I had forgotten my favourite OJ Simpson fact (probably my favourite fact), OJ Simpson was a sprinter before becoming an American footballer, he took part in a race in 1967 won by a British athlete who ran under 10.2s for the second time that year

That athlete, Ming Campbell

Given the vagaries of British General Election campaigning (Labour were polling at ~25% before campaigning in 2017 and ended up winning 40% of vote), a hung parliament shouldn't be discounted. Essential reading from jack pannell Institute for Government

Who would this campaign even target.

I won't repost that Conservatives ad, but if you accuse your opponents of having 'seized power', use misleading footage & lie about 'squads of enforcers ... terrorising communities', you don't get to brag about upholding democracy against 'extremists' trying to 'tear us apart'.

Do not underestimate how dangerous this discourse is to the Rule of Law. One's job as a lawyer is to represent people who need representation. In litigation the state's job is to represent perceived public interest. The system works when both duties are robustly discharged.

We've set out some early thoughts on the measurement of social and cultural infrastructure in a short working paper.

We'd be interested in any thoughts or comments that people may have.

bennettinstitute.cam.ac.uk/publications/m…

It’s official. The North East’s multi-billion pound devolution deal is done, the legislation has passed through Parliament.

Mayor to be elected on May 2 to head a new North East Mayoral Combined Authority covering Northumberland, Durham, and Tyne and Wear.

New report out now as part of our project with the The British Academy, which seeks to develop a better understanding of how we measure social and cultural infrastructure across the UK.

Labour has been talking a lot about their five missions, which will likely play a central part in their election campaign. But what are missions? Our new explainer has you covered.

instituteforgovernment.org.uk/explainer/miss…

. Local Government Association (LGA) think piece—The case for 'cultural infrastructure'

Michael Kenny, Owen Garling & Steph Coulter highlight the value & impact of culture, heritage & sport not only economically but also in shaping people’s sense of wellbeing & local attachment.

local.gov.uk/topics/culture…

Would you like to explain that to my kids?

You don’t have to choose between far right & Islamist terrorism. You can & should condemn both. They are driven by the same hatred of difference & superiority.

Our country is best when it stands together against extremism in all forms

“…. the Islamists, the extremists and the anti-Semites are in charge now”
Last time I looked love we had a Conservative government in charge and we’ve been in power for about 14 years 🤷🏽‍♀️
I swear the desperate and divisive bull💩 that some of my colleagues spout is…

Very excited to be a part of this initiative!

Should comparative constitutional scholars care about political parties? Download the introduction to a forthcoming edited volume with tomginsburg & Aziz Huq on 'The Comparative Constitutional Design of Elections, Parties and Voting' (@CUP_Law 2024):

ssrn.com/abstract=47298…

One wants to say that this is unbelievable but I’m afraid these attitudes are more widely held in our nation’s capital than many people would care to believe. This language is discriminatory and excluding. In other contexts it would be illegal.

Only 29% of Autistic adults are in any form of employment compared to around 80% of adults in general. Today, I urged the government to ensure the accessibility of workplaces for Autistic people.

I know all the data. So there's no surprise. Never drawn it this well I don't think though. Great stuff FT graph people.

ICYMI: Your Scotland squad for the 2024 Guinness Men's Six Nations 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏆

#AsOne

Based on the findings of the @bennettinst/Institute for Government review of the UK constitution, Stephanie Viatos highlights one of the report's key recommendations for constitutional reform — for parliament to create a joint committee on the constitution.
constitution-unit.com/2024/01/16/why…

My blog highlighting one of the key recommendations from the Institute for Government and Bennett Institute for Public Policy Review of the UK Constitution