Alright 007, the boffins in Q section have been hard at work on this limited edition Labubu. It attaches to your carhartt manbag normally, completely inconspicuous. But unclip it and press down on the nose 3 times...

China's EV charging volumes were up a whopping 69% in April, showing a significant acceleration even from the pre-crisis growth trend and showing how a shift to EVs is mitigating the oil crunch. Urban rail and taxi ridership increased 6% and 7%.

There is a particular energy chart that has been driving me up the wall - it is so very bad. I've finally got round to writing up a proper debunking (LinkedIn link, sorry). As well as offering a spurious correlation, the chart does not really show electricity supply, but demand

England just had its warmest spring on record. The record was last set in spring 2025. Before that, spring 2024. 9 of the 10 warmest springs have occurred since 2007. It's almost like there's a long-term driver causing this... www.metoffice.gov.uk/about-us/new...

Love the bits that Streeting left out

thank you very much, Sally from EDINBURGH

I’m surprised to see this from YouGov. It’s a perfect example of how not to ask a polling question. “Clean energy” can be – and in most instances is – “cheaper energy”.

The rise in energy bills is painful, but is there a hint that the government's clean power 2030 plan is starting to work? Normally when gas prices spike, electricity prices follow. But electricity prices haven't risen nearly as much. Is this a sign of decoupling? www.nesta.org.uk/blog/july-en...

I'm not the first person to say this, but it is appalling - and frankly embarrassing for the author - that the Blair essay makes a pitch for the future of "Radical Centre" politics and for the Labour Party, and proceeds to essentially ignore the climate emergency. institute.global/insights/pol...

The reactions to this are mainly focused on the move to the right, but what's really striking in reading Blair's essay in full, is how little Labour's most electorally successful politician understands the current electorate. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

What the Labour Party really needs is a realistic analysis of the world right now. As I write this, on a 35 degree day in May, on the eve of the new price cap (+13%), my prescription is: give up on climate change and give up on energy independence. The North Sea, which has run out, will save us. 🤡

Tony Blair has timed his assault on Labour’s climate policy perfectly. Who needs net zero? Everything is fine.

dramatic response to the climate-fuelled heatwave, but OK

A fine observation but - I'm angry that this is what summers will look like now! I like being outdoors in the day time!

Some of these are fixed now. Next, they should start selling Lays Oregano crisps and beer in smaller glasses that have been pre-chilled in the fridge

Another for instance! Down in Queensland, Australia, fossil gas used to provide all the peak power. Then batteries start nibbling at it. Then chomping on it. And now they've basically eaten it all up. No more gas. Look at this graphic! Glorious. reneweconomy.com.au/big-batterie...

This breathless commentary is the worst. Things are moving at lightning pace - but no, nothing has happened

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...

This is the trackbed that should have been the HS1-HS2 link, NOW IS OUR CHANCE.

Really enjoying Naz Shah's speech to open the debate on the King's Speech. Some much needed laughs and a shout out to Bradford's excellent curries 💪

Latest in 'unexpected side effects of closing the Strait of Hormuz' www.ft.com/content/3b40...

get in, we're delinking ember-energy.org/latest-insig...

Blair, 2001 to 2005, was the last PM to win a majority at a general election and serve a full Parliament.

Wow- you can make a huge dent in your gas bill in just 4 years, if you put your mind to it

diva down

It will be a week of taking apart govt policies as the cause of Labour's woes One they should leave alone? Oil & gas. It might make people feel nice that security lies in the North Sea, but the numbers on production or tax don't stack up www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/ideas/techno... @ippr.org

Nice from @samalvis.bsky.social Crucial pt: new drilling in the N Sea won't do anything for bills or security. It won't even bring back voters to Labour (defectors don't really care), but pivot to drill will send a negative values signal to progressives www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/ideas/techno...

Votey McVoteface *send tweet*

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre... quite the gauntlet

that's how it's done.

what on earth is this

This time next week there's going to be a lot of hot takes and spin knocking around, especially re: Reform. I've written a short primer for @politicshome.bsky.social on how to stay sane and navigate the immediate post-election chaos. Thread here too. 🧵 www.politicshome.com/opinion/arti...

This is a key selling point imo. Especially if you live with someone who likes to carefully ration when the boiler comes on, leaving everyone else shivering. Net Zero Dads in Yorkshire are on a steep learning curve!

💪 labourlist.org/2026/04/bill...

For anyone looking for a greener, more durable response to a huge reduction in oil and gas supply should look like, here is some detail. Focus on using less oil and gas, not subsidising it…

"Spain’s ability to produce the bloc’s cheapest renewable energy is no longer a local success story but a geopolitical challenge to traditional Franco-German hegemony." "Berlin and Paris are now viewing Spain as a competitor in the race to become the continent’s industrial core."

Excellent piece - ending new oil and gas licences is a progressive cause, widely supported by Labour's 2024 coalition. The Iran crisis reinforces that clean power is the future. labourlist.org/2026/04/labo...

In other Ed Miliband news… the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (heat pump subsidy) is going up from £7,500 to £9,000 for homes in rural areas that rely on oil or LPG. Given the spike in heating oil prices, and how good an option heat pumps are in rural areas, this is a good idea

Great piece which rightly points out that the main proponents of 'drill baby drill' are outright climate change deniers, a position that looks more deranged every single year. www.thetimes.com/uk/scotland/...

What is the opposite of nominative determinism?

I'm biased, but I think this is the apex example of how our discourse has become detached from reality. The reality has moved rapidly in one direction (dramatic fall in solar and battery costs; climate change seeming worse than expected). The discourse has moved in the exact opposite direction

Fossil fuels suffer from this little thing known as intermittency. You have to build a whole back-up energy system for when the little boats get stuck. Not many people know this.

over on Twitter an economist I used to think was halfway sensible is still utterly obsessed with the idea that decisions on North Sea licences are the number one issue with regard to this energy crisis, and I honestly don't get how people become this deranged.

The Economist arguing for export controls - never thought I'd see that!

Sobering report from the team at @e3g.bsky.social explaining how it's not just about the Strait of Hormuz. Chokepoints are inherent to fossil fuel markets and as a result no importer is safe. www.businessgreen.com/news-analysi...

Incredible how far public debate in Europe and the US is behind the emerging reality of the global energy transition in every aspect. This is Indonesia's transition to electric vehicles. Indonesia has a GDP per capita less than a third of the UK and a quarter of the US.

Hilarious how for years serious people have said that you can't rely on renewables because they are prone to disruptions in supply www.ft.com/content/19f1...