🧵I think the shift in messaging from being seen to help/encourage people with depression off benefits and into work (popular) to been seen actively punishing people with depression risks backlash - and in particular from swing voters. Some work we did with Rethink Mental Illness suggests why

🧵With our mayoral polling out today, thought I’d show how we calculate voting intention- from raw data to results. Hopefully will be helpful to show some assumptions we make, why we make them & why we might be wrong! I'll use the North East as that has a lot of factors at play.

Jane Haynes Mr. Montega Hi Jane the polling was conducted across the West Midlands CA. The focus group was designed to understand why people are voting the way they are based on that polling. I’m not sure what you’re implying but you will see eg in the East Midlands we find a big Labour lead.

Have been to one of these parades & obviously a few salt-pinch sized amounts of stage craft, props and actors are involved. Revealing on TV how you’ll hide your missiles is bit of a comedy turn. They know footage like this is studied by western defence analysts.

Our new polling of 4 of next week’s mayoral races is featured in today’s The Times and The Sunday Times by caroline wheeler Starting with the West Midlands where we find incumbent Conservative Andy Street leading Labour’s Richard Parker by 2 points making the race a statistical tie.

Better week did not last.

BREAKING - Tory MP Dan Poulter defects to Labour

theguardian.com/politics/2024/…

This is every week now until Mid December isnt it.

Wishing #RagehOmaar well. On a Fri eve the ITV News newsroom is pretty empty even as News at Ten is on air but there is a duty Editor on call precisely to make any big calls. I’ve been asked to step in for a colleague who fell ill just before going live - can and has been done.

💭 What can boards do to support schools on #SchoolReadiness ?

Our CEO, Felicity Gillespie, caught up with GovernorHub's The Hoot to discuss.

Read the full piece here: kinsq.org/44w1esV and tell us what you think?

These free SEEN Programme resources include materials on brain development & the role of caregivers in the first 5 years of life.

It's better to learn this before you become a parent, right? Should we introduce this as part of the standard curriculum?

kinsq.org/4aFmTRB

also amid #GE2024 rumours, possible political Jedi move for mega Star Wars fan Rishi Sunak to announce a GE on Mon, ahead of the local/mayoral elections on Thursday- just before one of his favourite days: May the 4th...and he'll need ALL the Force to be with him

Just mentioning amid #GE2024 rumours that next Monday is World Wish Day

thetimes.co.uk/article/is-the…

Calling Tim Shipman - first it was a trilogy of books, then four...then a lifetime's work...bet your agent's eyes lit up when they saw this !

Labour leads the Tories among Sun, Telegraph and Express readers

Finds Survation. for Best for Britain

Opening his speech to the press gallery the Home Sec took a phone call, answering: 'Hi... yes, I'm in a room full of very bad people... just send over the money'

(Which won him plenty of laughs)

Open question is this the path the Reform vote takes nationally during the General Election? FWIW 'vote Reform get Labour' is likely far more effective a message than trying to out Reform reform which tends to simply amplify their issues (and reinforce perceived Tory failure)

Is your 5 year old on socials? Take part in our poll! 🔻🔻🔻

There's a real risk of Tories losing southern councils while holding onto majorities in the north and midlands

The local elections next week will be an interesting test of the impact of Levelling up and political realignment more broadly

A short 🧵 on councils to watch