@labcoatjoe.bsky.social
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I am going to write something about whether the UK Labour government’s voice and policy on immigration could change after May 2026 - and what that could realistically mean if it did.
February 17, 2026 at 5:14 PM
I am going to write something about whether the UK Labour government’s voice and policy on immigration could change after May 2026 - and what that could realistically mean if it did.
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Don’t underestimate him. Dont dismiss him. But don’t try to play on his terrain. Polarise against him.
February 17, 2026 at 4:31 PM
Don’t underestimate him. Dont dismiss him. But don’t try to play on his terrain. Polarise against him.
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More on Monaco Jim.
February 12, 2026 at 10:56 AM
More on Monaco Jim.
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"They’ve attacked all these people, in a desperate attempt to make clear to racists and social conservatives that they hear them. If the racists and social conservatives were actually going to vote for them this would merely seem abhorrent. When they clearly aren’t, it’s stupid too."
Everybody Hates Keir
How did Starmer go from landslide to endgame in under two years? Also this week: the most murderous mammal on earth; and every thought I have about an insane train plan.
jonn.substack.com
February 11, 2026 at 4:33 PM
"They’ve attacked all these people, in a desperate attempt to make clear to racists and social conservatives that they hear them. If the racists and social conservatives were actually going to vote for them this would merely seem abhorrent. When they clearly aren’t, it’s stupid too."
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What is effective about this Burnham statement is it reads like something that he is personally invested in and is not worried about criticism for. More of this please.
February 12, 2026 at 11:00 AM
What is effective about this Burnham statement is it reads like something that he is personally invested in and is not worried about criticism for. More of this please.
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After a certain point the sanity of Palantir's leadership does matter to the national security of the UK and other European states buying its software
February 8, 2026 at 12:14 PM
After a certain point the sanity of Palantir's leadership does matter to the national security of the UK and other European states buying its software
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The blunt truth is that if Karen Pierce had been a man, then she would still be US ambassador now and Keir Starmer's government would not be on the brink of death.
February 5, 2026 at 11:16 PM
The blunt truth is that if Karen Pierce had been a man, then she would still be US ambassador now and Keir Starmer's government would not be on the brink of death.
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Lebedev is still a Lord...
February 3, 2026 at 1:41 PM
Lebedev is still a Lord...
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Hadn't previously thought this, but if this Labour government wants to show any understanding of the situation then McSweeney's position is untenable. Now. Not after May.
The change needed is in attitudes more than delivery.
The change needed is in attitudes more than delivery.
February 3, 2026 at 8:33 AM
Hadn't previously thought this, but if this Labour government wants to show any understanding of the situation then McSweeney's position is untenable. Now. Not after May.
The change needed is in attitudes more than delivery.
The change needed is in attitudes more than delivery.
thinking of this excellent podcast from @rafaelbehr.bsky.social today. For no particular reason
New Politics on the Couch. On Hypocrisy - everywhere in politics, routinely reviled and, maybe, misunderstood? shows.acast.com/politicsonth...
Hypocrisy – why we hate it and why we can’t do without it | Politics on the Couch
Rafael Behr talks to Dr Michael Hallsworth, Chief Behavioural Scientist at the Behavioural Insights Teams in America
shows.acast.com
February 2, 2026 at 6:09 PM
thinking of this excellent podcast from @rafaelbehr.bsky.social today. For no particular reason
this is very interesting. "But the biggest error would be to treat such questions as a desiccated technical process conducted in the air-conditioned atmosphere of focus groups." It is about moral clarity. And the lack of it is why I left Labour and probably won't vote for it in May
My column in the Guardian today on the incoherence, so far, of Labour’s effort to tackle Reform. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
To win the battle against Reform, Labour must first define its enemy | Tom Baldwin
The PM has told Labour it is in the ‘fight of our lives’ against Nigel Farage’s challengers. To win, it must first agree on a line of attack, says Tom Baldwin, author of Keir Starmer, The Biography
www.theguardian.com
February 2, 2026 at 10:31 AM
this is very interesting. "But the biggest error would be to treat such questions as a desiccated technical process conducted in the air-conditioned atmosphere of focus groups." It is about moral clarity. And the lack of it is why I left Labour and probably won't vote for it in May
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Because the needs of someone with two children are different from the needs of someone without kids. And if you’re relying on the wage floor as a tool you can’t account for that.
TCs were targeted support for households rather than a general subsidy to low paying employers.
TCs were targeted support for households rather than a general subsidy to low paying employers.
February 1, 2026 at 5:28 PM
Because the needs of someone with two children are different from the needs of someone without kids. And if you’re relying on the wage floor as a tool you can’t account for that.
TCs were targeted support for households rather than a general subsidy to low paying employers.
TCs were targeted support for households rather than a general subsidy to low paying employers.
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My most - apparently - unfashionable opinion: I’d rather the UK had a lower minimum wage and a much more extensive system of tax credits.
February 1, 2026 at 4:25 PM
My most - apparently - unfashionable opinion: I’d rather the UK had a lower minimum wage and a much more extensive system of tax credits.
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And looking at GC MPs, there seems to be a mixture - Tonia Antoniazzi, Karin Smyth & Jess Phillips all voted for, Rosie Duffield & Marsha de Cordova against... so maybe the real answer is that the association is an imaginary one, being used as an attempt to tribalise the AD issue?
February 1, 2026 at 3:06 PM
And looking at GC MPs, there seems to be a mixture - Tonia Antoniazzi, Karin Smyth & Jess Phillips all voted for, Rosie Duffield & Marsha de Cordova against... so maybe the real answer is that the association is an imaginary one, being used as an attempt to tribalise the AD issue?
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Reeves didn't design the system - but she did choose to freeze the repayment threshold, which breaches the promise teenagers signing up for these loans were made. She likes to talk about choices: it's a choice to put an extra burden on young graduates (who overwhelmingly voted Labour, by the way)
January 29, 2026 at 2:50 PM
Reeves didn't design the system - but she did choose to freeze the repayment threshold, which breaches the promise teenagers signing up for these loans were made. She likes to talk about choices: it's a choice to put an extra burden on young graduates (who overwhelmingly voted Labour, by the way)
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What we all need to see is a red squirrel in a power pose.
You're welcome.
You're welcome.
January 29, 2026 at 8:21 AM
What we all need to see is a red squirrel in a power pose.
You're welcome.
You're welcome.
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Sadly, I didn’t get my application in. But I was half wondering whether I was going to do any canvassing in the constituency but now I’ve decided I definitely am. If anybody wants my reflections on Goodwin as a colleague (apparently I also taught him but have no memory of that) I am happy to share.
January 27, 2026 at 2:31 PM
Sadly, I didn’t get my application in. But I was half wondering whether I was going to do any canvassing in the constituency but now I’ve decided I definitely am. If anybody wants my reflections on Goodwin as a colleague (apparently I also taught him but have no memory of that) I am happy to share.
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So Reform has no problem with a candidate who doesn't think Rishi Sunak is English, and effectively endorsed the neo-Nazis of the AfD in the last German election.
NEW: Former academic Matt Goodwin has been announced as Reform UK's candidate for the Gorton & Denton byelection.
January 27, 2026 at 2:21 PM
So Reform has no problem with a candidate who doesn't think Rishi Sunak is English, and effectively endorsed the neo-Nazis of the AfD in the last German election.
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Matt Goodwin, Reform UK's candidate in the Gorton and Denton by-election, was the first guest on the Liz Truss Show
January 27, 2026 at 2:14 PM
Matt Goodwin, Reform UK's candidate in the Gorton and Denton by-election, was the first guest on the Liz Truss Show
I think this should be good news for Labour/Greens. He is an odious individual and actually not very good at politics but should energise and base to campaign hard to avoid him being allowed a seat in parliament
NEW: Former academic Matt Goodwin has been announced as Reform UK's candidate for the Gorton & Denton byelection.
January 27, 2026 at 2:13 PM
I think this should be good news for Labour/Greens. He is an odious individual and actually not very good at politics but should energise and base to campaign hard to avoid him being allowed a seat in parliament
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Just been doing another Afghan asylum appeal. Win or lose, client isn’t being removed unless the UK recognises the Taliban as the official government of Afghanistan. Even then, removals might not take place. What is the point of this? What is the Home Office’s 3D chess masterplan?
January 27, 2026 at 11:43 AM
Just been doing another Afghan asylum appeal. Win or lose, client isn’t being removed unless the UK recognises the Taliban as the official government of Afghanistan. Even then, removals might not take place. What is the point of this? What is the Home Office’s 3D chess masterplan?
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A cap on ground rent is very welcome. London has the highest number (1.4m) and proportion (38%) of leasehold homes.
Ministers have faced down concerted lobbying by powerful freeholder interest groups to deliver this key reform, rejecting their increasingly hyperbolic arguments.
Ministers have faced down concerted lobbying by powerful freeholder interest groups to deliver this key reform, rejecting their increasingly hyperbolic arguments.
January 27, 2026 at 11:34 AM
A cap on ground rent is very welcome. London has the highest number (1.4m) and proportion (38%) of leasehold homes.
Ministers have faced down concerted lobbying by powerful freeholder interest groups to deliver this key reform, rejecting their increasingly hyperbolic arguments.
Ministers have faced down concerted lobbying by powerful freeholder interest groups to deliver this key reform, rejecting their increasingly hyperbolic arguments.
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Would be interested to see how many MPs would sign a similar letter about the egregious interest rates graduates are now paying for their student loans
January 27, 2026 at 8:00 AM
Would be interested to see how many MPs would sign a similar letter about the egregious interest rates graduates are now paying for their student loans
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Not sure I see this point. He's welcome to stand down at the next mayoral elections and then stand as an MP. He could have done so in 2024. But having made the choice to be mayor, he's expected to honour it - not to stand down mid-term, triggering a by-election.
January 26, 2026 at 9:04 AM
Not sure I see this point. He's welcome to stand down at the next mayoral elections and then stand as an MP. He could have done so in 2024. But having made the choice to be mayor, he's expected to honour it - not to stand down mid-term, triggering a by-election.
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And it's is IMO just right *in of itself* to go 'no, you can't skip out halfway through your mandate', but let's not pretend that Labour made this rule change out of a high-minded commitment to not disappointing the voters rather than going 'oh, creating this loophole sure is helpful'. Come on.
January 26, 2026 at 12:47 AM
And it's is IMO just right *in of itself* to go 'no, you can't skip out halfway through your mandate', but let's not pretend that Labour made this rule change out of a high-minded commitment to not disappointing the voters rather than going 'oh, creating this loophole sure is helpful'. Come on.