The Tories don't have the luxury of choosing whether to target Lib Dem or Reform defectors - they need to win back both. Luckily, they are far more similar in their views & demographics than you might think. The Guardian on new Onward research theguardian.com/politics/artic…

A rare upbeat piece on the British economy from me in this week's The Economist. Since January, UK growth figures have been really quite good. That complicates Labour's story about a dire economic inheritance. Quick 🧵 below (but do also read the piece!) economist.com/britain/2024/0…

Cutting London’s housing target by 20,000 homes per year is a mistake. London can and must deliver many more homes to combat extreme levels of unaffordability. 100,000 homes per year is necessary and achievable. (Thread)

Emm. We’re not expert in methodologies for target-setting but if you DID want to build FAR more homes in London you would legalise by right intensification of existing streets to Pimlico or Islington style terraced houses or Marleybone style mansion blocks. All would need to

Luke’s focus group of working class voters in Leigh found that their number one priority was enforcing the law on rioters. It’s not ‘woke’ to decry rioters, racism, and violence. If you think it is, you’ve lost your way and have become unstuck from the British working class.

The two-child limit means more children in poverty, and is simply counterproductive in an ageing society. Removing it sends the signal that we value the vital contributions parents make in having & raising children.

🏠How politically divisive are Labour’s proposed housing targets? A thread 📈I’ve regrouped govt’s proposed targets by constituency to show which MPs/parties are biggest winners/losers TLDR Lab MPs face smaller increases in targets but must build more vs current delivery (1/8)

This Government was elected promising a growth agenda. Next week's budget will test that. I've written about it in today's The Times and The Sunday Times. #Budget2024 Rachel Reeves thetimes.com/business-money…

'Rising costs will harm investment.' 💬 CEO, Helen Dickinson, has reacted to today's #budget. Retail faces over £2.5 billion in new costs in 2025. brc.org.uk/news/corporate…

I'm not sure I understand choice to get so much of the employer NIC increase by cutting the threshold. It hits employers of the low paid much harder than others. Put alongside big rises in minimum wage and costs of employing low earners will rise a lot.

6 months ago I met the town board in Boston, Lincolnshire, where local business & community groups set out their plans to bring pride back to their area Delighted that yesterday's Budget confirmed the Long Term Plan for Towns will be retained - a vindication of their efforts

Our iconic fairy, Dawn French is back sprinkling some M&S Magic to your Monday with the first M&S Food Christmas ad of the season. ✨🧚‍♀️ Building on last year’s winning festive formula, we’ve crafted an advert that’s bigger, bolder, and even more entertaining. We're delighted

Potentially one of the most interesting jobs in British politics is up for grabs right now. Apply today! ukonward.com/director/

It's been a good H1 at M&S, with growth in: ✅Customers ✅Sales ✅Market share ✅Profit ✅Investment returns However, there's still so much more to do and so much opportunity for future growth - and this energises us! A big thank you to our customers for shopping with us🙏

The M&S renaissance continues. Company reports a profit of £392 million (April - Sept) on the back of rising food + clothing sales. Future’s bright but last week’s Budget is set to add c£100m to the cost of employing its 69,000 staff. M&S’s describes impact as “uncertain”…

"Smaller operators – many away from the stock market – have every reason to grumble. Amazon got off lightly from the budget; they didn’t. Is that really what Reeves intended?" - Nils Pratley theguardian.com/business/nils-…

The right test - and transferable to the UK Daron Acemoglu