hot take: no one actually wants 'authenticity' in politicians: people want a performance that is both competent and has them as the target audience. lots of politicians derided as wooden and stiff are being more 'authentic' than politicians who are personable and likable, who are performing

Genuinely feeling odd not to be supporting the U.S. team tonight (always second to England/UK for me). But the rule is the rule!

Also not convinced how meaningful the “51% prefer apprenticeship to HE” stats is when so few actually become apprentices. It is not a known quantity, and in a bad labour market, it by default becomes the greener grass. Kinda like how I imagine opening a coffee shop that is also a bookstore.

And despite what is happening now, there is another America, alive and fighting. Happy 250.

London and other cities’s economic trajectory doesn’t have to be a zero-sum game either. True that there r trade-offs in where to put money. But the cities’ challenges r different enough for there to be a meaning offer for both.

Imagine being mad that we live in a country in which a former refugee can rise to become Lord Mayor of their city. That makes me proud to be British, if anything.

This is really interesting. Not sure how I feel about some of these policies. But voters r not meant to be policy wonks who think about constraints and trade-offs. It is still directionally informative for voter priority even if some of the policies r not necessarily practical.

Have just checked and we are now at 87 Labour MPs that have signed the EDM against the EHRC Code of Practice. By my estimation that puts us just shy of 40% of the backbenches – and we still have over a week to go.

With all the chat about more local powers: what is fiscal devolution and how could it be a radical reform for the shape of the UK economy? We've got a handy briefing on why it matters and the 5 tests that it must pass to be designed for fairness and growth: www.centreforcities.org/publication/...

The outgoing government has actually had one for a year, and it has been (quietly) guiding some key decisions. Half of the sectors involved r actually services, so it has always been puzzling when politicians refer to it as if a plan only for traditional industries.

Andy Burnham wants to take "power out of the centre and put it in the hands of the people who can use it best". Guaranteeing mayor's a share of the tax generated in their area will be key to making this happen. Check out Centre for Cities new briefing for more detail: tinyurl.com/yjvpd7rb

The Government needs big cities to deliver its growth mission. Our latest report looks at the strengths and challenges facing each of the UK's big cities, and what they mean for policymakers. Read the full report below, or start with my blog on the key findings: lnkd.in/eVg_wepW

On top of code switching, my accent has been described, in a few separate occasions, as “having gone to an international school.” Have to imagine that does not endear me to most people.

If you see Pride and the LGBTQIA+ community as a "political act" then it is on you for making our lives political. LGBTQIA+ rights should not be seen as political decisions, anymore than anyone else's are. Living our lives should not have to be a "political act". www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Fiscal devo is gonna get some attention 👀 What does it mean, who is it for and how might it work? Here's a brilliant conversation on all that, from my colleagues @antbreach.bsky.social, @oscarselby.bsky.social and @andrewcities.bsky.social. www.centreforcities.org/podcast/city...

As @jamesdaustin.bsky.social says we found young people in towns like Burnley, the ones doing the working(!), were much less likely to want the return of manufacturing Instead people understood the success of Manchester and wanted a part of it with better transport links

Can I shock you? I love the expanded World Cup, despite what I said earlier.

This is absolutely right. The questions "can we/should we/how do we boost UK manufacturing" and "what do we do about 'left behind' areas of the UK" are both important. But they are almost entirely separate.

“Bringing back” the manufacturing sector, making it larger than it is, is achievable and desirable. That will not “bring back” manufacturing jobs to what or where it was because the sector is no longer that labour intensive in the UK. And it may prefer different locations.

Fascinating. Looks like we were wrong to think Leave voting regions would be hit harder, and story is closer to Dhingra, Machin and Overman's one ideas.repec.org/p/cep/cepbxt...

This is brilliant. Quick thought, considering how far misinformation about “London, the new Gotham City” has spread, would be fascinating to see “nationally” be broken down by “London” and “rest of the country.”

Thinking about this, at the time, I definitely bragged to other people about how cool I was because I read BBC News.

multiculturalism is pretty great

Complaining about nightlife when you *checks notes* choose to live in Soho is like living in South Kensington and complaining about the museums. Or moving to Hackney and grumbling about creatives. Living in Richmond and hating green space. It's all getting a bit silly, isn't it?

(I think we should listen to cities more. Or, you know, at all)

My goodness, Ed Luce is furious giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...

Really great read! I am a product of that 17% Chinese household ed spending. The Chinese state even tried (failed) to make ranking matter less by allocating more uni spots to poorer provinces. Also, the uni exam is actually mental. The stress leads to some truly unhinged things!

Really hoping the updated LFS will be more stable/reliable. Also, based on this, the 2024 local authority level productivity data coming out soon may also be quite chaotic in places.

Crushingly predictable. I honestly wonder sometimes whether these 'Red Wall MPs' might be the death of Labour.

I was very proud to give the State of the City address for Liverpool on friday, invited by Cllr Liam Robinson & Liverpool City Council... medium.com/@Alison_McGo...

Particularly as it elides quite different sectors and challenges. Are you willing to let water bills rise to cover additional investment? How do you reduce the cost of building? What exactly is smarter regulation? This is a 10 year approach (which is good) but how do you manage a spike *now?*

Great to see a MP engaging like this but a piece that raises more questions than answers. As a approach this isnt that far off the govts - tho maybe nods towards more direct delivery. What are the different mechanisms we're considering here? How do you manage short term inflationary pressures?

You have to admire the chutzpah of the BBC’s response to the Trump lawsuit www.ft.com/content/d2a0...

UK tax has gone up significantly over the last 25 years But the tax paid by the average UK worker has not This apparent miracle was achieved by taxing “other people”: higher earners, capital, property, banks, etc The strategy has run out of road A 🧵 on what happens next.

I think the proposed Crews Hill new town/urban extension should go ahead. And if the government and the London Mayor agree - they have the powers to make it happen www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

I accepted the victory of wildlife and was ready to vote in the second round. … then I learned that the category voting system meant puffin would get locked out, but emperor dragonfly could win on 13%🫠.

The Review points to a fragmented further education system as a barrier for young people moving into work. Cities and universities may have an important role in expanding vocational and technical pathways👇 buff.ly/Jfhvfd3

This is a really good piece on what an industrial policy could look like in the West. The goal of industrial policy is to develop competitive advantages in parts of an economy, and that depends on understanding where that advantage actually is for each country.

"The figures suggest that if Xinjiang were a country, it would have the highest incarceration rate in the world, at 1,944 per 100,000 people. China’s nationwide rate is 119 per 100,000 people". www.ft.com/content/119d...

And people in GM travel to work in the Manchester city centre and benefit from its growth! The counterfactual where Manchester city centre did not grow as it did would likely have seen the periphery areas with worse, not better, outcomes.

Tis the season www.economist.com/britain/2025...

May be too niche of a reference, but this is giving…

It is. And to an extent that’s politics, and certainly post industrial economics, because that’s how long it’s taken. What idk right now is what parts of that story would make their way into govt

this is supposed to be practical guidance for businesses to follow and instead it’s hedged to the point of incoherence because the politics behind it (~trans people aren’t real) is not compatible with the legal underpinning for it

London is suffering from a combination of: 1. UK-wide downturn in local services (retail, health, etc.); 2. Financial services being stagnant post-2008; 3. Other knowledge service growing but more slowly; 4. A fall in construction (not replicated in other large cities).

AFAIK, the most recent industry GVA data is 2023, and retail sales would cover more than just supermarkets. But this is a sector that is still recovering *at best*. And this is after several recent interventions.

I’m lost for words. Never thought I’d see UK govt trying to set food prices. This is a hugely efficient and competitive sector. What about knock on effects on other prices, smaller shops etc And of course say they want to protect farmers. Please be serious

Re industrialisation is possible in output terms, but what it means is building multiple square miles of mostly automated manufacturing that employs ~100 people. Not sure the uk planning system would allow this!

High system trust is cool!