David Bent
@davidbent.bsky.social
Founder: Atelier of What’s Next, a studio for initiatives at the frontier of generating a better future.
Edmund Hillary Fellow. Hon Lecturer: UCL Institute for Sustainable Resources. Views own.
https://linktr.ee/davidbent
Edmund Hillary Fellow. Hon Lecturer: UCL Institute for Sustainable Resources. Views own.
https://linktr.ee/davidbent
Reposted by David Bent
The government's earned settlement proposals manage to be politically and morally bankrupt at the same time as being economically and fiscally counterproductive.
Quite remarkable really.
www.ft.com/content/ca14...
Quite remarkable really.
www.ft.com/content/ca14...
Non-working partners risk limbo with UK migration reforms, analysis finds
Research comes as ministers signal rethink of policy that could carry big fiscal cost
www.ft.com
February 11, 2026 at 12:14 PM
The government's earned settlement proposals manage to be politically and morally bankrupt at the same time as being economically and fiscally counterproductive.
Quite remarkable really.
www.ft.com/content/ca14...
Quite remarkable really.
www.ft.com/content/ca14...
Reposted by David Bent
This thread is so good.
Disturbingly detailed analysis of my first rewatch incoming
February 11, 2026 at 7:30 AM
This thread is so good.
Reposted by David Bent
I'd add to @benansell.bsky.social's political analysis here the simple point that a reset here would be *good* for growth and save money.
The settlement proposals are not just morally repulsive and politically self-defeating, but also an act of economic self-harm.
The settlement proposals are not just morally repulsive and politically self-defeating, but also an act of economic self-harm.
If Starmer wants a reset - and not yet another U-turn when the parliamentary party balks at a policy - here is his chance.
300,000 children face 10-year wait for settled status under UK plans, says IPPR
The consultation closes on Thursday. What is being proposed is dreadful. Can I encourage you to engage with the consultation and put your dissent on record?
The consultation closes on Thursday. What is being proposed is dreadful. Can I encourage you to engage with the consultation and put your dissent on record?
February 10, 2026 at 7:44 AM
I'd add to @benansell.bsky.social's political analysis here the simple point that a reset here would be *good* for growth and save money.
The settlement proposals are not just morally repulsive and politically self-defeating, but also an act of economic self-harm.
The settlement proposals are not just morally repulsive and politically self-defeating, but also an act of economic self-harm.
Reposted by David Bent
Wild fact from @billmckibben.bsky.social's latest newsletter:
"The last colder-than-average month on planet earth was in February of 1985, which means that no one under the age of forty has ever known one."
"The last colder-than-average month on planet earth was in February of 1985, which means that no one under the age of forty has ever known one."
Notes on winter
When the world turns whimsical
billmckibben.substack.com
February 9, 2026 at 8:33 PM
Wild fact from @billmckibben.bsky.social's latest newsletter:
"The last colder-than-average month on planet earth was in February of 1985, which means that no one under the age of forty has ever known one."
"The last colder-than-average month on planet earth was in February of 1985, which means that no one under the age of forty has ever known one."
Reposted by David Bent
U.K. might lose a prime minister because a guy who worked for him knew another guy who hung out with Epstein. Meanwhile the U.S. opposition party is telling our President, who was Epstein's best friend, that his secret police should get better training so their public street murders look less messy.
February 9, 2026 at 4:07 PM
U.K. might lose a prime minister because a guy who worked for him knew another guy who hung out with Epstein. Meanwhile the U.S. opposition party is telling our President, who was Epstein's best friend, that his secret police should get better training so their public street murders look less messy.
Reposted by David Bent
🚨 NEW: Keir Starmer received a standing ovation and a 37-second applause as he entered the room to speak to Labour MPs just now
Start the Lettuce Clock, Starmer is cooked.
Start the Lettuce Clock, Starmer is cooked.
February 9, 2026 at 6:56 PM
🚨 NEW: Keir Starmer received a standing ovation and a 37-second applause as he entered the room to speak to Labour MPs just now
Start the Lettuce Clock, Starmer is cooked.
Start the Lettuce Clock, Starmer is cooked.
Reposted by David Bent
The flaw in the McSweeney/Starmer project can be summed up with "the people whose pitch to the electorate was they were serious also had no interest in policy", and when stated that bluntly it seems extraordinary it got this far
One of many things that Starmer and McSweeney have in common is neither is particularly interested in policy, and I think the lack of 'I need goodwill in order to deliver change' and the 'our planning for government goes to another school' all come from that.
What went wrong? Managing to lose goodwill and aggravate your own MPs, party members and voters is certainly an achievement of sorts
That goodwill is what you need to deliver the level of change promised seems to have been lost on McSweeney
That goodwill is what you need to deliver the level of change promised seems to have been lost on McSweeney
February 9, 2026 at 11:29 AM
The flaw in the McSweeney/Starmer project can be summed up with "the people whose pitch to the electorate was they were serious also had no interest in policy", and when stated that bluntly it seems extraordinary it got this far
Reposted by David Bent
👇 Spoiler alert, this is basically what I’m going to say in tomorrow’s newsletter. www.ft.com/tryinsidepolitics
February 8, 2026 at 3:28 PM
👇 Spoiler alert, this is basically what I’m going to say in tomorrow’s newsletter. www.ft.com/tryinsidepolitics
Reposted by David Bent
Sort of extraordinary that there is only one obvious precedent for a prime minister winning a landslide election victory and then seeming like toast just two years later … and it’s the election *immediately* before this one.
February 8, 2026 at 2:53 PM
Sort of extraordinary that there is only one obvious precedent for a prime minister winning a landslide election victory and then seeming like toast just two years later … and it’s the election *immediately* before this one.
Reposted by David Bent
Starmer isn’t going to resign unless some additional very bad thing is discovered.*
*It is quite likely some additional very bad thing is going to be discovered
*It is quite likely some additional very bad thing is going to be discovered
February 8, 2026 at 3:00 PM
Starmer isn’t going to resign unless some additional very bad thing is discovered.*
*It is quite likely some additional very bad thing is going to be discovered
*It is quite likely some additional very bad thing is going to be discovered
Reposted by David Bent
Have Keir Starmer’s allies considered…just getting better at their jobs?
Will Keir Starmer use his nuclear option to try to head off a leadership challenge? www.independent.co.uk/voices/keir-...
Will Keir Starmer use his nuclear option to try to head off a leadership challenge?
The prime minister’s allies have hinted that he will call a general election, says John Rentoul
www.independent.co.uk
February 7, 2026 at 4:13 PM
Have Keir Starmer’s allies considered…just getting better at their jobs?
Reposted by David Bent
Reform proposal of keeping 450,000 children in poverty to save *5p* on the price of a beer is actually a perfect illustration of the sort of thoughtless vandalism and arbitrary cruelty we could expect from them in government, so this tracks.
Hard to think of a worse idea than this in living memory.
Hard to think of a worse idea than this in living memory.
February 4, 2026 at 9:11 AM
Reform proposal of keeping 450,000 children in poverty to save *5p* on the price of a beer is actually a perfect illustration of the sort of thoughtless vandalism and arbitrary cruelty we could expect from them in government, so this tracks.
Hard to think of a worse idea than this in living memory.
Hard to think of a worse idea than this in living memory.
Reposted by David Bent
GM: Charisma check.
Mamdani: [rolls natural 20]
GM: that’s a d6 how did you
Mamdani: [direct to camera] Did you know you can check out board games at your local public library? 😊
Mamdani: [rolls natural 20]
GM: that’s a d6 how did you
Mamdani: [direct to camera] Did you know you can check out board games at your local public library? 😊
February 7, 2026 at 5:01 AM
GM: Charisma check.
Mamdani: [rolls natural 20]
GM: that’s a d6 how did you
Mamdani: [direct to camera] Did you know you can check out board games at your local public library? 😊
Mamdani: [rolls natural 20]
GM: that’s a d6 how did you
Mamdani: [direct to camera] Did you know you can check out board games at your local public library? 😊
Reposted by David Bent
Quite funny that Starmer's allies are waking up to this point now …
Cuts to Winter Fuel… not in the manifesto
Disability benefit cuts… not in there either
Cutting jury trials… also not there
Digital ID… no mention
Raising employers NI… nope
Freezing tax threholds… nah
Contracts with Palantir… no
Cuts to Winter Fuel… not in the manifesto
Disability benefit cuts… not in there either
Cutting jury trials… also not there
Digital ID… no mention
Raising employers NI… nope
Freezing tax threholds… nah
Contracts with Palantir… no
February 6, 2026 at 4:58 PM
Quite funny that Starmer's allies are waking up to this point now …
Cuts to Winter Fuel… not in the manifesto
Disability benefit cuts… not in there either
Cutting jury trials… also not there
Digital ID… no mention
Raising employers NI… nope
Freezing tax threholds… nah
Contracts with Palantir… no
Cuts to Winter Fuel… not in the manifesto
Disability benefit cuts… not in there either
Cutting jury trials… also not there
Digital ID… no mention
Raising employers NI… nope
Freezing tax threholds… nah
Contracts with Palantir… no
Who should be the next Director General of the BBC? Another grey man in a suit?
Or an artist who’s spent their career making work that speaks to people, connects to their everyday lives, takes risks, & challenges abuses of power?
Love Ssega! #SsegaForDG!
www.absurdintelligence.com/why-im-runni...
Or an artist who’s spent their career making work that speaks to people, connects to their everyday lives, takes risks, & challenges abuses of power?
Love Ssega! #SsegaForDG!
www.absurdintelligence.com/why-im-runni...
Why I'm running to be Director General of the BBC
Our public broadcaster belongs to us, the people - it's time to bring the BBC back into our hands. A guest post from Love Ssega. #SsegaForDG
www.absurdintelligence.com
February 6, 2026 at 12:31 PM
Who should be the next Director General of the BBC? Another grey man in a suit?
Or an artist who’s spent their career making work that speaks to people, connects to their everyday lives, takes risks, & challenges abuses of power?
Love Ssega! #SsegaForDG!
www.absurdintelligence.com/why-im-runni...
Or an artist who’s spent their career making work that speaks to people, connects to their everyday lives, takes risks, & challenges abuses of power?
Love Ssega! #SsegaForDG!
www.absurdintelligence.com/why-im-runni...
Reposted by David Bent
Yet this is a government with three years left to run and an enormous Commons majority. For all the problems, there is an enormous opportunity there for someone with the political nous to take it and use it.
Starmer's reported condition - incredibly unpopular, shorn of authority, probably un-reelectable and yet will stagger on for want of an alternative - is just the new normal of how Britain is governed. It was also true for two-thirds of May's premiership, half of Johnson's and all of Sunak's.
February 6, 2026 at 11:52 AM
Yet this is a government with three years left to run and an enormous Commons majority. For all the problems, there is an enormous opportunity there for someone with the political nous to take it and use it.
Reposted by David Bent
There's no reason to accept this as normal, though. Much of Starmer and Labour's unpopularity is not misfortune but his own doing. Mandelson was a choice. Consistently pursuing policy positions designed to appeal to people who will not vote for you - and alienating core supporters - is a choice.
Starmer's reported condition - incredibly unpopular, shorn of authority, probably un-reelectable and yet will stagger on for want of an alternative - is just the new normal of how Britain is governed. It was also true for two-thirds of May's premiership, half of Johnson's and all of Sunak's.
February 6, 2026 at 11:48 AM
There's no reason to accept this as normal, though. Much of Starmer and Labour's unpopularity is not misfortune but his own doing. Mandelson was a choice. Consistently pursuing policy positions designed to appeal to people who will not vote for you - and alienating core supporters - is a choice.
Reposted by David Bent
I hope the abyss in @stephenkb.bsky.social's newsletter becomes a returning character
February 6, 2026 at 11:20 AM
I hope the abyss in @stephenkb.bsky.social's newsletter becomes a returning character
Reposted by David Bent
FT exclusive:
“The US state department is set to fund Maga-aligned think-tanks and charities across Europe to disseminate Washington’s policy positions and challenge perceived threats to free speech.”
via @annasophiegross.bsky.social and colleagues
“The US state department is set to fund Maga-aligned think-tanks and charities across Europe to disseminate Washington’s policy positions and challenge perceived threats to free speech.”
via @annasophiegross.bsky.social and colleagues
February 5, 2026 at 11:39 PM
FT exclusive:
“The US state department is set to fund Maga-aligned think-tanks and charities across Europe to disseminate Washington’s policy positions and challenge perceived threats to free speech.”
via @annasophiegross.bsky.social and colleagues
“The US state department is set to fund Maga-aligned think-tanks and charities across Europe to disseminate Washington’s policy positions and challenge perceived threats to free speech.”
via @annasophiegross.bsky.social and colleagues
Reposted by David Bent
Yeah this is correct. Whatever else opinions you may have of Mamdani, through vehement dislike to veneration, this is a guy who is *very very good* at the communications side of politics and human interaction generally. A generational talent, probably the most talented natural performer since Obama?
(seen a bunch of people sharing this/talking in general about how "normal" Mamdani is but imo this doesn't show a normal person, but an *exceptionally* skilled communicator - a normal person wouldn't react like that to having a speech interrupted by a child! give him his due!)
Child at the podium: “A woo woo woo.”
Mamdani: That’s how I felt when we came up with this plan. Together, we will expand the idea of what is possible in our city—and what sounds and noises we can make at a press conference.
Mamdani: That’s how I felt when we came up with this plan. Together, we will expand the idea of what is possible in our city—and what sounds and noises we can make at a press conference.
February 6, 2026 at 10:09 AM
Yeah this is correct. Whatever else opinions you may have of Mamdani, through vehement dislike to veneration, this is a guy who is *very very good* at the communications side of politics and human interaction generally. A generational talent, probably the most talented natural performer since Obama?
Reposted by David Bent
Now I reckon Trump declaring mid-term results to be illegitimate and sending in goons to violently disrupt Congress after mid-terms does not end well for him. But he is surrounded by courtiers who would be desperate and deluded enough to talk him into it unless the work is put in to head them off
February 5, 2026 at 7:28 PM
Now I reckon Trump declaring mid-term results to be illegitimate and sending in goons to violently disrupt Congress after mid-terms does not end well for him. But he is surrounded by courtiers who would be desperate and deluded enough to talk him into it unless the work is put in to head them off
Reposted by David Bent
What is the point of Keir Starmer staying as prime minister?
February 5, 2026 at 8:19 AM
What is the point of Keir Starmer staying as prime minister?
Reposted by David Bent
We've reached the "Maurice Glasman showed better judgement than the PM" stage of this crisis. Not sure there's any way back from that...
EXC:
I can reveal the contents of a memo by Labour peer Lord Maurice Glasman in January 2025 warning Number 10 it was making a mistake to hire Mandelson - sent to Starmer’s chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney.
www.ft.com/content/584a...
I can reveal the contents of a memo by Labour peer Lord Maurice Glasman in January 2025 warning Number 10 it was making a mistake to hire Mandelson - sent to Starmer’s chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney.
www.ft.com/content/584a...
Keir Starmer apologises to victims of Jeffrey Epstein
UK prime minister faces criticism from Labour MPs but insists he is not about to quit
www.ft.com
February 5, 2026 at 3:53 PM
We've reached the "Maurice Glasman showed better judgement than the PM" stage of this crisis. Not sure there's any way back from that...
Reposted by David Bent
Starmer finding that place in a Venn Diagram where he manages to annoy allies without defeating enemies
Keir Starmer attacks the racism of Reform and Matt Goodwin but then adds that "Britain has also been let down by a mindset on the left of politics that is too slow to defend core British values"
February 5, 2026 at 11:29 AM
Starmer finding that place in a Venn Diagram where he manages to annoy allies without defeating enemies
Reposted by David Bent
For years, Starmer's critics on the left have warned that he was trashing Labour values, kowtowing to the rich and powerful while hurting the poor and the living world.
Every time, people here and elsewhere leapt up to call us "closet Tories" and "Reform enablers".
Funny how they've gone so quiet.
Every time, people here and elsewhere leapt up to call us "closet Tories" and "Reform enablers".
Funny how they've gone so quiet.
February 5, 2026 at 10:35 AM
For years, Starmer's critics on the left have warned that he was trashing Labour values, kowtowing to the rich and powerful while hurting the poor and the living world.
Every time, people here and elsewhere leapt up to call us "closet Tories" and "Reform enablers".
Funny how they've gone so quiet.
Every time, people here and elsewhere leapt up to call us "closet Tories" and "Reform enablers".
Funny how they've gone so quiet.