Last night, we welcomed guests from politics, civil society, philanthropy and the arts to the new V&A East Museum for an evening exploring how storytelling can connect rather than divide us, and build a stronger sense of shared belonging.

If you are looking for something stimulating to do in London next weekend it is the @britishacademy.bsky.social Ideas Festival - lots of free fun for curious minds

Hetan Shah@hetanshah.bsky.social · 6mo ago

Our annual Ideas Festival is such a cornucopia of delights I can’t get it across in a single post. But in short it is a free (FREE!) festival of humanities and social sciences research with talks, exhibits, workshops, performances & more. 19/20 June London www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/events/ideas...

A lot of good stuff in this new (and accessible) Demos report. (Spot the paragraph linking Proust and the Stone Roses) @pollycurtis.bsky.social @mds49.bsky.social demos.co.uk/research/a-n...

A Nation of Neighbours: Rebuilding Britain from the Ground Up

Demos is Britain’s leading cross-party think-tank. We produce original research, publish innovative thinkers and host thought-provoking events.

demos.co.uk

How can public confidence in UK democracy be restored? Join @pollycurtis.bsky.social, @mds49.bsky.social and Sue Tibballs to discuss what works to restore confidence in democracy, at our free, online conference on 24 June. Sign up 👉 www.ucl.ac.uk/social-histo....

Every single piece of evidence in the UK shows that ethnic minorities are nore pro-migratiion than white British people. Ethnic minorities like white British people have mixed pro, balancer and sceptical views but they are more liberal + softer sceptics. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Shabana Mahmood swears at ‘white liberal’ hecklers over Reform remarks

Home secretary accuses protesters of trying to ‘delegitimise’ concerns people have over immigration

theguardian.com

What can you say about that post? Other than that the President is threatening war crimes and sounds absolutely unhinged?

Tony Vaughan MP says the settlement reform should be abandoned, not tinkered with, as @ippr.org analysis shows it will increase child poverty by 60,000 - 90,000 yet not make a net fiscal saving at all, because 300k children will wait longer for settlement www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/...

Catherine West MP says the govt needs to rethink "unfair" settlement proposals - on those already here - to triple settlement for health care staff & care workers - to disadvantage children from poor v rich backgrounds with new hurdles+barriers to uni www.catherinewest.org.uk/latest-news/...

I have spent my political life fighting for a fairer Britain: The proposed changes to the immigration rules are not fair - Catherine West

Indefinite leave to remain (ILR) gives you the right to live, work and study in the UK. The Government’s proposal to change the UK residency period for those who wish to qualify for ILR from five year...

catherinewest.org.uk

It was a great honour to host Diego Martínez Belío, Spanish State Secretary for Foreign and Global Affairs. We were joined by those from across politics, philanthropy, journalism and campaigning to hear the distinctive Spanish approach to our current global disorder.

The government’s social cohesion plan marks a major step forward for communities. As UCL Policy Lab research shows, the government's new Social Cohesion Action Plan is right to focus on how local communities are the bedrock of cohesion. www.ucl.ac.uk/policy-lab/n...

Government’s social cohesion plan marks a major step forward for communities

As UCL Policy Lab research shows, the government's new Social Cohesion Action Plan is right to focus on how local communities are the bedrock of cohesion. Yet other elements of the government's curren...

ucl.ac.uk

Best thing I've read on the SEND reforms: personal, really lucid, great on the policy context jimlauder.substack.com/p/the-white-...

The White Paper

There are some good bits, but also an approach that isn't going to work for my family

jimlauder.substack.com

It was fantastic to celebrate UCL’s 200th birthday today. Do come and see the brilliant exhibition if you’re in London. I was so delighted to see the Policy Lab profiled in it!

Today marks 200 years since UCL first opened its doors 🎉 This year will see an exciting and varied programme of activities, events and storytelling across our community as we celebrate this milestone, and look to the future.

UCL@ucl.ac.uk · 9mo ago

Today, UCL turns 200. 🎉 For two centuries, our community has opened doors, challenged convention and pushed the boundaries of knowledge across every discipline. Thank you to everyone who’s been part of the UCL story, here’s to the next century. ✨ #UCL200 #LoveUCL

You may notice that the UCL Policy Lab's brand is looking a little different. That's because we're getting a fresh new look as we celebrate UCL's 200th anniversary. www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2026/fe...

UCL celebrates 200 years: A landmark year begins

Today, UCL marks 200 years since its foundation. Based in the heart of London, UCL is rooted in curiosity, tolerance and academic excellence. Throughout the year we will celebrate two centuries of lea...

ucl.ac.uk

Neither rain nor fire, Sir Keir Starmer's fading search for a story. New on HopeWorks: @mds49.bsky.social reflects on what the artists Turner and Constable can tell us about Keir Starmer's leadership. thisishopeworks.substack.com/p/rain-nor-f...

Neither rain nor fire, Sir Keir Starmer's fading search for a story

Guest writer, Marc Stears, Director, UCL Policy Lab & former chief speechwriter to the Labour Party, reflects on what the artists, Turner and Constable, can tell us about Keir Starmer's leadership.

thisishopeworks.substack.com

Had forgotten until reading @duncanrobinson.bsky.social’s peerless column that Peter Mandelson once publicly said Keir Starmer was too fat.

Britain’s worst political scandal of this century

The Mandelson affair threatens Sir Keir Starmer’s premiership

economist.com

Keir Starmer has told parliament today that, when vetting Peter Mandelson for US ambassador, his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein came up. But as Alan Rusbridger wrote last year, even a cursory Google should have disqualified him

I helped bring Mandelson down before

Peter Mandelson is brilliant, but slippery. Connected, but compromised. Why was Starmer too naive to recognise that?

prospectmagazine.co.uk

This is a truly excruciating column. The definition of shameless. www.thetimes.com/article/8429...

Labour owes debt to giant of politics in modern era

Mandelson has been on the right side of every important argument in the politics of the left since the 1990s

thetimes.com

Don't think I've ever felt as sick reading a newspaper story as I have looking at this morning's Epstein coverage. Just the open amorality of all the powerful people involved for so long.

Increasingly obv that the govt wants to remodel a big chunk of the SEND system so that provision based on specific/individual needs & provision becomes one where support is delivered to groups.That will have the benefit of saving money & it suits some ideological prefs. It also defies what SEND is

Congrats to @drjennings.bsky.social on this really important work. Let’s hope the government listens. www.theguardian.com/society/2026...

Labour risks election wipeout unless it improves Britain’s high streets, study finds

Decay of town centres a top issue among voters especially Reform UK supporters and is fuelling resentment against Westminster

theguardian.com

The killing of Alex Pretti is a heartbreaking tragedy. It should also be a wake-up call to every American, regardless of party, that many of our core values as a nation are increasingly under assault.

The BBC coverage is absolutely terrible. It leads on "sharply contested narratives" It has a dramatic skew to the US government It has posted the video but has failed to report on what it shows: it shows the US govt account is untrue

"Britain has only ever been able to stand tall in the world, alongside partners, when it’s allowed all parts of the country to succeed." @mds49.bsky.social on @andyburnham.bsky.social speech at @uclpolicylab.bsky.social and @theifs.bsky.social. www.newstatesman.com/politics/202...

Manchesterism could revive Britain's fading grandeur

The towns and cities of the north and the Midlands were key to Britain's global success

newstatesman.com

Good piece by @mds49.bsky.social tying this to our collective security, where all of the country can play its part. www.newstatesman.com/politics/202...

Manchesterism could revive Britain's fading grandeur

The towns and cities of the north and the Midlands were key to Britain's global success

newstatesman.com

‘Vulnerable children use social media for connection, peer support and trusted advice. Many of us have feared that a ban may solve one set of mental health risks but unleash new ones.’ The father of Molly Russell impressively thoughtful about policy on social media www.thetimes.com/article/fc74...

Why I oppose banning children from social media

Sir Keir Starmer must target addictive tech design and promote online wellbeing rather than a popular but ineffective solution, writes the father of Molly Russell

thetimes.com

What do people in England think about their local area? In this short report I take a look at surveys we conducted with @yougov.co.uk in 2022, 2024 and 2025 to gain some insights... Some key findings...

Delighted we’re welcoming @drodrik.bsky.social to Cambridge on Thursday to give the STLee public lecture - free but book here www.csap.cam.ac.uk/events/share...

Shared prosperity in a fractured world - a new economics for the middle class, the global poor, and our climate - Centre for Science and Policy

The 2026 Dr S T Lee Public Policy Lecture A talk by Dani Rodrik, Ford Foundation Professor of International Political Economy, Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government Overview Fighting...

csap.cam.ac.uk