I went on Radio 4 to talk about wealth, the superrich, and what’s changed since Adam Smith wrote The Wealth of Nations (TLDR; the wretched spirit of monopoly is back, baby) www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...

Current DHSC permanent secretary: -Consulted for a healthcare company during the period when that company was bidding and working with Palantir on the Federated Data Platform contract. -Helped Global Counsel arrange a roundtable with Palantir while in her post at DHSC. as.ft.com/r/7635786e-3...

The US is now spending more on data center construction than on public transportation infrastructure

Birmingham's post-local election political situation is getting interesting: Reform (largest party) and Labour (previous admin) have both ruled out being part of a coalition administration. It means any governing coalition will need to work with pro-Gaza independents. as.ft.com/r/bdee6bf3-b...

Incredibly proud to publish this, by Robert Newton, a stunning piece of writing about a remote religious community in the shadow of a dormant nuclear plant, and what plans for a new plant reveal about the fractures caused by Britain's drive to decarbonise www.break-down.org/the-chapel-a...

Worked with @antoniacundy.ft.com to look at the finances and strategy behind Opus Dei's foray into US higher education. as.ft.com/r/de440746-b...

Fantastic piece by @lucyfisher.ft.com and @annasophiegross.bsky.social this:

Fun data story: collapsed lender MFS appears to have caused a sudden spike in the national insolvency rate. The government's Insolvency Service said an 82% rise in administration was because of "more than 100 connected companies in the real estate sector”. w/ Euan Healy as.ft.com/r/f7741bc7-3...

Delighted to say that our spring issue will be out May 6! This was a very surprising, insightful & motivating issue to edit. On everything from Big Tech's ever-growing Cloud empire to community-led fights for clean air in Beirut & The Bronx. Plus a chat w/the great @dwallacewells.bsky.social (!)

Quite aside from using AI to fake other complaints, in his own complaint this guy described EMBANKMENT as a "residential neighbourhood". Nightclub NIMBYism is out of control. www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

Had fun reporting on the private security groups using open source intelligence to catch organised shoplifting groups as.ft.com/r/d30e1213-5...

Interesting detail from student housing developer Unite's trading update today. They're selling £600mn worth of student accommodation, focus seems to be on disposing of assets in weaker performing student towns/cities. Wrote about the market earlier this week: as.ft.com/r/4e0e94b9-3...

For investors, student housing is an appealing de-risked asset: constant stream of students, backed by public institutions, exempt from various planning requirements, w/ rents increasing every year. Now there are concerns about over-saturation and councils are kicking off. as.ft.com/r/755219e6-6...

Property lawyers are seeing a surge of evictions in the run-up to the implementation of the Renters Rights Act. Landlords say they're re-pricing risk to deal with the new regulations. as.ft.com/r/d70fafb3-0...

The Enhanced Games, the 'steroid olympics' backed by Peter Thiel, Don Jr and others, are the first to dive into peptide commercialisation off the back off an RFK Jr. appearance on the Joe Rogan podcast. Story with @mikepeeljourno.bsky.social and Patrick Temple-West as.ft.com/r/4d2cf814-5...

"A rare source of bipartisanship has broken out in state capitols across the country: tackling data centers."

A fun Companies House find, someone appears to have accidentally inputted a Google search query about offshore jurisdictions into the 'Governing Law' section.

"Mancroft seems supremely unembarrassed" Genre-defining 'Lunch with the FT' by @henrymance.ft.com as.ft.com/r/646ff70e-0...

Great opener from @willdunn.bsky.social in this piece about the 'expo-expo' and the UK's conference economy. www.newstatesman.com/politics/eco...

Facial recognition cameras are much more prevalent among retailers than they are among law enforcement. Privacy campaigners are worried about the lack of oversight. Providers and users of the cameras say they're filling a gap left by unresponsive police forces. . as.ft.com/r/4e840ce8-e...

Wrote about Asif Aziz's Criterion Capital and how landlords are changing strategies - with more evictions and changes in tenancies - ahead of the Renters Rights Act. Building on great reporting by @jim.londoncentric.media @pollysmythe.bsky.social and others as.ft.com/r/97c52505-0...

Asif Aziz evictions story is going mainstream. Telegraph and Independent have covered in recent days. Now the FT has done a brilliant piece - including finding another property affected, where a Ukrainian refugee and their disabled son are being evicted by Aziz. giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...

The continual use of these countdown-style deadlines feels a whole lot like the structure of reality TV. We're all barrelling towards a commercial break www.ft.com/content/624b...

RIP Michael Silverblatt, a public radio great. Also incredible detail in this obit about the staked faculty list at SUNY Buffalo. www.latimes.com/california/s...

"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.