My thoughts in The Times and The Sunday Times on the economic costs of the govt overdoing the “worst inheritance” & “things will get worse” narrative. It makes political sense but, paradoxically, will make things harder if it discourages consumer spending & investment thetimes.com/business-money… A🧵…

"while men are nearly 18 percent faster than women in 5K races, they are only 11 percent faster in marathons, 3.7 percent faster at 50 miles, roughly even as they approach 100 miles, and then women routinely outpace men at races 195 miles and up" a.co/d/gkfCmTy

The summer riots were not caused by populism in the media/by politicians, as Starmer claims. Nor were they caused by deprivation or disintegration, as others claim. They were caused by a relatively small group of racist and extremist criminals.

The UK's economic recovery is real, albeit nascent. The PM is a player in the economy. He needs to be careful not to dampen consumer and investor confidence. thetimes.com/uk/politics/ar…

We've been talking too much about the winter fuel payment (goes only to pensioners) and not enough about the warm home discount (targeted at families of all ages in need). Good analysis by Sam Robinson, and some encouraging signs that MPs taking heed inews.co.uk/news/politics/…

Last night I was interviewed by Times Radio about attitudes towards and reform of taxation in the UK. Listen to the full interview here: m.youtube.com/watch?v=jVUfaX… Read the final report from Bright Blue’s tax in the 2020s project here: brightblue.org.uk/a-vision-for-t…

Being obsessed with happiness can make us unhappy. Joy doesn't arise from ruminating about our emotions. It comes from immersing ourselves in worthwhile experiences. Happiness is not a goal to pursue. It's a byproduct of leading a life of meaning and engagement. Trevor Noah

"A terraced house in Blackpool pays significantly more council tax than a £100 million penthouse in the West End. That is bonkers." Paul Johnson and Dan Neidle discuss the current 'disaster that is the taxation system for housing'. Listen here: linktr.ee/ifszoomsin

The argument for free speech absolutism can no longer pass muster when social media platforms wield so much power and their commercial incentives so obviously conflict with the pursuit of truth, bloomberg.com/opinion/articl… via Bloomberg Opinion

Smoking has substantial negative health effects - both on user & those close to them. So should be banned in indoor & confined public spaces But nicotine is a recreational drug. As with evidence on other recreational drugs, complete prohibition will likely be counter-productive

My letter in The Times today: Extending the Youth Mobility Scheme to the EU is a no-brainer, politically and economically thetimes.com/comment/letter…

A retrograde step from Bridget Phillipson. Education Secretary claims single headline grades are “high stakes for schools.” So they should be. Schoolchildren also face significant pressure when given single headline grades for GCSEs and A-levels. thetimes.com/uk/education/a…

Bright Blue is hosting 4 events at The Labour Party Conference 2024 Join us later this month in Liverpool! Further details: brightblue.org.uk/upcoming-event… #LPC24

Bright Blue is hosting an event at the Liberal Democrats Party Conference 2024. Join us in Brighton in a few weeks! Further details: brightblue.org.uk/upcoming-event…

Semi Finals !!! Thank you for the support 🤝

Big paper I have been waiting for: what are the real impacts of AI on programmer productivity? It is a randomized controlled trial using the older, less-powerful GPT-3.5 powered Github Copilot for 4,867 coders in Fortune 100 firms. It finds a 26.08% increase in completed tasks.

"You've got to get the relationship right between political leaders and the public today." Sir Tony Blair tells Sophy Ridge the job of political leaders "is to lead, and not just to follow". #PoliticsHub trib.al/ftpea6d 📺 Sky 501, Freeview 233 and YouTube

I’m determined to ensure the issue of assisted dying is given Parliamentary time - one way or another. Coverage in ⁦The Times and The Sunday Times⁩ on assisted dying and my selection from the Private Members’ Bill Ballot. thetimes.com/article/76810c…

There is (still) an opportunity for Yvette Cooper and David Lammy to amend, rather than abolish, the Rwanda asylum agreement, so UK deports *failed* asylum seekers there, rather than deporting asylum seekers there immediately as Conservatives proposed reuters.com/world/germanys…

📣 Join us for our next Ludgate Lecture with Javed Khan OBE 🗓️Thursday 26th September, 2pm-3pm 📺 Watch here: youtube.com/watch?v=Osv5pj…