I’m the son of immigrants, from Jamaica & Ireland. That’s why I’d like to publicly thank Gary Lineker for pointing out what all can see: Suella Braverman’s repeated use of language that portrays all asylum seekers as criminals, robbers, invaders. Shame on the BBC for caving in!

“Some of my best friends are black” is not a defence against being found racist! Suella Braverman’s ethnicity & Jewish husband is not a defence for using dangerous inflammatory language about asylum seekers! Stop the rhetoric, not just the boats!

“Stop the Boats” is an Australian policy slogan. Look at the map! Papua NG to Aus = 92miles; E Timor to Aus=600miles. Eng Channel=21miles. No comparison, poor policy!

It’s ironic that the govt is currently pushing a Free Speech Bill through to protect academics with controversial opinions from being “deplatformed”. How will the “defenders of free speech” now respond to the BBC’s deplatforming of Gary Lineker?

Just over a week to go til the launch of the Lifelong Education Institute at our Conf on 28/3 - details on lifelongeducation.uk The baton will be handed from Chris Skidmore MP to Dame Ann Limb - a launchpad for turning LLE into a “new normal”, affordable & accessible to all.

For World Poetry Day: “Learning? It lives & dies within us/ New ideas, new shoots surprise us/Old learnings fade & fall away/New skills spread tendrils through our days/ Our heads, a harvest of constant yearning/ For the gift of renewal, for lifelong learning.”

Scrapping BTECs will narrow access to English universities timeshighereducation.com/blog/scrapping… via Times Higher Education

Great to be at Norwich Research Park for an Eastern Powerhouse event on Innovation with Science Minster Chloe Smith MP

The East of England is already a research and innovation success story, says Eastern Powerhouse Chairman James Palmer, and with more investment and coordination could do even better.

CEO Ros Bird announces several new major new multi-million investments coming in to Norwich Research Park - the team is all geared up for growth.

The world leading research taking place in Norwich and the East of England helps put the UK into a strong position globally as a high-technology economy, says Chloe Smith MP

Eastern Powerhouse has the energy and potential to advocate and amplify for the East of England’s vital role in driving research and innovation for the UK, says Chloe Smith MP

MD of Lotus Cars makes a plea for greater government support to support the company’s ambition to be a leader in high performance electric vehicle technology.

Newly arrived UEA Vice Chancellor David McGuire has been very impressed by the strong local partnerships between business and academia in Norwich and the huge potential for working together to nurture new and exciting start-up businesses.

What a great event on Innovation at Norwich Research Park! Bringing businesses, scientists, researchers and politicians together has proved to be a catalyst for an explosion of discussion and new ideas.

Ros Bird underlined the need to reach out to schools and colleges to motivate young people to get the skills and education they need to benefit from job opportunities - not just in science and technology but a whole range of support services, from marketing to catering.

£500m extra for the FE sector! Wow. Like the GoT episode “Battle of the Bastards”, just when FE was being crushed to defeat by underfunding, the Knights of the Vale arrive to save us, in the form of ministers Keegan & Halfon. A battle won, but the Game of Funding war continues!

Behaving to Learn, the latest report from ResPublica, opens up an important debate about the importance of school behaviour strategies in supporting the success of all pupils, but especially those from disadvantaged communities. A must-read! respublica.org.uk/wp-content/upl…

STOP KILLING BABIES. A simple human message aimed at all sides in Gaza. Through its heartless punishment of hapless civilians, the Israeli Govt risks losing support & sympathy of us ordinary citizens after the vile Hamas atrocities. STOP!

As a N London FE College Principal I was proud to offer courses to Jews, Muslims, Christians, without fear or favour, as all colleges do. Demonising one belief or another & calling all peace marchers “hate marchers” is a recipe for fostering division & makes us all less secure.