Hard to understand the logic of a policy of mass deportation of people on middle incomes and only keeping the highest and lowest earners. Obviously they designed the policy explicitly to deport care workers and now are too stubborn to back down but don’t want to collapse the care sector.

NEW IfG report out today on how government should approach reforming health and disability benefits The big takeaway: the system needs to better match people’s needs to the right support - through assessment reform, political leadership and more... www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/publication/...

Designing better incapacity benefits | Institute for Government

Personalising benefits and support is key to helping disabled people into work.

instituteforgovernment.org.uk

Really helpful piece by @sirjjkc.bsky.social for @instituteforgovernment.org.uk on the tricky question of how and when retrospective legislation is appropriate and what it it might mean for the legislation currently in Lords on political donations. www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/retr...

Legislating for the past: What is retrospective legislation and when is it ok? | Institute for Government

What is meant by “retrospective” legislation, and can it ever be acceptable?

instituteforgovernment.org.uk

This is a genuinely exciting announcement about Burnham's intention for public service reform There are some potentially massive changes to the way that services are funded and operate A few things that jumped out at me 👇 www.gov.uk/government/p...

Rewiring the State – Cabinet Statement (HTML)

gov.uk

Some thoughts on the government's devo announcement today: Overall, this is a great start on the govt's flagship agenda 1/

Rewiring the State – Cabinet Statement (HTML)

gov.uk

Times has now acknowledged the report misunderstood the data + misreported it bsky.app/profile/jdpo...

Jonathan Portes@jdportes.bsky.social · 2mo ago

The Times corrects its splash story headlined "Migrant care workers bring dozens of family members." The Times got this totally wrong. It then used its own error as the basis for an editorial calling explicitly for forced expulsions of people living here legally. www.thetimes.com/comment/regi...

For those who want a break from Burnham news… NEW @instituteforgovernment.org.uk report out today by @paddy-mcalary.bsky.social, Saudamini Sigdel and I on how govt can better engage with researchers & bring their evidence, insights and expertise into policy making.

Government and academia: How government can better engage with researchers | Institute for Government

Government has made great strides in opening itself up to inputs from the UK’s world-leading university sector – but it can do still more.

instituteforgovernment.org.uk

Earned Settlement won't 'only' force out people in low paid and/or non-graduate jobs. For the following graduate level jobs over half of visas granted in country in 2025 paid below £50,270 and below either the higher salary threshold or the higher going rate; this would mean having to emigrate.

Pros and cons of the Burnham VAT cut. Pro 1) early indication he "gets" squeeze households feel 2) may offset next price cap lift 3) only on electricity so at margin good for rebalancing gas/electricity ratio as needed to promote wider electrification 4) temporary 5) cuts inflation in 2026

NEW REPORT: how to make a success of SEND reform Government needs to get off the sidelines and build a SEND system that makes it easier for schools, councils and health services to work together. Our new report sets out how 🧵

Joining up SEND | Institute for Government

How to begin fixing SEND by making the system more joined-up.

instituteforgovernment.org.uk

NEW: The Home Office is ploughing ahead with using AI to conduct asylum seeker age assessments despite knowing it's wildly inaccurate Its own internal report & our audit of public data find the tech often predicts kids to be adults, & performs worst on the top nationalities arriving on small boats

Lighthouse Reports@lighthousereports.com · 3mo ago

Britain will use AI to assess ages of asylum seekers in a world-first, with other countries likely to follow suit But our investigation, based on a leaked report and our own algorithmic audit, finds the technology is deeply unreliable

I discuss some of this in a recent piece for @instituteforgovernment.org.uk here: www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/shab... Incredible how complex and vulnerable to human error these changes will be, especially for people already in the UK - Windrush will be the best comparison.

Shabana Mahmood’s retrospective action on immigration could undermine trust in government | Institute for Government

The home secretary’s immigration reforms could put her on collision course with the courts

instituteforgovernment.org.uk

Mike Slaven@mcslaven.bsky.social · 4mo ago

The key lesson of Windrush IMO is the government should be very careful to change rules that apply to existing groups of immigrants. They will almost certainly lack a holistic sense of the impact. And the government is just crashing straight through that warning

Brilliant to share thoughts on this in @tesmagazine.bsky.social The government faces steep delivery challenges on the horizon to make progress here. My favourite bit is the quote from a parent - it was a privilege to speak about the challenges, but also what a difference good services can make.

Tes magazine@tesmagazine.bsky.social · 4mo ago

With most boys from low-income households not being school-ready by age 5, @nehaldavison.bsky.social and @sophiemetcalfe.bsky.social of @instituteforgovernment.org.uk say policymaking failures are to blame – and recommend ways to tackle the gender-based attainment gap

TWO new @instituteforgovernment.org.uk reports out today from me, @nehaldavison.bsky.social, @sophiemetcalfe.bsky.social and @emma-conway.bsky.social on early years policy and what's needed to ensure boys from low-income families are not left behind. 🧵 tinyurl.com/99pcyskh tinyurl.com/4bcbyyfz

Early years policy making: How can government ensure that boys from low-income families are not left behind during delivery? | Institute for Government

The government’s early years target is doing little to incentivise the system to focus on boys from low-income families.

instituteforgovernment.org.uk

EVENT | How can government close the early years attainment gap for boys from low-income families? 📅Thursday 18 June 2026, 12:30-13:30 Join us as we explore how government can better serve children at risk of being ‘left behind’ in their earliest years.

A bit of background on racism in Northern Ireland - paper by @rebeccamckee.bsky.social on the warning signs emerging a decade ago www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1...

Love thy neighbour? Exploring prejudice against ethnic minority groups in a divided society: the case of Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland has seen a rise in racially motivated crimes and incidents reported to police in recent years and, although this has been accompanied by intensified media coverage, this phenomenon...

tandfonline.com

How England’s vulnerable children became a gold mine for investors - giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/... Must be one of the hardest problems Labour inherited. A real test for the government. Quotes work from @instituteforgovernment.org.uk by @amberdellar.bsky.social

How England’s vulnerable children became a gold mine for investors

The government spends £3bn on children’s homes a year and the profits existing players make have ‘piqued people’s interest’

giftarticle.ft.com

EVENT | How can government close the early years attainment gap for boys from low-income families? 📅Thursday 18 June 2026, 12:30-13:30 Join us as we explore how government can better serve children at risk of being ‘left behind’ in their earliest years.

Home Sec using secondary powers from a 1970s immigration act to enact sweeping changes to ILR. This will put many people (and the govt) in legal peril. New @instituteforgovernment.org.uk piece from me on this. N.B. Burnham has said these changes should go ahead. tinyurl.com/3snksf3r

Shabana Mahmood’s retrospective action on immigration could undermine trust in government | Institute for Government

The home secretary’s immigration reforms could put her on collision course with the courts

instituteforgovernment.org.uk

Home Sec using secondary powers from a 1970s immigration act to enact sweeping changes to ILR. This will put many people (and the govt) in legal peril. New @instituteforgovernment.org.uk piece from me on this. N.B. Burnham has said these changes should go ahead. tinyurl.com/3snksf3r

Shabana Mahmood’s retrospective action on immigration could undermine trust in government | Institute for Government

The home secretary’s immigration reforms could put her on collision course with the courts

instituteforgovernment.org.uk

This kind of pledge is unhelpful. Big spending cuts look unlikely under any Labour leader, so this pledge means spending pressures (e.g. from defence/NHS/ongoing crises) are more likely to be met from distortive tweaks to smaller taxes (creating more complexity) www.ft.com/content/2661...

A week on from the local and devolved elections, we at @instituteforgovernment.org.uk have been analysing the results and what they mean. A nice, long Friday afternoon thread:

Analysis from me (on the asylum and immig bill) and all my excellent @instituteforgovernment.org.uk colleagues on what was in the King's Speech!

Rebecca McKee@rebeccamckee.bsky.social · 5mo ago

10 things we learned in the King's Speech, from across the @instituteforgovernment.org.uk Lots of interesting insights and analysis from across the - really quite broad - range of plans from the government.

4 quick thoughts on the King's Speech 1) It's BIG - 37 bills in the background briefing including carried over and draft bills Very unusual for a second parliamentary session - it's very unlikely all of these will end up on the statute book by the end of the session

Friends have started messaging to ask if the tracker is back yet. I’m afraid it is…

Megan Bryer@meganbryer.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Miatta Fahnbulleh - the minister for devolution, faith and communities - has resigned from govt this morning, calling on the PM to set a timetable for an orderly transition of leadership. Our ministerial resignation tracker has the latest info... docs.google.com/spreadsheets...

Our new @instituteforgovernment.org.uk report lists 10 things the government needs to do to fix the children's social care market. 👇I've done a little run down of some of the key charts

Fixing the children’s social care market | Institute for Government

Many children live in placements that do not meet their needs. The government’s reforms are promising, but rely on more joined-up public services.

instituteforgovernment.org.uk

Enjoyed chairing this in conversation event with @matthewpennycookmp.bsky.social on the govt’s leasehold reform plans. There’s clear ambition, but also some thorny questions to work through if reform is to succeed in practice. Check out the recording here: m.youtube.com/watch?v=WqCF...

A keynote speech by Matthew Pennycook MP, Minister for Housing and Planning

YouTube video by Institute for Government

m.youtube.com

Institute for Government@instituteforgovernment.org.uk · 5mo ago

Our A keynote speech by Matthew Pennycook MP, Minister for Housing and Planning event, will be starting in 10 minutes. Join us online and submit your questions via Slido: www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/event/keynot...

The number of people crossing by small boat this year compared to last year. The fall is very real and not seasonal. Little difference in numbers during the winter but since numbers increased in spring, half as many people are coming as this time last year. This is mainly because of European trends.

new online paper by @rosahodgkin.bsky.social @danhaile.bsky.social and me on how govt needs to get a grip of the economic consequences of the Iran war. Needs to stand up coordinating machinery - like Gordon Brown's National Economic Council www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/publication/...

Managing the economic consequences of the Iran war | Institute for Government

How should the government respond to the crisis in the Middle East?

instituteforgovernment.org.uk

Important ruling and very good thread👇

Free Movement@freemovement.bsky.social · 6mo ago

Long thread alert 🧵 1. The High Court has found that asylum hotel accommodation breached the duty of adequacy where families were housed in single rooms for prolonged periods. We've looked at this important ruling in detail.