David Ward
@davidjward.bsky.social
President Emeritus @GlobalNCAP; Tenterden Town Cllr in Weald of Kent; Fmr Policy Head for late Lab Leader John Smith; Mbr AngloHellenic League; Married to Emma; Father to Katy & Alex (lost to MND in 2020); Proud Grandpa; Walked by Ralph & Rufus!
Robert Jenrick’s expulsion from the Conservatives is awkward for Katie Lam MP as she strongly supported him in 2024 Tory leadership contest. I wonder if she will be loyal to Weald of Kent Conservatives or seduced by Reform UK? Her constituents deserve to know if she is a ‘faithful’ or a ‘traitor’
January 15, 2026 at 1:11 PM
Robert Jenrick’s expulsion from the Conservatives is awkward for Katie Lam MP as she strongly supported him in 2024 Tory leadership contest. I wonder if she will be loyal to Weald of Kent Conservatives or seduced by Reform UK? Her constituents deserve to know if she is a ‘faithful’ or a ‘traitor’
Lord Mandelson’s ability to handle the media was legendary but never when applied to himself. The ‘Prince of Darkness’ was in full ‘Prince Andrew’ mode in Laura Kuenssberg interview. Non apology completely ignores his damaging emails to Epstein. His Trump analysis also woefully naive.
January 13, 2026 at 6:16 AM
Lord Mandelson’s ability to handle the media was legendary but never when applied to himself. The ‘Prince of Darkness’ was in full ‘Prince Andrew’ mode in Laura Kuenssberg interview. Non apology completely ignores his damaging emails to Epstein. His Trump analysis also woefully naive.
Great that new Department for Transport road safety strategy sets ambitious target to reduce deaths & serious injuries #65by35. Delighted 18 vehicle safety measures will now align with European General Safety Requirement ensuring UK meets global best practice. See: www.gov.uk/government/n...
January 7, 2026 at 7:13 AM
Great that new Department for Transport road safety strategy sets ambitious target to reduce deaths & serious injuries #65by35. Delighted 18 vehicle safety measures will now align with European General Safety Requirement ensuring UK meets global best practice. See: www.gov.uk/government/n...
Trump’s Attack on Venezuela Is Illegal and Unwise www.nytimes.com/2026/01/03/o...
Opinion | Trump’s Attack on Venezuela Is Illegal and Unwise
www.nytimes.com
January 4, 2026 at 11:10 PM
Trump’s Attack on Venezuela Is Illegal and Unwise www.nytimes.com/2026/01/03/o...
Wishing friends, family, & pets a prosperous and peaceful 2026!
January 1, 2026 at 6:09 PM
Wishing friends, family, & pets a prosperous and peaceful 2026!
Wonderful exhibition at Sissinghurst Castle on Greece & Harold Nicholson. Interesting on post WW1 peace conf. & key role of Greek PM E Venizelos who visited Sissinghurst in 1934. Good to see Nicholson arguing in 1924 for return of Parthenon marbles to mark 100 years since Byron’s death!
January 1, 2026 at 6:07 PM
Wonderful exhibition at Sissinghurst Castle on Greece & Harold Nicholson. Interesting on post WW1 peace conf. & key role of Greek PM E Venizelos who visited Sissinghurst in 1934. Good to see Nicholson arguing in 1924 for return of Parthenon marbles to mark 100 years since Byron’s death!
Season’s greetings
December 25, 2025 at 11:21 AM
Season’s greetings
Proud to receive UK Guild of Motoring Writers 2025 Special Contribution to Motoring Award. A privilege to have contributed to both EuroNCAP & @globalncap.org building a market for safer vehicles worldwide. It’s been a team effort but very touching to have my work recognised by UK motoring writers.
December 6, 2025 at 8:02 AM
Proud to receive UK Guild of Motoring Writers 2025 Special Contribution to Motoring Award. A privilege to have contributed to both EuroNCAP & @globalncap.org building a market for safer vehicles worldwide. It’s been a team effort but very touching to have my work recognised by UK motoring writers.
Congratulations to Ralph Nader on 60th anniversary of ‘Unsafe At Any Speed’. This historic study on failure of US auto industry to make cars crashworthy was catalyst for federal vehicle safety standards & led to huge improvements in road safety worldwide. www.ralphnaderradiohour.com/p/unsafe-at-...
November 27, 2025 at 3:24 PM
Congratulations to Ralph Nader on 60th anniversary of ‘Unsafe At Any Speed’. This historic study on failure of US auto industry to make cars crashworthy was catalyst for federal vehicle safety standards & led to huge improvements in road safety worldwide. www.ralphnaderradiohour.com/p/unsafe-at-...
Great evening at Prince Michael International Road Safety Awards at the RAC in London with Global NCAP team. Well deserved winner was Autoliv world’s largest auto safety supplier. Excellent speech by Lilian Greenwood Minister for Local Transport on UK commitment to road safety at home & abroad.
November 26, 2025 at 8:23 AM
Great evening at Prince Michael International Road Safety Awards at the RAC in London with Global NCAP team. Well deserved winner was Autoliv world’s largest auto safety supplier. Excellent speech by Lilian Greenwood Minister for Local Transport on UK commitment to road safety at home & abroad.
Cool, calm, & classy repost by Wes Streeting to idiotic No10 leadership challenge briefing. P45’s should be issued to culprits. Back when John Smith was Labour leader this kind of behaviour would not have been tolerated. In Brown/Blair era briefing culture ran amok & damaged both.
November 12, 2025 at 3:32 PM
Cool, calm, & classy repost by Wes Streeting to idiotic No10 leadership challenge briefing. P45’s should be issued to culprits. Back when John Smith was Labour leader this kind of behaviour would not have been tolerated. In Brown/Blair era briefing culture ran amok & damaged both.
Superb talk by Prof Missy Cummings on Autonomous Vehicles PAVE UK in London. Highlighting lessons from AV failures she demolished common misconceptions confirming that all ‘self driving’ requires remote operator ‘babysitting’. IMO this will require data transparency & audits.
October 10, 2025 at 5:38 PM
Superb talk by Prof Missy Cummings on Autonomous Vehicles PAVE UK in London. Highlighting lessons from AV failures she demolished common misconceptions confirming that all ‘self driving’ requires remote operator ‘babysitting’. IMO this will require data transparency & audits.
Great discussion at Humanetics Safety Summit in Detroit today on making safety a mission. I cited advances in crash avoidance & protection but warned that auto trade disputes risk much needed improvements especially in pedestrian safety. Shared global standards build needed market for safer vehicles
October 9, 2025 at 7:06 PM
Great discussion at Humanetics Safety Summit in Detroit today on making safety a mission. I cited advances in crash avoidance & protection but warned that auto trade disputes risk much needed improvements especially in pedestrian safety. Shared global standards build needed market for safer vehicles
Impressively broad support for ending first past the post @Labour4pr rally in Liverpool. Call for a national commission on proportional representation strongly endorsed. See: www.fairelections.uk/national-com...
September 29, 2025 at 4:58 AM
Impressively broad support for ending first past the post @Labour4pr rally in Liverpool. Call for a national commission on proportional representation strongly endorsed. See: www.fairelections.uk/national-com...
In Liverpool with Emma MacLennan at #LabourConference2025. Pleased to speak with ITV’s Kit Bradshaw on govt. challenges & fight against fallacies & falsehoods of Farage. Great discussion with Attorney General Richard Herner on rule of law & role of European Convention on Human Rights.
September 29, 2025 at 4:54 AM
In Liverpool with Emma MacLennan at #LabourConference2025. Pleased to speak with ITV’s Kit Bradshaw on govt. challenges & fight against fallacies & falsehoods of Farage. Great discussion with Attorney General Richard Herner on rule of law & role of European Convention on Human Rights.
Great to visit Giannis & #MikisTheodorakis family home in Galatas #Chania today with @emmamaclennan.bsky.social. Now a beautiful national monument celebrating the life of a musician & activist who left an enormous musical legacy to Greece & the world. He died 4 years ago & is buried nearby.
September 4, 2025 at 4:45 PM
Great to visit Giannis & #MikisTheodorakis family home in Galatas #Chania today with @emmamaclennan.bsky.social. Now a beautiful national monument celebrating the life of a musician & activist who left an enormous musical legacy to Greece & the world. He died 4 years ago & is buried nearby.
Reposted by David Ward
Trump is trying to force the EU to legalize US car bloat, and European safety leaders are furious:
"Europe now risks being flooded with oversized, under-regulated U.S. pick-up trucks and SUVs – vehicles that are...completely out of step with Europe’s vision for safer, more sustainable mobility."
"Europe now risks being flooded with oversized, under-regulated U.S. pick-up trucks and SUVs – vehicles that are...completely out of step with Europe’s vision for safer, more sustainable mobility."
ETSC: Mutual Recognition Deal with U.S. Will Cost Lives on Europe’s Roads
By signing up to mutual recognition of vehicle standards with the United States, the European Union has waved the white flag on road safety. This is not a technical detail – it is a political choice…
etsc.eu
August 26, 2025 at 11:39 AM
Trump is trying to force the EU to legalize US car bloat, and European safety leaders are furious:
"Europe now risks being flooded with oversized, under-regulated U.S. pick-up trucks and SUVs – vehicles that are...completely out of step with Europe’s vision for safer, more sustainable mobility."
"Europe now risks being flooded with oversized, under-regulated U.S. pick-up trucks and SUVs – vehicles that are...completely out of step with Europe’s vision for safer, more sustainable mobility."
Very pleased to have contributed to latest Leading Labour podcast by Izzy Conn about my experience working for the late John Smith. His Labour leadership lasted less than 2 years but left strong legacy. Well worth a listen here: shorturl.at/e4GFP & to entire series.
August 26, 2025 at 1:03 PM
Very pleased to have contributed to latest Leading Labour podcast by Izzy Conn about my experience working for the late John Smith. His Labour leadership lasted less than 2 years but left strong legacy. Well worth a listen here: shorturl.at/e4GFP & to entire series.
No, Hitler shot himself & the Nazi regime unconditionally surrendered as did Japan after the US dropped nuclear bombs on Hiroshima & Nagasaki. JD Vance clearly didn’t study much history…
JD Vance: "This is how wars ultimately get settled. If you go back to World War 2, if you go back to every major conflict in human history, they all end with some kind of negotiation."
August 24, 2025 at 7:41 PM
No, Hitler shot himself & the Nazi regime unconditionally surrendered as did Japan after the US dropped nuclear bombs on Hiroshima & Nagasaki. JD Vance clearly didn’t study much history…
Reposted by David Ward
Meanwhile, UK politicians continue their race to the bottom as to who can talk the most nonsense about immigration...
www.ft.com/content/8bfd...
www.ft.com/content/8bfd...
Rich economies will need foreign workers to fuel growth, policymakers warn
Central bankers say low birth rates in world’s largest economies pose threat to productivity and prices
www.ft.com
August 24, 2025 at 3:24 AM
Meanwhile, UK politicians continue their race to the bottom as to who can talk the most nonsense about immigration...
www.ft.com/content/8bfd...
www.ft.com/content/8bfd...
Reposted by David Ward
Canada and the US are both car-centric, spacious countries. But an American is 2.5x more likely to die in a crash than a Canadian – and the gap is widening.
My latest, in Bloomberg. 🧵
My latest, in Bloomberg. 🧵
The US-Canadian Road Safety Gap Is Getting Wider
Despite similar infrastructure and vehicle fleets, the US and Canada are going in very different directions when it comes to traffic safety. A new study breaks down the divergence.
www.bloomberg.com
August 13, 2025 at 2:18 PM
Canada and the US are both car-centric, spacious countries. But an American is 2.5x more likely to die in a crash than a Canadian – and the gap is widening.
My latest, in Bloomberg. 🧵
My latest, in Bloomberg. 🧵
In 1917 British Government’s Balfour Declaration pledged support for Jewish homeland without prejudice to “civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine”. Time long overdue for Britain to honour that condition & now recognise Palestinian statehood.
July 28, 2025 at 4:47 AM
In 1917 British Government’s Balfour Declaration pledged support for Jewish homeland without prejudice to “civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine”. Time long overdue for Britain to honour that condition & now recognise Palestinian statehood.
Lovely ceremony to dedicate a bench in honour of our late son Alex at Noakes Meadow play area in Beaver ward Ashford where he served as a Councillor. He would be so proud to welcome Ashford Labour MP Sojan Joseph MP, Mayor Lyn Suddards, wife Elizabeth Ward, with family & friends.
July 26, 2025 at 8:09 PM
Lovely ceremony to dedicate a bench in honour of our late son Alex at Noakes Meadow play area in Beaver ward Ashford where he served as a Councillor. He would be so proud to welcome Ashford Labour MP Sojan Joseph MP, Mayor Lyn Suddards, wife Elizabeth Ward, with family & friends.
Five years today since Alex was lost to MND. Always in our hearts. “Unable are the loved to die, For love is immortality, Nay it is Deity…” (Emily Dickinson). #United2EndMND.
July 22, 2025 at 5:56 AM
Five years today since Alex was lost to MND. Always in our hearts. “Unable are the loved to die, For love is immortality, Nay it is Deity…” (Emily Dickinson). #United2EndMND.
Great to be interviewed by @davidzipper.bsky.social on global vehicle standards and why the US no longer leads the world in auto safety.
For decades, the US was the gold standard for car safety regs. Not anymore -- that title now belongs to Europe.
In Bloomberg, global auto reg exec @davidjward.bsky.social and I discussed why cars have grown safer around the world – but not in the US.
In Bloomberg, global auto reg exec @davidjward.bsky.social and I discussed why cars have grown safer around the world – but not in the US.
The Global Struggle to Build Safer Cars
UK vehicle regulator David Ward talks about how crash tests caught on in markets around the world, and why the US is no longer the gold standard in auto safety.
www.bloomberg.com
June 3, 2025 at 5:27 PM
Great to be interviewed by @davidzipper.bsky.social on global vehicle standards and why the US no longer leads the world in auto safety.