Spending on consultants cut by 14% across UK government ft.trib.al/bU42Sqx

Britons are drinking less alcohol than before, as financial pressures, health concerns and an ageing population lead to cutbacks in consumption ft.trib.al/rad0Hny

NHS England warns hospitals are on“high alert” as they battle disruption from strikes and record flu admissions for this time of year, but new surveillance data shows flu activity is starting to stabilise

Academics from across the UK higher education sector have warned that financial ties to Beijing have led to self-censorship. on.ft.com/4oDkblP

British universities’ reliance on Chinese fees fuelling self-censorship, say academics on.ft.com/48YhMxh

Great article from @amyborrett.ft.com. But it does make me wonder again why there was zero national media coverage when the University of Brighton closed down its big, decades-old campus in Eastbourne. Now of course, it would make a great case study for a journalist of the economic/cultural impact.

Young Brits' attitudes towards benefits claimants and criminals are hardening, according to @natcen.bsky.social, as discontent with the “broken social contract” drives younger voters towards Reform and the Greens. More @financialtimes.com from me and @jonathanvincent.bsky.social : on.ft.com/4nBB53E

Great to work with @aendra.com @amyborrett.ft.com @jonathanvincent.bsky.social on this important new dataset of deprivation in England

Alan Turing Institute head to quit after internal turmoil on.ft.com/4p8thIC

✏️ This year's GCSE results show double-digit increases in the number of children retaking maths and English, a "resit crisis" according to one exam board chief as the vast majority of these pupils fail to meet the required grades for most jobs/further study @financialtimes.com: on.ft.com/4787avs

Key line from today's #GSCE results - over 80% of students retaking failed to pass after the govt made resits in maths and English mandatory. “This is a resit crisis, tinkering at the edges of policy won’t fix this” Jill Duffy, OCR ceo Analysis by @amyborrett.ft.com www.ft.com/content/d693...

While earlier research suggested the gender pay gap was largely driven by course choices, as men and women took different subjects, the data indicated that men were more likely to prioritise a lucrative career and earn more than women even with identical degrees (3/3) www.ft.com/content/cb0e...

Male graduates are quick to earn more than their female peers, according to Financial Times analysis of official data, with a median annual salary of £34,700 five years after leaving university, 14.1% above the £30,400 figure for women (2/3) www.ft.com/content/cb0e...

Female graduates in the UK fall behind men from the very start of their careers, even when they have taken the same courses, and are out-earned after studying more than four-fifths of university subjects (1/3) www.ft.com/content/cb0e...

🎓New data shows top unis are enrolling more UK undergraduates due to “uncertainty” over international recruitment and mounting financial pressures, outperforming lower-ranking institutions which are typically more reliant on the domestic market on.ft.com/46REXsB

Record number of US students are choosing UK universities 🎓🇺🇸🇬🇧 7,930 US applicants for UK undergrad courses this autumn -- a 13.9% annual rise and the highest since records began in 2006, writes @amyborrett.ft.com ‬ FT www.ft.com/content/c074...

Labour was elected on bold pledges to kick-start the economy, fix the NHS and get Britain building again, but has Starmer's government delivered? Here's an overview of what progress has (or hasn't) been made in the first year: on.ft.com/44pU7Cl

Only Russia was perceived to be a greater threat, putting the US ahead of both Israel and Iran, the latest British Social Attitudes survey found https://on.ft.com/4nhZ09n

Fascinating stuff from @amyborrett.ft.com but also a reminder of a stain on our society - namely that, in 2025, nearly a third of British kids are living in poverty. www.ft.com/content/f0fc...

US applications for British citizenship hit a record high during the first few months of Donald Trump’s presidency, as immigration lawyers report a surge in Americans looking to move to the UK because of economic and safety concerns. @financialtimes.com on.ft.com/4jekcd2

VAT on private school fees has hit primaries more than secondaries, data shows, as cash-strapped parents prioritise later years and falling fertility rates reduce pupil rolls. But @samfr.bsky.social says the numbers are “much lower” than schools predicted @financialtimes.com on.ft.com/3YP5MZK

The number of Americans looking to study at UK universities has risen sharply since Trump launched his attack on higher education, with data showing a 25% rise in US interest in British courses over the past year @financialtimes.com on.ft.com/42JLT7j

The government is battling to keep the country's last two blast furnaces burning in Scunthorpe "to help secure UK steelmaking for the future". But after decades of decline, will rescuing British Steel be enough? @financialtimes.com on.ft.com/3RO81Z5

on.ft.com/4j8mIm8 UK Home Office’s reform of graduate visas runs into opposition — inter departmental bust-up on this. Unis can’t afford to lose more lucrative overseas students. Tho @universitiesuk.bsky.social boss tells me they don’t need DfE to point out crimping grad route be a bad idea. 1/2

Delighted to be shortlisted for data journalist of the year by @wincottfound.bsky.social alongside a number of my amazing @data.ft.com colleagues wincott.co.uk/wincott-shor...

Women in the UK face HRT ‘lottery’, as reluctance to offer menopause treatment through the NHS drives reliance on private clinics. @carolynharris.bsky.social says prescription rates are "still significantly lower" than they should be, despite rising awareness @financialtimes.com - on.ft.com/4bIADwh

A true university collapse is getting closer and closer. Giving the regulator some more staff and a few quid wont cut it. www.ft.com/content/b512...

Keir Starmer has pledged to slash the number of arm's-length government bodies, but how big is the quango state really? Had fun creating some pretty graphics for this @financialtimes.com piece with @pmdfoster.bsky.social on.ft.com/4hHWKEb

Here’s a talking point. Massive surge in AI use by students, per Savanta survey for Higher Education Policy Institue report. Me and @amyborrett.ft.com for @financialtimes.com on.ft.com/3D82ysx

The mad merry-go-round of spending on stop-gap accommodation for homeless. Up 80% in a year. Huge waste of money that isn’t fixing the problem. New report out from LSE and @crisis-uk.bsky.social reported in @financialtimes.com w @amyborrett.ft.com @jenwilliamsft.bsky.social on.ft.com/43d3q9U

Irish citizenship applications from Britain hit a post-Brexit high last year as a weak UK economy and the "harsh" realities of travel restrictions drove a surge in people using their Irish ancestry to gain “backdoor" access to the EU. Data scoop in today's @financialtimes.com: on.ft.com/4kfHzog

Five years after Britain officially left the EU, @pmdfoster.bsky.social and I looked at how Brexit has reshaped Britain for @financialtimes.com on.ft.com/4grjwj8

Five years of Brexit in five charts, with @amyborrett.ft.com for @financialtimes.com How five years of Brexit reshaped Britain on.ft.com/40AVBrH

Faster UK growth tied to boosting export services in South East, data shows — great @amyborrett.bsky.social charts you can play with here. Given importance of exporting to productivity, begs question why growth-focussed govt doing so little on trade side of EU reset. on.ft.com/4jqFbKX

Flu cases have quadrupled over the past month in hospitals in England, with NHS leaders warning that “skyrocketing” cases could make this winter “one of the worst we have ever seen”. Just published @financialtimes.com: on.ft.com/4j4g0h5

NEW: The number of chemistry courses at UK unis has declined 26% and biosciences by 14% over the past 5 years, raising concerns about the viability of the government's industrial strategy Read more from @mikepeeljourno.bsky.social + @pmdfoster.bsky.social @financialtimes.com: on.ft.com/42gW2tR

Your 2025 ‘policies to watch’ guide by me and @financialtimes.com colleagues. Charts by @amyborrett.bsky.social — not guaranteed to clear the hangover, but the stuff we’ll be watch this year. Housebuilding, skills, health: Key UK policies to watch in 2025 on.ft.com/4gDk32l

Are companies breaking down barriers to work for people with autism & ADHD? Despite a six-fold rise in UK job adverts mentioning neurodiversity since 2019, employment rates remain stubbornly low, suggesting far more needs to be done. Read more @financialtimes.com: on.ft.com/3BDuK5W

Do Gen Z have it harder than any other generation? I dug into the data on housing, jobs and mental health for @financialtimes.com to see if the outlook for today's young Brits is really more bleak than ever before... on.ft.com/3UBZD0B

Why are a rising number of young Brits out of work? There are 870,000 people aged 16-24 not studying or employed, with a growing number reporting ill-health. But is it just poor mental health that's keeping them out of work? I've dug into the data for @financialtimes.com on.ft.com/3Yj80AF

Women are at the sharp end of the rental crisis. @ejhollowood.bsky.social and I found it's now almost impossible for vulnerable women to rent in parts of the UK. In London, for example, the average one-bed costs 106% of a single mother's median income @financialtimes.com on.ft.com/3tT2UOJ