Sam Alvis
@samalvis.bsky.social
South West native, currently AD of Climate, Energy @IPPR - Climate/Econ policy (views mine)
Green industrial strategy | Bazball | @BristolBears
Green industrial strategy | Bazball | @BristolBears
Imagine how many hours you would save if you never liked anything ever
Not liking spectator sport is one of the best life hacks going. Over a lifetime you'll end up with literally years of time to dedicate to whatever you want, compared to spending it being pointlessly obsessed with other people playing a game
February 13, 2026 at 11:26 AM
Imagine how many hours you would save if you never liked anything ever
Reposted by Sam Alvis
1.3GW onshore wind from a standing start is great, a new record. Only 2 of those are in england, after the effective ban was removed you'll expect that pipeline to grow rapidly over the next few rounds - still capable of coming online before 2030 (unlike offshore which takes longer to build)
BREAKING: UK govt auction secures 4.9GW new solar at £65/MWh and 1.3GW new onshore wind at £72/MWh, 13% and 21% below the price cap respectively.
All due online by 2029.
All due online by 2029.
February 10, 2026 at 7:46 AM
1.3GW onshore wind from a standing start is great, a new record. Only 2 of those are in england, after the effective ban was removed you'll expect that pipeline to grow rapidly over the next few rounds - still capable of coming online before 2030 (unlike offshore which takes longer to build)
1.3GW onshore wind from a standing start is great, a new record. Only 2 of those are in england, after the effective ban was removed you'll expect that pipeline to grow rapidly over the next few rounds - still capable of coming online before 2030 (unlike offshore which takes longer to build)
BREAKING: UK govt auction secures 4.9GW new solar at £65/MWh and 1.3GW new onshore wind at £72/MWh, 13% and 21% below the price cap respectively.
All due online by 2029.
All due online by 2029.
February 10, 2026 at 7:46 AM
1.3GW onshore wind from a standing start is great, a new record. Only 2 of those are in england, after the effective ban was removed you'll expect that pipeline to grow rapidly over the next few rounds - still capable of coming online before 2030 (unlike offshore which takes longer to build)
Don’t worry be Scotland you still have curling
February 7, 2026 at 3:57 PM
Don’t worry be Scotland you still have curling
One of Labours major challenges has always been that The City doesn’t understand it as an organisation. Takes way more face time to convince them of responsibility - which ends up being an opportunity cost for Labs message to voters.
Very bumpy in short term given City assumption is new leader would borrow borrow borrow, so they reallllllllly need to get tax message out quick
Hhhmmm.
Can’t see any of the likely successors making *major* changes to borrowing. You might get more taxes & more spending.
And don’t rule out a more pro-growth attitude to immigration.
www.ft.com/content/c855... Starmer camp warns leadership challenge risks economic chaos
Can’t see any of the likely successors making *major* changes to borrowing. You might get more taxes & more spending.
And don’t rule out a more pro-growth attitude to immigration.
www.ft.com/content/c855... Starmer camp warns leadership challenge risks economic chaos
February 7, 2026 at 11:36 AM
One of Labours major challenges has always been that The City doesn’t understand it as an organisation. Takes way more face time to convince them of responsibility - which ends up being an opportunity cost for Labs message to voters.
Reposted by Sam Alvis
The amazing @sofiejenkinson.bsky.social has made a pod covering two of my favourite topics and one of my least. Rugby, Climate and Wales. Bottom up home club vibes very like Pat Cummins and Cricket for Climate.
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/s...
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/s...
Shane Williams:
Podcast Episode · Beyond the Breakdown · S1 E1 · 1h 21m
podcasts.apple.com
February 6, 2026 at 5:33 PM
The amazing @sofiejenkinson.bsky.social has made a pod covering two of my favourite topics and one of my least. Rugby, Climate and Wales. Bottom up home club vibes very like Pat Cummins and Cricket for Climate.
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/s...
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/s...
Reposted by Sam Alvis
I'm fortunate to sit on the advisory board of @persuasionuk.bsky.social, the excellent public opinion outfit headed up by @steveakehurst.bsky.social.
They're currently recruiting for a new communications lead - a great opportunity: careers.meliorefoundation.org/postings/a92...
They're currently recruiting for a new communications lead - a great opportunity: careers.meliorefoundation.org/postings/a92...
Persuasion UK | Communications Lead (3 days a week)
Job Opening: Persuasion UK | Communications Lead (3 days a week) at Meliore Foundation (FUP) in United Kingdom .
careers.meliorefoundation.org
February 6, 2026 at 5:37 PM
I'm fortunate to sit on the advisory board of @persuasionuk.bsky.social, the excellent public opinion outfit headed up by @steveakehurst.bsky.social.
They're currently recruiting for a new communications lead - a great opportunity: careers.meliorefoundation.org/postings/a92...
They're currently recruiting for a new communications lead - a great opportunity: careers.meliorefoundation.org/postings/a92...
The amazing @sofiejenkinson.bsky.social has made a pod covering two of my favourite topics and one of my least. Rugby, Climate and Wales. Bottom up home club vibes very like Pat Cummins and Cricket for Climate.
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/s...
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/s...
Shane Williams:
Podcast Episode · Beyond the Breakdown · S1 E1 · 1h 21m
podcasts.apple.com
February 6, 2026 at 5:33 PM
The amazing @sofiejenkinson.bsky.social has made a pod covering two of my favourite topics and one of my least. Rugby, Climate and Wales. Bottom up home club vibes very like Pat Cummins and Cricket for Climate.
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/s...
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/s...
Lauren Bell should be opening the bowling for England in the men's t20 world cup. Ridiculous WIPL stats
February 5, 2026 at 3:28 PM
Lauren Bell should be opening the bowling for England in the men's t20 world cup. Ridiculous WIPL stats
Looking for a chaser to your student loan interest? Why not try 5.19% on £490k and pray to Andrew Bailey.
Santander launches 98% mortgage for first-time buyers
www.ft.com/content/4210...
Santander launches 98% mortgage for first-time buyers
www.ft.com/content/4210...
Santander launches 98% mortgage for first-time buyers
Move by one of the biggest UK lenders broadens options available to low-deposit borrowers
www.ft.com
February 3, 2026 at 6:59 PM
Looking for a chaser to your student loan interest? Why not try 5.19% on £490k and pray to Andrew Bailey.
Santander launches 98% mortgage for first-time buyers
www.ft.com/content/4210...
Santander launches 98% mortgage for first-time buyers
www.ft.com/content/4210...
Maybe we shouldn’t appoint people to important positions for life?
February 2, 2026 at 7:59 PM
Maybe we shouldn’t appoint people to important positions for life?
There is some quite funny and very bad special pleading from scientists in this piece. www.ft.com/content/5732...
Sure R&D = growth but a) timelines! and b) direction matters. STFC is enabling but its a circuitous route to outcomes. And come on scientists - science superpower was Boris not Keir!
Sure R&D = growth but a) timelines! and b) direction matters. STFC is enabling but its a circuitous route to outcomes. And come on scientists - science superpower was Boris not Keir!
UK physicists raise alarm over planned funding cuts
Research chief tries to quell alarm as government reshapes science funding in effort to boost growth
www.ft.com
February 2, 2026 at 3:16 PM
There is some quite funny and very bad special pleading from scientists in this piece. www.ft.com/content/5732...
Sure R&D = growth but a) timelines! and b) direction matters. STFC is enabling but its a circuitous route to outcomes. And come on scientists - science superpower was Boris not Keir!
Sure R&D = growth but a) timelines! and b) direction matters. STFC is enabling but its a circuitous route to outcomes. And come on scientists - science superpower was Boris not Keir!
Reposted by Sam Alvis
Quick science policy thread 1
Changes in the governance of UK science since the mid 1980s make it extremely hard to be strategic (that was the point), in terms of both process (dropped) and capability (hollowed out).
Changes in the governance of UK science since the mid 1980s make it extremely hard to be strategic (that was the point), in terms of both process (dropped) and capability (hollowed out).
February 1, 2026 at 5:21 PM
Quick science policy thread 1
Changes in the governance of UK science since the mid 1980s make it extremely hard to be strategic (that was the point), in terms of both process (dropped) and capability (hollowed out).
Changes in the governance of UK science since the mid 1980s make it extremely hard to be strategic (that was the point), in terms of both process (dropped) and capability (hollowed out).
Reposted by Sam Alvis
Really excited to see the government announcing a cap on ground rents. As recommended in @samalvis.bsky.social and my "war on bills" piece. As we argue, the government should leave no stone on unturned to lower the cost of living in ways that people can feel.
www.ippr.org/articles/a-w...
www.ippr.org/articles/a-w...
January 27, 2026 at 12:04 PM
Really excited to see the government announcing a cap on ground rents. As recommended in @samalvis.bsky.social and my "war on bills" piece. As we argue, the government should leave no stone on unturned to lower the cost of living in ways that people can feel.
www.ippr.org/articles/a-w...
www.ippr.org/articles/a-w...
Reposted by Sam Alvis
Seems like a good day to reup my dispatch from Labour party conference, where I watched as Andy Burnham squeezed a sort of leadership bid into an address about electoral reform (for @prospectmagazine.co.uk) www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/politics/lab...
Andy Burnham is just trying to help
How do you shoehorn a leadership bid into an argument about proportional representation?
www.prospectmagazine.co.uk
January 23, 2026 at 2:50 PM
Seems like a good day to reup my dispatch from Labour party conference, where I watched as Andy Burnham squeezed a sort of leadership bid into an address about electoral reform (for @prospectmagazine.co.uk) www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/politics/lab...
Hardened my view.
The politically impossible thing to say is western carmakers are mostly dead in the water and blaming the regulation is easier because it’s forcing them to confront how terrible at innovation they are. Is ZEV bigger than trade barriers or energy prices, no.
The politically impossible thing to say is western carmakers are mostly dead in the water and blaming the regulation is easier because it’s forcing them to confront how terrible at innovation they are. Is ZEV bigger than trade barriers or energy prices, no.
Unsure what to think about this. Offshoring is an easy threat to make, but hard in practice (its not cheap to build new factories). Changing regs again is not exactly good for 'certainty'. But the UK is a small end market and the regulation is tough. www.ft.com/content/4d1d...
UK should relax EV targets to support auto sector says report
More investment in car production would help boost domestic battery manufacturing
www.ft.com
January 19, 2026 at 6:12 PM
Hardened my view.
The politically impossible thing to say is western carmakers are mostly dead in the water and blaming the regulation is easier because it’s forcing them to confront how terrible at innovation they are. Is ZEV bigger than trade barriers or energy prices, no.
The politically impossible thing to say is western carmakers are mostly dead in the water and blaming the regulation is easier because it’s forcing them to confront how terrible at innovation they are. Is ZEV bigger than trade barriers or energy prices, no.
Reposted by Sam Alvis
Unsure what to think about this. Offshoring is an easy threat to make, but hard in practice (its not cheap to build new factories). Changing regs again is not exactly good for 'certainty'. But the UK is a small end market and the regulation is tough. www.ft.com/content/4d1d...
UK should relax EV targets to support auto sector says report
More investment in car production would help boost domestic battery manufacturing
www.ft.com
January 19, 2026 at 9:13 AM
Unsure what to think about this. Offshoring is an easy threat to make, but hard in practice (its not cheap to build new factories). Changing regs again is not exactly good for 'certainty'. But the UK is a small end market and the regulation is tough. www.ft.com/content/4d1d...
Politically this has always been the best option for prospective Labour voters, even better when you attach left of centre issues to it (climate, cost of living) - but a party of government is never going to do that to the US even if they were a confident one, even post-Trump.
Anyway, if I were the Labour press team I would be digging up absolutely every single positive thing Nigel has said about Donald, every photo of the two of them hanging out etc etc and I would be preparing to dump it like a bucket of cold sick over his head.
January 19, 2026 at 12:22 PM
Politically this has always been the best option for prospective Labour voters, even better when you attach left of centre issues to it (climate, cost of living) - but a party of government is never going to do that to the US even if they were a confident one, even post-Trump.
Unsure what to think about this. Offshoring is an easy threat to make, but hard in practice (its not cheap to build new factories). Changing regs again is not exactly good for 'certainty'. But the UK is a small end market and the regulation is tough. www.ft.com/content/4d1d...
UK should relax EV targets to support auto sector says report
More investment in car production would help boost domestic battery manufacturing
www.ft.com
January 19, 2026 at 9:13 AM
Unsure what to think about this. Offshoring is an easy threat to make, but hard in practice (its not cheap to build new factories). Changing regs again is not exactly good for 'certainty'. But the UK is a small end market and the regulation is tough. www.ft.com/content/4d1d...
There are some very impressive crowding in numbers here www.gov.uk/government/n...
Obviously I will continue to wage my war against jobs numbers in PRs especially 'up to' but no wonder HMT were happy to increase the pot
Obviously I will continue to wage my war against jobs numbers in PRs especially 'up to' but no wonder HMT were happy to increase the pot
January 19, 2026 at 9:05 AM
There are some very impressive crowding in numbers here www.gov.uk/government/n...
Obviously I will continue to wage my war against jobs numbers in PRs especially 'up to' but no wonder HMT were happy to increase the pot
Obviously I will continue to wage my war against jobs numbers in PRs especially 'up to' but no wonder HMT were happy to increase the pot
Such nostalgia for the days of opposition policy development when time for a rethink is a sufficient position
When we said NATO wasn't working we were derided.
When we said a nuclear weapons system relying on the US is dangerous we were called stupid.
The truth is the establishment are more interested in kissing US feet than keeping the UK safe.
It's time for a rethink.
When we said a nuclear weapons system relying on the US is dangerous we were called stupid.
The truth is the establishment are more interested in kissing US feet than keeping the UK safe.
It's time for a rethink.
January 18, 2026 at 1:27 PM
Such nostalgia for the days of opposition policy development when time for a rethink is a sufficient position
Definitely worth a subscribe to Electrify Britain's new substack
"Ignore the noise. Electrification is the only thing that matters." open.substack.com/pub/electric...
"Ignore the noise. Electrification is the only thing that matters." open.substack.com/pub/electric...
Ignore the noise. Electrification is the only thing that matters.
Why the politics of energy keeps missing what actually matters.
open.substack.com
January 16, 2026 at 4:56 PM
Definitely worth a subscribe to Electrify Britain's new substack
"Ignore the noise. Electrification is the only thing that matters." open.substack.com/pub/electric...
"Ignore the noise. Electrification is the only thing that matters." open.substack.com/pub/electric...
Reposted by Sam Alvis
🚨 | NEW REPORT: Global shocks are exposing how fragile UK supply chains really are - driving up costs across the economy. Our latest analysis shows why resilient clean energy supply chains must be a priority, and what government should do next 👇 www.ippr.org/articles/res...
January 16, 2026 at 8:02 AM
🚨 | NEW REPORT: Global shocks are exposing how fragile UK supply chains really are - driving up costs across the economy. Our latest analysis shows why resilient clean energy supply chains must be a priority, and what government should do next 👇 www.ippr.org/articles/res...
I think it’s less their views or that they’re ex tories more that they look and sound like politicians even if you’ve never heard of them. That is bad for Farage’s brand and argument
Jenrick, Zahawi defecting surely now makes certain that Reform will be running as a small-state, economically right wing party at the next election.
Quite a big shift from the positioning they were flirting with just 12 months ago, and a new potential vulnerability for them.
Quite a big shift from the positioning they were flirting with just 12 months ago, and a new potential vulnerability for them.
Key line in Will Lloyd's piece on Robert Jenrick's sacking: "Jenrick had told friends in recent weeks that he thought Reform lacked a viable economic spokesperson or an eventual shadow chancellor."
Is that the job Jenrick has his eye on?
@willoyd.bsky.social
www.newstatesman.com/politics/con...
Is that the job Jenrick has his eye on?
@willoyd.bsky.social
www.newstatesman.com/politics/con...
January 15, 2026 at 7:33 PM
I think it’s less their views or that they’re ex tories more that they look and sound like politicians even if you’ve never heard of them. That is bad for Farage’s brand and argument
Reposted by Sam Alvis
Decarb Donald continues to make fossil fuels uninvestable. First at home and now abroad.
www.ft.com/content/9cbf...
www.ft.com/content/9cbf...
Oil prices tumble as fears of US action in Iran ease
Brent crude falls more than 4% as oversupply fears return
www.ft.com
January 15, 2026 at 10:24 AM
Decarb Donald continues to make fossil fuels uninvestable. First at home and now abroad.
www.ft.com/content/9cbf...
www.ft.com/content/9cbf...