@el_budget
@deray
Angel, Flau'Jae and the whole team need to be celebrated. Anyone attacking Angel or the team after a tough loss is speaking volumes about their own character.
I don't see the recent riots as an issue of immigration, I see it as an issue of opportunity. Responding to the riots and the concerns underpinning them by making the case for immigration (as suggested in today's FT & Economist) would be a mistkae. Here's why...🧵
100% this. Even if parties were more open, Westminster ecosystem wouldn't reward them. Lab already being hounded on every tax; any give on council tax & journos/other parties would have smelled blood in the water. Change only becomes possible when the political narrative shifts.
It speaks to just how hard it’s going to be to reform our deeply broken economic model that our politics is so narrow that Labour, with a 20 point poll lead, feels it won’t have the political space to reform the worst, most regressive tax in Britain.
During that period, Treasury & Number 10 have faced an intensive lobbying campaign.
Pension funds invested in freeholds claimed that £15-40bn would be wiped out from reforms. Housing campaigners say this is massively exaggerated
But it has succeeded in spooking HMT/No10
4/8
@Sathnam
You should pitch Keep Calm & Curry On, where every week British chefs have to make meals from the different regions of India, and you’re one of the judges (obvs). Every week should have a ‘Samosa Challenge’.
A couple of quick thoughts on the
@ukonward
piece on manufacturing & levelling-up.
Full disclosure: I spent 15 years as a wonk/lobbyist for manufacturing, working
@MakeUK
, @ JLR &
@ADSgroupUK
. I love UK manufacturing, especially the people: their passion is 🔥🔥🔥.
It might not be all men, but it is men that are the problem. And as such, it’s on all men to talk to each other, to call out bad behaviour and to listen when someone talks to us. Whether it’s mates, colleagues or strangers, we men have to do better.
We aren’t safe walking mins from our home (Sabina Nessa)
We aren’t safe at work (Cathy Marlow)
We aren’t safe even when together (Nicole Smallman, Bibaa Henry)
We aren’t safe online (Alice Ruggles)
We aren’t safe with our own family (Banaz Mahmod)
I was at a dinner w Very Serious People 3 mos ago, all of whom scoffed or tutted when I suggested the tail of fiscal rules was wagging the dog of economic growth. Economic credibility doesn't come from meeting arbitrary rules. It comes from having a sustainable plan for growth.
In short, it's all a bit of a farce.
Yet this farce is what underlies 90% of the Westminster debate about tax cuts, spending plans & the coming election. As I said in my screen abt Labour's £28bn, it's odd we fixate so much on the RULES & not the STRATEGY
@DavidHenigUK
It’s disturbing how many “free market” economists & politicians want to tell businesses how to think, plan & invest because they disagree on the realities of Brexit.
Some personal news:
Today is my last day
@ADSGroupUK
and I can't thank everyone in the aerospace, defence, security & space families enough for 6 great years.
I'm thrilled to be joining
@InstituteGC
as Head of Productivity & Innovation and I'm excited for the new challenge!
We’re headed back to the States for the first time in 2.5 years. A big shout out to the
@British_Airways
&
@HeathrowAirport
teams that made it so easy to navigate the new protocols.🙏🏽
@DPJHodges
No. It’s that as a brown person, I & many others have had to think hard about how the racism we’ve experienced is different than black people, & about the privileges we’ve had.
From her statements, I think many are questioning whether she’s done the same level of introspection.
It won't get the attention of the political drama and the cost of living crisis, but it's worth thinking about the US chip maker Nvidia's failed takeover of UK-based, SoftBank-owned ARM.
A 🧵 on some of the implications:
1/
@HenryNewman
@DJSkelton
Please think about it some more and listen to all that Lammy says.
He’s calling out the right’s outright engagement/acceptance of white supramcists and their language.
That is exactly what *ALL* of us should be doing.
For what it's worth:
I've experienced racism in the UK, inc in the last year.
I think there's less racism in the UK than in the US or other European countries.
I think it's patriotic to shine a light on where racism persists so that we can make life better for everyone.
Rapid tech adoption in the pandemic loosened the link b/t jobs & geography, creating a new class of work: millions of relatively well-paid, professional jobs that can be done from anywhere in the world.
We call these Anywhere Jobs.
1/
@InstituteGC
I travelled from London to the US for the holidays. I’ve taken about 15 LFTs/rapid antigen tests before & during the trip (only 2 official tests for travel) thankfully all negative. We’ve got the all clear for our return trip tomorrow, with only one the Day 2 test left to pass🤞🏽.
Progressives tend to lose when defending their ideals means defending broken systems. They win when improving what matters most to people's lives. It's the lack of fairness & opportunity people are angry about. Fix that & we'll get the open, tolerant country I know we are.
This news story is another example of British Cost Disease. It didn’t cost £500k, that’s an estimate based on a private jet, not the Govt plane. We are a global leader in aerospace. Our Ministers should be travelling on British made wings. It’s about soft & commercial power.
'I used the government plane. That is why we have a government plane'
@TrussLiz
says 'every government decision is based on value for money' after confirming she flew to Australia on the government's private jet - a trip estimated to be worth around £500,000
Today,
@InstituteGC
launch our latest paper on the future of work, analysing non-traditional work & individuals' experiences in these roles, and setting out ideas to modernise the UK's system of employment rights deliver flexibility with protections. 1/
As an immigrant & minority who's been welcomed in families, communities & biz across the UK, I know Brits aren't racist. I see concern on immigration as tied to economic & public sector decline: The riots are centred on Englands deprivation hotspots.
NEW: 7 of the 10 most deprived areas in England have witnessed riots in the past 10 days.
12 out of the 23 local authorities where violence erupted are in the top decile for deprivation, suggesting a relationship between pockets of poverty and unrest 1/4
@LOS_Fisher
@amy_borrett
There’s a lot the govt should/could do that is pro-growth/competitiveness/business/workers. Lifting the bankers’ bonuses cap is nowhere near any of those lists.
Lifting the bankers' bonuses cap is...an obvious thing to do. It costs the government nothing and the City needs all the help it can get after Brexit. Some folks will play class warfare, but the government urgently needs to take some pro business action.
1-in-5 UK jobs are Anywhere Jobs: remote work means they can be done from anywhere the world, potentially for cheaper.
Read my
@timesredbox
piece on how the UK should respond, & join our webinar next Tuesday @ 2pm (register here: )
Honestly, I’m not bothered the PM lost his place. What’s worse is he thought delivering an after dinner speech was a legitimate substitute for setting out an economic vision to a group of business leaders.
#ThisIsNotAJoke
"Who would have believed that a pig that looks like a hairdryer... would now be exported to 180 countries?"
Boris Johnson talks to business leaders about his visit to Peppa Pig World and says it taught him "about the power of UK creativity".
do you think Guy Fawkes knew we'd still be burning him 413 years later on damp fields as the Star Wars Death March plays to the accompaniment of the cheapest fireworks the local cricket club could afford while you regret the purchase of your cold hot dog
As someone who has been threatened to be deported by an overzealous border force for not having the "right" paper work (👋
@UKBorder
), here are my unsolicited thoughts on the Djokovic vs Aussie Border Force drama:
They are both assholes.
Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk.
Big Tory loss tonight is Rupert Harrison in Bicester & Woodstock. Not as high profile as former Cabinet Ministers losing their seats. But he represented the Tories’ most promising route to rapidly restoring their economic credibility.
I see the ‘anti-immigrant child-of-an-immigrant’ discourse is back. So it’s worth watching this brilliant piec by
@Hardeep_Matharu
for
@BylineTimes
on Priti Patel:
As we return to the office, it's easy to think all cities are the same. But as
@DavidJBritto
& I show there are four distinct paths:
-Old Normal Cities
-Slow Recovery Cities
-Donut Cities
-Anywhere Cities
Use our online tool to see where your city fits!
Fantastic to see Shadow Science Secretary
@peterkyle
say that Labour will create long term (10 year) settlements for R&D - this will really allow for better research and science to the benefit of society, our economy and environment
With supply chains & shortages in the news, some have suggested reshoring production to the UK is a silver bullet solution to our economic woes.
As
@SteveCoulter13
,
@DavidJBritto
and I argue in our latest for
@InstituteGC
, this would be a costly mistake.
This is what the absence of an Industrial Strategy looks like. Our supply chains are vulnerable not because of markets or globalisation. But because of a lack of a long-term strategy to secure the UK's current and potential economic strengths.
Strongly recommend the latest
@TheNewsAgents
podcast on
@RishiSunak
becoming PM. They discuss his weaknesses and the challenges he faces, and talk with the brilliant
@Sathnam
on the complex issues of race with Sunak as PM. Best analysis I’ve read or heard.
Concern on immigration is a symptom of wider sense that life isn't working like it used to. This piece by
@DrAlanWager
&
@anandMenon1
on the UK's system of meritocracy says while some win the merit test, populist support is linked w those that fail it
Finally, the politics and the boxing part of my bio becomes relevant! This is terrible form. Macron’s guard is down, he’s too close to the bag and an opponent could knock him out with a well placed hook.
Second, the UK's main mfg sectors are part of global value chains, each w their own market logic as to why global/regional value chains are structured as they are. What's the market logic as to why they would flex towards the UK just bc we want them to?
As the
#AIsafetysummit
starts, there can be no trade-off between AI safety & progress. As
@benedictcooney
&
@nickswan73
say for
@InstituteGC
, we need both: an open discussion on the risks of AI as well as investment in state capacity in this technology.
@Fransfedup
The UK is at its best when influencing at a global level. And in a world dominated politically & economically by the US, China & Europe, we face a choice of becoming the 51st state, bending the knee to a Chinese Dictator, or leading from the front in the EU. The choice is yours.
@BBCSimonJack
It’s already been happening: foreign takeovers are up 400% since 2015 bc of a Brexit Discount on the value of UK business. And this was before the fall in the pound this year.
At a dinner with businesses in Westminster last night and there was the standard talk on skills shortages, tax changes and business costs. But for the first time in 15+ years of these dinners, there was a conversation about mental health. Progress is possible.
I’ve left the UK civil service, after two years spent creating the
@AISafetyInst
, AI Safety Summit, AI Research Resource, and more. It was an honour and a privilege.
There’s lots left to do, and I’ll continue to work on advancing global progress in AI. Onwards and upwards 🌁
Today’s GE/Dogger Bank agreement means that 190 of world’s largest offshore turbines will be located in North Sea. The turbines are size of Big Ben x2.5. A single sweep of the blades can power a UK household for more than 2 days
#wind
@RenewableUK
I first campaigned for full expensing 15yrs ago
@MakeUK_
. Then, the Tory Shadow Treasury team wanted to cut cap allowances from 20% to 12%. We limited the cut to 18% & argued for full expensing. Tomorrow, it happens.
As a 43yo/5ft 6in/skinny Indian man, I'm thrilled that one of us is on the threshold of No10. I've got 3 thoughts, though:
1 representation matters;
2 what you do w that position matters more
3 there'll be a backlash against his race. I hope it remains at the fringes.
Public services in the UK don’t require reform. They need transformation. Our latest
@InstituteGC
report w
@kmei_
&
@ryan_wain
makes the case for a public sector fit for the 21st c, enabled by modern digital infrastructure and
#digitalID
.
#FutureofBritain
For Friedman, growth isn't just an economic issue, it's a moral one too. Economic progress needs to be broadly based & the reward for work today needs to be more than it used to be. If it isn't, intolerence grows & the let down are ripe for radicalisation.
ARIA, furlough scheme, covid rapid testing, AI taskforce and then AI safety institute, + more…..
Weirdo-misfit network not had a dreadful 4 years….. Whitehall needs more weirdos and misfits.
As
@CJFDillow
says, this discont, disillusionment & anger are fertile ground for the far-right. Here, he points to the work of Ben Friedman, which shows across time & countries, economic stagnation leads to a "turn away from openness and tolerance".
The disappearance of Sarah Everard is scary.
Men, here is some advice from
@HannahAlOthman
on how we can make women feel even a tiny bit less on edge.
We men should be more aware of how our physical presence makes others feel. It costs us very little and definitely helps.
@StuartEdwards
@Conorpope
If you're walking behind a woman, even at a distance, and it's dark, cross over to the other side of the road and walk there instead.
I've had men do this a couple of times and it's like a huge weight lifted.
If I were Labour, I would say the March Budget will be an act of pure political theatre & full of fiscal fictions & say: We'll rip up Tory plans for unfunded tax cuts + Austerity 2.0 and have an emergency budget + spending review to restore credibility to our national finances.
If I were Labour, I would look at a government that is visibly going to use all its 'headroom' for tax cuts, at the cliff-edges in our system, at stamp duty and think: going to have to do some very electorally tricky tough tax changes, might as well do wide-ranging tax reform.
The history of the GOP suggests the Tories face a simple choice: either the Tories - from the PM down to their candidates & think tanks - disown Truss, Braverman and Anderson or become their party.
I was going to do a thread on what policies to expect in the
#AutumnStatement
, but most of it's already public. Instead, I'm going to do a quick recap on the
@InstituteGC
#FutureofBritain
ideas that will be announced today & then shift to the politics:
"Full expensing" means that businesses get to treat investment costs the same way they treat labour or rent costs when it comes to their tax bill.
Without it, businesses that invest in machinery pay higher taxes than businesses that spend on pens and paper.
Right now it's only
Great news on the Wayve investment. The UK has a clear global strength in development & deployment of AI. But I wonder, how many UK funds have the scale to participate in this type & size of investment? And what happens if/when Wayve wants to go public? 🧵
This week's riots were bad partly bc of 20+ yrs of stagnation (real wages haven't risen since 2008), partly bc 14 yrs of Tory govts whipping up intolerance for immigrants & partly, as
@trillingual
says, bc social media is perfect for far-right influencers.
Me, my ex & her partner's ex have 10 bedrooms across three flats for 4 adults & 4 kids aged 12-21. How many spare rooms do we have?
This type of hyper-efficient allocation of humans view needs to be set in the context of how people live - and want to live - in the real world.
The housing crisis is a crisis caused by not building enough homes, right?
The evidence suggests the distribution of the existing stock is much bigger problem.
Great work here by my
@IIPP_UCL
PhD student
@_StefanHorn