We have a new PM but the same Home Secretary - so will we see change or continuity on migration policy? @bethgardiner-smith.bsky.social has written for @politicshome.bsky.social on 3 ways Andy Burnham could take a different approach to this contentious issue: www.politicshome.com/opinion/arti...

How Andy Burnham could do immigration differently

Andy Burnham arrived in Downing Street with a promise to do politics differently.

politicshome.com

This @suerubenstein.bsky.social piece for @thinklabour.bsky.social setting out her 5 thoughts on capable leadership is well worth your time. It's framed as advice for Andy Burnham, but is frankly invaluable for anyone in, or aspiring to, a leadership position: thinklabour.co.uk/thinking/lea...

Leadership • ThinkLabour

ThinkLabour is a think tank working at the heart of British politics to support the Labour movement with research, strategy, and policy development.

thinklabour.co.uk

What should @heidialexander.bsky.social do to keep rail reform on track? Find out by reading this @civilserviceworld.bsky.social article by Isabella Lawson, FGF Research Fellow which makes three recommendations to the Transport Secretary 🔽🔽🔽 www.civilserviceworld.com/news/article...

Continuity at DfT is welcome – but attention is just as important

Three recommendations for Heidi Alexander to keep rail reform on track

civilserviceworld.com

How could Andy Burnham do immigration differently? FGF’s @bethgardiner-smith.bsky.social sets out how Burnham can improve things in a @politicshome.bsky.social article, read Beth’s ideas for transforming the state to renew the nation 🔽 @siennarodgers.bsky.social www.politicshome.com/opinion/arti...

How Andy Burnham could do immigration differently

Andy Burnham arrived in Downing Street with a promise to do politics differently.

politicshome.com

more good content! imagine publishing content that's just nice! reveals a little bit about having fun on the internet! people just doing things because they can and the internet was nice!

ryan cooper@ryanlcooper.com · 3d ago

this owns www.inverse.com/input/cultur...

Our @futuregovforum.bsky.social party conference programme is now out: we'll be at Liberal Democrats in Brighton and Labour in Liverpool this year. See here for full list of our events, with speakers to be announced later in the summer: futuregovforum.substack.com/p/join-the-f...

Join The Future Governance Forum at party conferences

With a new Prime Minister in Downing Street, this year’s Party Conference season carries added political significance.

futuregovforum.substack.com

FGF’s @adamterryfgf.bsky.social spoke to Helen Trinca of The Australian on ‘Burnham’s devolution revolution to transform government’ & argued for the PM to get ‘good growth in every postcode’ he needs to connect devolution to the govt’s industrial strategy www.theaustralian.com.au/world/burnha...

As the new Energy Secretary takes up her post, this is a great piece by my @futuregovforum.bsky.social colleague Chiara on three areas she could focus on - beyond the VAT cut already announced - to make progress on clean energy: futuregovforum.substack.com/p/beyond-the...

Beyond the VAT cut: the gaps Britain’s new Energy Secretary must close

Dear Miatta, many congratulations on your appointment as Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero.

futuregovforum.substack.com

On kids' reading, a few half-formed thoughts from experience. 1. Give them a shelf with plenty of variety to choose from. Different genres and styles. Allow them to gravitate to what they fancy on any given day. (World of Books is good for keeping costs down - www.worldofbooks.com/en-gb )

Great that the new PM has made such a bold start on centre of govt reform, with the creation of a new Office for the PM and Cabinet. This @civilserviceworld.bsky.social piece looks at what an opportunity this can be & what it might take to deliver it well www.civilserviceworld.com/in-depth/art...

Finally, an Office for the PM and Cabinet – but will it deliver?

Lord Bichard, Sir Anthony Seldon and others share their thoughts on the new OPMC

civilserviceworld.com

Andy Burnham has said he wants his government to deliver 'good growth in every postcode'. What does that mean his Chancellor will need to prioritise? @futuregovforum.bsky.social chief economist @danrcorry.bsky.social has 5 tips for John Healey as he enters No.11 labourlist.org/2026/07/five...

'Five things the Labour Chancellor should do to deliver good growth in every postcode' - LabourList

Thes five ideas will help the new Labour Chancellor can make a strong start and set a firm direction of travel for the UK economy.

labourlist.org

We’re delighted FGF’s founder @yeowell.bsky.social has been appointed as Special Adviser to the PM on devolution, local govt & Wales. @adamterryfgf.bsky.social is the new FGF Executive Director and will lead our fantastic team. Congratulations Adam & Nathan! futuregovforum.substack.com/p/68a

A man in a hurry: Andy Burnham starts 'rewiring the state'

After a long wait, Andy Burnham is a man in a hurry.

futuregovforum.substack.com

What are the five things the new Labour Chancellor should do to deliver good growth in every postcode? To answer this vital question our Chief Economist @danrcorry.bsky.social has written for @labourlist.bsky.social about how the Chancellor can devolve power & money🔽 labourlist.org/2026/07/five...

'Five things the Labour Chancellor should do to deliver good growth in every postcode' - LabourList

Thes five ideas will help the new Labour Chancellor can make a strong start and set a firm direction of travel for the UK economy.

labourlist.org

Great to see Andy Burnham pledging a 'stronger, more strategic' centre of govt, & launching a new Office for the PM & Cabinet Redesigning the centre of govt so the PM has more power is long overdue & a proposal in our Transforming Downing Street report www.futuregovernanceforum.co.uk/news/how-kei...

How Keir Starmer should transform the centre of government - Future Governance Forum

In order to successfully prosecute his government’s programme, Keir Starmer needs to accelerate his revamp of the Whitehall machine and establish a Department for the Prime Minister. This is the centr...

futuregovernanceforum.co.uk

Read why Andy Burnham needs to make Downing Street work for him - and quickly FGF’s @adamterryfgf.bsky.social sets out what the nerve centre of the PM's Office should look & feel like, from our 'In Power 01: Transforming Downing Street' report proposals🔽 futuregovforum.substack.com/p/andy-burnh...

Andy Burnham needs to make Downing Street work for him - and quickly

By Adam Terry, FGF Deputy Director

futuregovforum.substack.com

When Andy Burnham crosses the No.10 threshold next week, he'll need to think strategically - and quickly - about how to make the 'nerve centre' of the UK state work for him I've written for @futuregovforum.bsky.social's new 'State and Nation' Substack: futuregovforum.substack.com/p/andy-burnh...

Andy Burnham needs to make Downing Street work for him - and quickly

By Adam Terry, FGF Deputy Director

futuregovforum.substack.com

Great to read @patrickmaguire.bsky.social's column @thetimes.com today. This country needs a transformative govt. It's voted for change again and again. But a big reason it doesn't happen is a failure to identify & overcome entrenched power a la Attlee & Thatcher. www.thetimes.com/comment/colu...

Andy Burnham wants to break ‘unaccountable state’

Prime minister-in-waiting’s mission to end 40 years of neoliberalism is as much about democracy as it is economics

thetimes.com

Great if Burnham's team are thinking not just about *what* they'd do in govt, but *how* they'd do it - inc. a restructure of No.10. As @siennarodgers.bsky.social notes, @futuregovforum.bsky.social called for this in our 'Transforming Downing St' report last yr: www.politicshome.com/news/article...

Burnham's No 10 Expected To Undergo Restructuring Under Chief Of Staff James Purnell

The Prime Minister’s No 10 office in Downing Street is expected to undergo a significant restructuring under Andy Burnham and his chief of staff Ja...

politicshome.com

At @futuregovforum.bsky.social we've relaunched our Substack as 'State and Nation', a platform for thought leadership and news about FGF events, research and publications. To hear more about transforming the state to renew the nation, sign up here: futuregovforum.substack.com/p/welcome-to...

Welcome to State and Nation

Welcome to State and Nation – The Future Governance Forum's new Substack.

futuregovforum.substack.com

A typically great piece of work by my colleagues @bethgardiner-smith.bsky.social and @emilyagraham.bsky.social out today: how to bring down the number of Channel crossings in a meaningful, sustainable and humane way - via a 'routes for returns' arrangement with Europe

@bethgardiner-smith.bsky.social · 4w ago

What should a new PM do about the Channel? We've published our next report on this topic today arguing the govt should prioritise expanding the deal with France to other EU countries starting w a 6-month 'circuit breaker' to dramatically change the incentives of getting into a boat. Here's why...

Assuming (not unreasonably) that Burnham will be the next PM, how can he hit the ground running? @brunodent.bsky.social rummages through the @futuregovforum.bsky.social archives for tips on what to do in the first week, first month and first 100 days: thisishopeworks.substack.com/p/how-whiteh...

How Whitehall can learn to love Manchesterism

Bruno Dent, Future Governance Forum, lays out how Burnham can reform the British state in his first hundred days, from No.10 to the Treasury.

thisishopeworks.substack.com

How can Andy Burnham reform the British state in his first hundred days? Our brilliant FGF Researcher, @brunodent.bsky.social answers that question and more here! ⏬️ ⏬️ ⏬️ thisishopeworks.substack.com/p/how-whiteh...

How Whitehall can learn to love Manchesterism

Bruno Dent, Future Governance Forum, lays out how Burnham can reform the British state in his first hundred days, from No.10 to the Treasury.

thisishopeworks.substack.com

"Two Mondays, two cities, two politicians, two speeches - and it seems fitting that it was the politician speaking in Manchester who had the happier Monday." @yeowell.bsky.social on Andy Burnham setting out his stall for government: open.substack.com/pub/futurego...

A tale of two speeches

By Nathan Yeowell, FGF Executive Director

open.substack.com

Read my tale of two Mondays, two cities, two politicians and two speeches, where I analyse @andyburnham.bsky.social's first address to the nation about how he wants to transform the state, and Keir's resignation speech on 22 June. futuregovforum.substack.com/p/a-tale-of-...

A tale of two speeches

By Nathan Yeowell, FGF Executive Director

futuregovforum.substack.com

We are a city region where everyone comes together. We’ve been built on grit, graft and gratitude. I’m so proud to be standing to lead this place I love - for us.

No one understands the English Midlands. It's not secretly really the north. It's not secretly actually the south. Mapping either onto it is a disaster. It's its own thing. You need to be born there and then move away to even start grasping this.

Can’t sleep? Simple methods that work: • study hurricane forecast • who hates me • what did i forget • relive supreme humiliation • win 12-yr-old argument • buried alive? could happen • what i did vs should have done • dead people i miss • what if i’m bad • why do i say stuff • what’s my fuckin deal

Typically excellent, *evidenced* - and extraordinarily fast - work by Steve and the team at @persuasionuk.bsky.social looking at what just happened in Makerfield, and what it implies for national leadership and electoral coalition-building

Steve Akehurst@steveakehurst.bsky.social · 2mo ago

What happened in Makerfield? Some new constituency polling between @persuasionuk.bsky.social & Convergent (most accurate pollster in the race!), covering among other things: - Burnham assembling a coalition Lab needs nationally - 'Get Starmer out' + 'public ownership' at the centre of it. 🧵👇

Final thing is that six letter word: change. Voters are consistently hammering the big red button (2016, 2019, 2024). But they'll quickly desert politicians when served up more of the same. Burnham - if PM - needs coherence and definition yes, but also restlessness, impatience, antagonism.

'From boardroom to platform, GB Railways needs a clear sense of what it is for.' Great piece by former DfT perm sec Philip Rutnam for @civilserviceworld.bsky.social on the challenges of rail nationalisation and the urgent need to fill 'the purpose gap'. www.civilserviceworld.com/news/article...

Establishing Great British Railways is a good start – but it’s no silver bullet

If GBR is really to succeed it will need to tell a strong and simple story about how these changes will improve its customers’ experience, and then...

civilserviceworld.com