If you would like to know the actual problems with the budget I set it all out in detail here. As Stephen says the problem is the headroom isn't really there. Not that Reeves had loads of spare cash... samf.substack.com/p/survival-f...

"It is my job, after a careful examination of the facts, to call it..." No it is not, Chris Mason! It is your job to report the facts and points of view on a hotly contested issue and leave me and other audience to make up their own minds! www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

And, of course, many families cycle in and out of work, and in and out of poverty income. The population is not divided neatly between "strivers" and "shirkers" or whatever pejorative terms journalists and politicians choose.

Even after the mansion tax is applied, the owner of a £5m home in Westminster will pay proportionately less in property tax than the owner of a £210k Band B property in Sunderland.

To think Cambridge could have got on same positive spiral if politicians hadn't bottled out @cambstravelall.bsky.social k

!

Lying in politics is wrong and should never be rewarded, says newspaper which pays Boris Johnson £1 million a year to be its star columnist

The whole idea that studying the history of a country constitutes an attack on the history of a country is deeply deeply stupid.

Another day preparing for my stall at village Christmas Fair next Saturday.

People apparently happy for journalists to parade their lack of self-awareness to the world. A bit like the staple of local papers: "Outrageous! I "didn't see" multiple traffic restriction signs and got a camera fine."

Wow - this guy must be really, REALLY bad with money if an extra £208 per month will “ruin” his retirement. Let’s take a look at his situation based on what he told the @Telegraph Because this does NOT add up! No, this is not a “poor pensioner” scrabbling around for pennies… 🧵1/9

It takes a special kind of right-wing British political party to literally sell black shirts. Are you going to tell them? Or shall I?

Part of the point of having a big, well-funded, well-respected state broadcaster is that it should be able to set high standards of intellectual rigour for the media as a whole - that the BBC is currently failing badly in this regard is a black mark of shame against it

and upward pressure on spending often reflects policy failure in the wider system, eg upward pressure on housing costs from weak supply and under-investment in social housing.

Imagine the horror if property taxes were actually proportional! Or even progressive. Maybe surveyors might start accounting for this again when valuing properties, and it might affect buyer expectations and values... a man can dream.

It's such a bizarre framing. Labour MPs think taking 450k kids out of poverty is putting the country first! That's why they wanted it to happen! It's not because they personally benefit.

These figures are bleak - and nothing at all in the budget yesterday to address them. Instead Local Housing Allowance remains frozen.

Massive CONGRATULATIONS to @drblez.bsky.social for being the runner-up in the @thinkhouseinfo.bsky.social Early Career Researcher’s Prize for ‘Measuring What Matters: Tackling Structural Stigma in Social Housing​​‘ www.thinkhouse.org.uk/about/early-...

Good to see HMT has finally relented on the tourist tax. Important that mayors are allowed to keep all of the income and choose how to spend it without central interference. And that it's the beginning of fiscal devolution not the end.

Looking forward to comment from Toby Young and his "Free Speech Union"

The problem with UK fiscal policy is low productivity, Brexit and a refusal of Chancellors to be straight with the public about what it costs to have the services they want. None of this is the responsibility of the OBR. If anything, they've been too accommodating. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Twitter accounts are based in Russia. BlueSky accounts are based in homes with, frankly, too many books, plants, obsolete cables, and pieces of rustic pottery, that could do with a bit of a tidying up, to be honest.

Spent today prepping some of my artwork for the village Christmas Fair soon. First time neighbours will see what I've been working on

Anyone around Cambridge, Swaffham Bulbeck Church Christmas Fair on 6 December. Including @rcwheat.bsky.social stall with art works and cards

I agree that a crude price cap would be likely contrary to equalities legislation. E-trikes and other non-standard cycles are transformative for healthy mobility but they are necessarily much pricier than other cycles.

In terms of credit where it is due, 2-hour power outage here this morning. Comms from UK Power Networks really good, string of informative texts and website updates. So many utlities, banks etc stonewall and obfuscate when things go wrong.

The overarching point is right. At a more technical level, on issues I follow closely (eg housing and energy) there is a sense that government is getting on and addressing a lot of issues credibly, in a way which is different from what was typical pre-'24.

NEW | Public Services Performance 2025 The government has high ambitions for public services. But with patchy progress, it needs to get a grip to make a success of its reforms. Read the final instalment our our annual stocktake of nine key services www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/publication/...

Another day, another slew of evidence that people who work for residential leasehold management companies and their subcontractors are lying imbeciles.

Classic #NIMBY #ukhousing Residents react to Reading Uni plan for thousands of new homes - BBC News share.google/bu3pTXhTrg8x...

Likewise, additionally lots of friends of my grandma were refugees from Hitler and/or Stalin.

Affordable housing stock has fallen drastically relative to population since the early 1980s ⤵️ buff.ly/pQXp2Sc

In addition to the points made in the article, HMT needs to look at equalities implications. Cycles used by many disabled people (eg e-trikes) are necessarily pricier than typical workhorse commuter bike @wheelsforwellbeing.org.uk www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

Mass housebuilding has only been acheieved in the past when the state has taken on a role by building homes for social rent. The Government's Social and Affordable Homes programme - worth £39bn over ten years - is a welcome recognition of the need for homes that families can afford.

Scenes from a housing crisis. Mostly empty surface car park, couple of hundred metres from a Zone 2 station. Two Foxtons minis parked up.

No more steps! 🙌 We're pleased that @nationaltrust.org.uk & the county council are planning a new bridge over Burwell Lode. It will be 3-4m wide with a max. gradient of 1:20 on the 2 access ramps. Construction is due to start in July 2026. More news soon: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/cambri...

All-pervasive myth, still being peddled round here by solar scheme opponents.

At least as much "old Macmillan" as "Old Labour". And would enhance public sector balance sheet.

Since we’re in the mood for strict accuracy in broadcast news, worth noting that a rival channel had a pundit - unchallenged - say asylum seekers in hotels committed 44% of sexual offences in one county, seemingly because she cannot understand basic maths.

Population of East Suffolk District is 1/4 million. 450 on a demo opposed to sustainable energy projects does not suggest significant local opposition. So why does BBC write it up as if it does? share.google/JEMnEXzoL9x8...

I wonder when whoever is paying Restore Trust's bills will tire of throwing good money after bad.

Rip-off Britain, privately owned car park: 1 machine supposedly accepting cash/ cards, not working, no power supply? 2 5 minutes to download *another* app, enter card details etc 3 select stay length, apparently £2 4 after completing transaction, 49p "transaction fee" and 25p "SMS fee", 32% markup 😬

@healthcreation.bsky.social @merrons.bsky.social

Beauty at any time of year at @nationaltrust.org.uk Wicken Fen.

Very good politically-aware discussion of pay-per-mile road taxes. 👇👇

Lots of UK coverage of the NYC mayoral race. But the city also passed four pro-housing charter amendments yesterday - interesting straw in the wind on the politics of housing.

Two thoughts related to Dhara's good points 1) ECO is not a sacred cow. It has cost more and performed worse with each iteration and does not serve our poorest households well. It needs a complete redesign 2) Funding for poor households is non-negotiable. Any retrenchment would be a major failure

New post just out: "How to make government work" We have a guest post from one of the people who built the AI Security Institute on a rare UK success story. With important lessons for the rest of government. (£/free trial) open.substack.com/pub/samf/p/h...

Indeed, the real issues here are (1) asylum applicants being locked out of legit work (2) resourcing of trading standards after 15 years of #localgov austerity (3) feebleness of Companies House.