Andrew Harrop
@andrewharrop.bsky.social
Director at Public First. Former Fabian Society General Secretary (2011-2024). Public policy of work, money, health & care.
https://cradle2grave.substack.com
https://cradle2grave.substack.com
Does this change everything or nothing?
- target voters?
- policy?
- party management?
- government coordination?
- story telling?
- why Keir wants to be PM?
- target voters?
- policy?
- party management?
- government coordination?
- story telling?
- why Keir wants to be PM?
February 8, 2026 at 4:16 PM
Does this change everything or nothing?
- target voters?
- policy?
- party management?
- government coordination?
- story telling?
- why Keir wants to be PM?
- target voters?
- policy?
- party management?
- government coordination?
- story telling?
- why Keir wants to be PM?
Reposted by Andrew Harrop
Realistically the best case for Starmer (and I'm not saying this is likely) is "Theresa May after Hill and Timothy resigned": complete change in strategy that allows for better governance setting up better conditions for his successor in the next GE
February 8, 2026 at 3:21 PM
Realistically the best case for Starmer (and I'm not saying this is likely) is "Theresa May after Hill and Timothy resigned": complete change in strategy that allows for better governance setting up better conditions for his successor in the next GE
Reposted by Andrew Harrop
A good example of how strangely unpolitical this government is at times.
The Economist is fretting that trade union laws have been tilted (sharply!) back towards strengthening unions.
But is the government making an argument around this to progressive voters? No.
economist.com/britain/2026...
The Economist is fretting that trade union laws have been tilted (sharply!) back towards strengthening unions.
But is the government making an argument around this to progressive voters? No.
economist.com/britain/2026...
February 7, 2026 at 12:59 PM
A good example of how strangely unpolitical this government is at times.
The Economist is fretting that trade union laws have been tilted (sharply!) back towards strengthening unions.
But is the government making an argument around this to progressive voters? No.
economist.com/britain/2026...
The Economist is fretting that trade union laws have been tilted (sharply!) back towards strengthening unions.
But is the government making an argument around this to progressive voters? No.
economist.com/britain/2026...
What is the role of Adult Social Care in building a Neighbourhood Health Service?
I had the pleasure of working out the answer, working with the brilliant Sir David Pearson, and writing this statement published today by Skills for Care and partners
www.linkedin.com/posts/andrew...
I had the pleasure of working out the answer, working with the brilliant Sir David Pearson, and writing this statement published today by Skills for Care and partners
www.linkedin.com/posts/andrew...
Adult social care’s contribution to the Neighbourhood Health Service in England | Andrew Harrop
Public First is delighted to have supported Skills for Care and its partners to produce this new paper on Adult Social Care’s contribution to the Neighbourhood Health Service in England.
The statemen...
www.linkedin.com
January 30, 2026 at 11:41 AM
What is the role of Adult Social Care in building a Neighbourhood Health Service?
I had the pleasure of working out the answer, working with the brilliant Sir David Pearson, and writing this statement published today by Skills for Care and partners
www.linkedin.com/posts/andrew...
I had the pleasure of working out the answer, working with the brilliant Sir David Pearson, and writing this statement published today by Skills for Care and partners
www.linkedin.com/posts/andrew...
Fascinating (and worrying) to see a false meme derived from overseas data & social media culture get so much traction… never mind the UK evidence
John Oxley points out the clear yet often overlooked point that young men 18-24 are the second most liberal, left-leaning group in society (after young women) - being more so than young-ish thirtysomething women, and older women, as well as than men in older cohorts
🚨🚨 NEW BLOGPOST 🚨🚨
The right wing should be worried about young men. Unlike Europe and the US, British young men are swinging wildly behind progressive parties. Some thoughts on why, and why most of the right are ignoring it.
open.substack.com/pub/joxleywr...
The right wing should be worried about young men. Unlike Europe and the US, British young men are swinging wildly behind progressive parties. Some thoughts on why, and why most of the right are ignoring it.
open.substack.com/pub/joxleywr...
January 30, 2026 at 9:59 AM
Fascinating (and worrying) to see a false meme derived from overseas data & social media culture get so much traction… never mind the UK evidence
Reposted by Andrew Harrop
🧵 on new analysis w/ @resolutionfoundation.org on why if Universal Credit is to be improved it is time to ‘listen and learn’ to experts like@changingrealities.bsky.social
For more on why govts should move from a ‘test and learn’ to a ‘listen and learn’ approach 📚 academic.oup.com/ooec/article...
For more on why govts should move from a ‘test and learn’ to a ‘listen and learn’ approach 📚 academic.oup.com/ooec/article...
January 29, 2026 at 4:31 PM
🧵 on new analysis w/ @resolutionfoundation.org on why if Universal Credit is to be improved it is time to ‘listen and learn’ to experts like@changingrealities.bsky.social
For more on why govts should move from a ‘test and learn’ to a ‘listen and learn’ approach 📚 academic.oup.com/ooec/article...
For more on why govts should move from a ‘test and learn’ to a ‘listen and learn’ approach 📚 academic.oup.com/ooec/article...
NEW POST
When I went freelance in 2024, I didn’t think at all about insuring my new business.
It turns out I was not alone.
cradle2grave.substack.com/p/small-busi...
When I went freelance in 2024, I didn’t think at all about insuring my new business.
It turns out I was not alone.
cradle2grave.substack.com/p/small-busi...
Small business, big risk
I've just completed research for the ABI that shows how hundreds of thousands of UK small businesses are going without insurance for the risks they face
cradle2grave.substack.com
January 29, 2026 at 2:27 PM
NEW POST
When I went freelance in 2024, I didn’t think at all about insuring my new business.
It turns out I was not alone.
cradle2grave.substack.com/p/small-busi...
When I went freelance in 2024, I didn’t think at all about insuring my new business.
It turns out I was not alone.
cradle2grave.substack.com/p/small-busi...
Reposted by Andrew Harrop
Amazing that journalists need to have this explained.
The Parliament Act is not ‘archaic’. The constant possibility of using it is what maintains the supremacy of the Commons, and means the Lords almost always give way.
www.theguardian.com/society/2026...
www.theguardian.com/society/2026...
Assisted dying backers could use archaic procedure to bypass ‘undemocratic’ block by peers
Exclusive: MPs backing bill to use ‘nuclear option’ of 1911 Parliament Act if it continues to be blocked by Lords
www.theguardian.com
January 29, 2026 at 7:10 AM
Amazing that journalists need to have this explained.
The Parliament Act is not ‘archaic’. The constant possibility of using it is what maintains the supremacy of the Commons, and means the Lords almost always give way.
www.theguardian.com/society/2026...
www.theguardian.com/society/2026...
Assisted dying backers could use archaic procedure to bypass ‘undemocratic’ block by peers
Exclusive: MPs backing bill to use ‘nuclear option’ of 1911 Parliament Act if it continues to be blocked by Lords
www.theguardian.com
January 29, 2026 at 4:50 AM
The Parliament Act is not ‘archaic’. The constant possibility of using it is what maintains the supremacy of the Commons, and means the Lords almost always give way.
www.theguardian.com/society/2026...
www.theguardian.com/society/2026...
Let’s not go down the UBI rabbit hole again…
Absolutely, tax AI disrupters’ profits, but spend it on Universal Credit (and the government’s proposed new unemployment insurance). This actually protects jobless people.
Don’t waste a second more talking about UBI
giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
Absolutely, tax AI disrupters’ profits, but spend it on Universal Credit (and the government’s proposed new unemployment insurance). This actually protects jobless people.
Don’t waste a second more talking about UBI
giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
Universal basic income needed to cushion blow from AI job losses, says UK minister
Lord Jason Stockwood had previously suggested that tech companies could pay a windfall levy to fund the payments
giftarticle.ft.com
January 28, 2026 at 11:32 PM
Let’s not go down the UBI rabbit hole again…
Absolutely, tax AI disrupters’ profits, but spend it on Universal Credit (and the government’s proposed new unemployment insurance). This actually protects jobless people.
Don’t waste a second more talking about UBI
giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
Absolutely, tax AI disrupters’ profits, but spend it on Universal Credit (and the government’s proposed new unemployment insurance). This actually protects jobless people.
Don’t waste a second more talking about UBI
giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
Reposted by Andrew Harrop
Post war western Europe is simply the best society that this species has ever managed to create. Never forget it. Defend it for all we're worth.
January 25, 2026 at 10:58 AM
Post war western Europe is simply the best society that this species has ever managed to create. Never forget it. Defend it for all we're worth.
Reposted by Andrew Harrop
On Alan Milburn's ignorant and unproductive comments about personal independence payment, SEND and their impact on young people not in employment, education or training
Anxious Alan
makingrightsmakesense.wordpress.com/2026/01/25/a...
Anxious Alan
makingrightsmakesense.wordpress.com/2026/01/25/a...
Anxious Alan
In the late 2000s, when I was Disability Programme Director at the Equality and Human Rights Commission, I was invited to delivery a talk in Rome to talk about disability rights, and the relevance …
makingrightsmakesense.wordpress.com
January 24, 2026 at 11:24 PM
On Alan Milburn's ignorant and unproductive comments about personal independence payment, SEND and their impact on young people not in employment, education or training
Anxious Alan
makingrightsmakesense.wordpress.com/2026/01/25/a...
Anxious Alan
makingrightsmakesense.wordpress.com/2026/01/25/a...
Reposted by Andrew Harrop
“giving up Chagos was stupid and this proves you should therefore give up Greenland”
January 20, 2026 at 7:31 AM
“giving up Chagos was stupid and this proves you should therefore give up Greenland”
Excellent review of the pressure facing Europe’s state pensions
The UK is better placed than many: brely any politics about our next rise to pension age in April
But we still need to debate replacing the triple lock with a system pegged to % of average earnings
giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
The UK is better placed than many: brely any politics about our next rise to pension age in April
But we still need to debate replacing the triple lock with a system pegged to % of average earnings
giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
Can Europe still afford its generous state pensions?
Rising numbers of older people across the continent are straining budgets and making for some difficult political decisions
giftarticle.ft.com
January 15, 2026 at 7:43 AM
Excellent review of the pressure facing Europe’s state pensions
The UK is better placed than many: brely any politics about our next rise to pension age in April
But we still need to debate replacing the triple lock with a system pegged to % of average earnings
giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
The UK is better placed than many: brely any politics about our next rise to pension age in April
But we still need to debate replacing the triple lock with a system pegged to % of average earnings
giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
Reposted by Andrew Harrop
🚨 10 DAYS TO GO 🚨
The countdown is on for New Year Conference 2026: Renewing Britain
The countdown is on for New Year Conference 2026: Renewing Britain
January 14, 2026 at 10:58 AM
🚨 10 DAYS TO GO 🚨
The countdown is on for New Year Conference 2026: Renewing Britain
The countdown is on for New Year Conference 2026: Renewing Britain
Reposted by Andrew Harrop
It is funny to think that once upon a time people believed things that were printed in The Times.
January 14, 2026 at 10:45 AM
It is funny to think that once upon a time people believed things that were printed in The Times.
January 14, 2026 at 9:12 AM
Reposted by Andrew Harrop
Thoughtful post that goes to the heart of how to move towards a national care service in the context of wide local variations in spending and need. This is not straightforward.
NEW POST: Figures out last week tell us just how much local care expenditure in England deviates from underlying spending pressures.
- On average, areas with lower needs spend ‘too much’ and areas with higher needs spend ‘too little’.
1/2
cradle2grave.substack.com/p/ending-the...
- On average, areas with lower needs spend ‘too much’ and areas with higher needs spend ‘too little’.
1/2
cradle2grave.substack.com/p/ending-the...
Ending the post code lottery in care?
Local social care spending across England does not reflect different levels of need - and reforms announced last week make only a slow start at putting that right
cradle2grave.substack.com
December 22, 2025 at 10:45 AM
Thoughtful post that goes to the heart of how to move towards a national care service in the context of wide local variations in spending and need. This is not straightforward.
NEW POST: Figures out last week tell us just how much local care expenditure in England deviates from underlying spending pressures.
- On average, areas with lower needs spend ‘too much’ and areas with higher needs spend ‘too little’.
1/2
cradle2grave.substack.com/p/ending-the...
- On average, areas with lower needs spend ‘too much’ and areas with higher needs spend ‘too little’.
1/2
cradle2grave.substack.com/p/ending-the...
Ending the post code lottery in care?
Local social care spending across England does not reflect different levels of need - and reforms announced last week make only a slow start at putting that right
cradle2grave.substack.com
December 22, 2025 at 9:25 AM
NEW POST: Figures out last week tell us just how much local care expenditure in England deviates from underlying spending pressures.
- On average, areas with lower needs spend ‘too much’ and areas with higher needs spend ‘too little’.
1/2
cradle2grave.substack.com/p/ending-the...
- On average, areas with lower needs spend ‘too much’ and areas with higher needs spend ‘too little’.
1/2
cradle2grave.substack.com/p/ending-the...
Reposted by Andrew Harrop
Jeffrey Epstein & David Walliams leading all the bulletins but Kemi Badenoch knows that only men from ‘different cultures’ pose a threat to women.
December 19, 2025 at 10:04 PM
Jeffrey Epstein & David Walliams leading all the bulletins but Kemi Badenoch knows that only men from ‘different cultures’ pose a threat to women.
Reposted by Andrew Harrop
This Bill will be transformative. But there is more that we could do to strengthen rights at work in the coming years.
At @thefabians.bsky.social, we are exploring the next steps in the employment rights agenda.
Get in touch with @lukeraikes.bsky.social if you want to find out more.
At @thefabians.bsky.social, we are exploring the next steps in the employment rights agenda.
Get in touch with @lukeraikes.bsky.social if you want to find out more.
December 16, 2025 at 7:21 PM
This Bill will be transformative. But there is more that we could do to strengthen rights at work in the coming years.
At @thefabians.bsky.social, we are exploring the next steps in the employment rights agenda.
Get in touch with @lukeraikes.bsky.social if you want to find out more.
At @thefabians.bsky.social, we are exploring the next steps in the employment rights agenda.
Get in touch with @lukeraikes.bsky.social if you want to find out more.
Thanks FT
🤷🏼♂️
🤷🏼♂️
December 14, 2025 at 10:55 PM
Thanks FT
🤷🏼♂️
🤷🏼♂️
Reposted by Andrew Harrop
This afternoon there was a stabbing on the Westbourne estate in Islington.
December 9, 2025 at 4:37 PM
This afternoon there was a stabbing on the Westbourne estate in Islington.
This is 100% wrong
Limiting pension salary sacrifice for high earners in the private sector will hit men far more than women
Critics may not like the reform, but it equalises the tax benefits of pension saving for men/women, rich/poor
giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
Limiting pension salary sacrifice for high earners in the private sector will hit men far more than women
Critics may not like the reform, but it equalises the tax benefits of pension saving for men/women, rich/poor
giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
December 5, 2025 at 4:05 PM
This is 100% wrong
Limiting pension salary sacrifice for high earners in the private sector will hit men far more than women
Critics may not like the reform, but it equalises the tax benefits of pension saving for men/women, rich/poor
giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
Limiting pension salary sacrifice for high earners in the private sector will hit men far more than women
Critics may not like the reform, but it equalises the tax benefits of pension saving for men/women, rich/poor
giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
Reposted by Andrew Harrop
And btw @resolutionfoundation.org correctly predicted that the economy might prove more tax rich. Was CX misleading for not confirming their estimates??
As I said on Times Radio, lots of sensible people now think the whole pantomime of how Budgets are done needs to change. 4/4
As I said on Times Radio, lots of sensible people now think the whole pantomime of how Budgets are done needs to change. 4/4
December 1, 2025 at 10:18 PM
And btw @resolutionfoundation.org correctly predicted that the economy might prove more tax rich. Was CX misleading for not confirming their estimates??
As I said on Times Radio, lots of sensible people now think the whole pantomime of how Budgets are done needs to change. 4/4
As I said on Times Radio, lots of sensible people now think the whole pantomime of how Budgets are done needs to change. 4/4