profitable for tech and consulting companies. on.ft.com/45UewAw

London councils seek to repurpose closed-down schools for SEND pupils. More from @financialtimes.com @amyborrett.ft.com @joshgd100.bsky.social buff.ly/aOyut38 #education #educationnews

Higher poultry prices and an increase in national insurance contribution hit Carnival food sellers over the weekend, who were forced to raise prices, cut down on menu offerings, and resort to agency workers. www.ft.com/content/189f... (Poultry prices are up by more than 45% year-on-year)

Nice detail from today's court case about Epping asylum hotel: the Home Office made a last-ditch effort to stop the injunction going forward, emailing the judge midway through the hearing on Friday and only sending their full submission at 5:33pm last night... on.ft.com/47BwXw4

They weren't stolen, just... misplaiced...

Today in adventures in Met police statistics: did anyone have 1,013 fish stolen in 2022? Absolutely off-the-charts fish-related incident.

Interesting read on how pension costs are squeezing post-92 universities from @marymcd.bsky.social on.ft.com/4oTBmAW

Had fun talking to @katie0martin.ft.com for today's FT News Briefing podcast, where we get into her column on investors as boiling frogs www.ft.com/content/4a80...

Serco and Mears, two of the largest asylum hotel outsourcers, are looking for new business following the government's move away from the use of hotel. Serco is focusing on the defence sector, while Mears is working on housing association maintenance on.ft.com/41qCMbQ

Did some reporting on asylum hotel protests in London, which have kicked off again this weekend. NIMBYism, public safety debates, and estate agents fielding calls from nervous buyers in Canary Wharf. on.ft.com/4fi4XPU

Great piece by @joshgd100.bsky.social on life of a forensic botanist, and the wider perils to forensic science in the UK www.ft.com/content/b821...

NEW: Why Wall Street fears a 33-year-old political outsider on.ft.com/4ncZcGJ

Hosted today's FT News Briefing podcast and interviewed UNICEF's James Elder, who's just returned from Gaza, about the new aid distribution sites. He told me extreme water scarcity was becoming an issue, on top of daily violence at the aid sites. www.ft.com/content/1331...

The AI Slop Fight Between Iran and Israel 🔗 www.404media.co/the-ai-slop-...

Went on Australia's ABC Late Night Live to talk about the ideology behind the Enhanced Games. www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...

Really happy with this one – did some reporting on the increase in London festival days and the balance between council budgets, local resident complaints, arts and culture benefits and the interests of festival operators. Fantastic graphic viz by @claradoodle.bsky.social on.ft.com/43xNYUl

OK good news for the UK latest - London's west end might be about to get a big nightlife revival - theatre sales UP, bar closures DOWN (we hope) - lends itself to an awful PMQs call and response a la Boris Johnson. By Josh Gabert Doyon @joshgd100.bsky.social www.ft.com/content/6bdf...

There were noticeable difference between the effects of the Birmingham bin workers strike on deprived areas vs more affluent ones. Council finances are struggling and workers are kicking off about large-scale reforms of the waste collection service. Bad situation. on.ft.com/4kypSRf

Wrote about the rise of AI-enabled CCTV cameras in London. on.ft.com/3FOffcP

For the FT Magazine I spent the past year following Aron D'Souza, the man behind the Enhanced Games, a Peter Thiel-backed "steroid Olympics", and his attempt to turn performance enhancing drugs into a culture war issue. www.ft.com/content/8a14...

Wrote about private equity investment in the UK's consumer law sector (divorce, family, personal injury etc) and discontent among employees at the firms that have been bought up by PE. on.ft.com/3PzQsLe

So you inject your face with puffy stuff to smoothe out the wrinkles from injecting yourself with skinny stuff to fix bloating your body with fatty stuff. What stage of capitalism is this? on.ft.com/4afaoN6

Changes to departments' operational budget, FY24-25:

fascinating how Indonesia is flexing its large consumer market muscle to coerce foreign capital into strategic partnerships with local business - developmentalism is back!

Went home to Montreal and wrote about the massive logistical challenge that comes with clearing up masses and masses of snow. Climate change is making it even trickier (and the making the potholes worse). And any attempt to clear up that snow just causes more problems. on.ft.com/3BVDuV6

Canadian public pension funds privatise critical infrastructure abroad because Canadian politics prefers to keep infrastructure publicly owned

How this breaks down in different cities is also interesting. I love that you can see the little bumps at 10/11pm representing the millennial love for day raves

A fun one for NYE - I looked at club listings going back a decade in 15 cities to show that the trend for dance events to end earlier is global - with UK cities seeing some of the biggest shifts 📉🪩 Who killed the rave? (Gift link) on.ft.com/3PhQuY7

Dance music and club events are finishing earlier in cities as disparate as Berlin, Barcelona, Sydney and New York. Looked into some of the causes w/ @claradoodle.bsky.social @nicfildes.bsky.social and Zehra Munir on.ft.com/3PeiGey

Got really interested in what books are considered go-to classics for different professions. Some choice picks from people I spoke to included "Duveen: The Story of the Most Spectacular Art Dealer of All Time", Dickens' "Bleak House" and ‘The Art of Eating’ by MFK Fisher. on.ft.com/49WlwOB