With the Budget on Wednesday, this is my piece for the New Statesman on why he is hamstrung, not just by the fragile public finances, but by the particular way the OBR models the economy. This is less technical and more interesting than it sounds, promise! michaelujacobs.substack.com/p/its-the-ob...

It’s the OBR’s economic model, stupid

The Chancellor is hemmed in by George Osborne’s anti-Keynesian legacy

michaelujacobs.substack.com

The UK will soon take over the presidency of the G20. Amid geopolitical turmoil, what should its priorities be? I argue in the Guardian how focusing on 'national security through international cooperation' can help bring 'hope again' to people across the world. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

The UK’s G20 presidency will push Andy Burnham to the centre of the global stage. What will he use it for? | Michael Jacobs

This is a chance for the PM to advance his progressive agenda and tackle urgent issues such as AI regulation and climate action, says economist Michael Jacobs

theguardian.com

The received wisdom is that Andy Burnham cannot do very much radical because of the UK's dire fiscal and economic position. I strongly disagree. I explain why in a piece with Neal Lawson in Labour List, drawing on my Compass report Ending Business as Usual. labourlist.org/2026/09/andy...

Andy Burnham wowed the Labour Conference this week. But his radical plans - a National Care Service, electoral reform and maybe rejoining the EU - depend on Labour winning the 2029 election. That will require him to do much more, and sooner, than he described. Me: insidestory.org.au/burnham-slay...

Burnham slays ’em • Michael Jacobs

The new British PM’s charismatic speech to Labour’s conference won over even the most jaded commentators. But will it be enough?

insidestory.org.au

Can the UK develop a 'new economic model', as Andy Burnham wants? In an article for the New Statesman (also on my Substack), I explore Britain's existing economic model and why it performs so poorly; and set out what a new (progressive) one might look like michaelujacobs.substack.com/p/new-model-...

New Model Andy

Is there a ‘British economic model’ - and what would it mean for Andy Burnham to try to change it?

michaelujacobs.substack.com

Will this summer’s record temperatures and wildfires in Europe make any difference to climate policy? In a piece for @insidestory.bsky.social I look at new polling evidence. Support for climate policy is increasing, but so are left-right divisions on it. insidestory.org.au/europe-takes...

Europe takes the heat • Michael Jacobs

Has a blazing summer changed public opinion about climate change — or shifted government thinking?

insidestory.org.au

Andy Burnham has pledged to 'end business as usual'. A new Compass report shows what that could mean, describing 68 radical policies in 18 areas, including the cost of living, growth, taxation, housing, democratic reform and foreign policy. Only 230 pages :-) www.compassonline.org.uk/publications...

Ending Business As Usual: Policy Options for a Progressive Government - Compass

Andy Burnham's rise to Prime Minister came off the back of a promise to 'end business as usual'. Here, 17 civil society organisations present a menu of policies to do just that.

compassonline.org.uk

I failed to post here my piece in the Guardian a week ago on the British government’s forthcoming decision whether or not to approve new oil and gas licences. My answer is ‘yes and no’ - but with some careful reasoning that may be of interest: www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Can Burnham justify giving the go ahead to oil drilling? Yes, but these must be the conditions | Michael Jacobs

Carbon capture and storage could make the Rosebank site compatible with UK net zero commitments – if its owners are willing to pay the price, says economist Michael Jacobs

theguardian.com

Our fabulous guests were @michaelujacobs.bsky.social , @clequere.bsky.social and @edconway.bsky.social

There has been an outbreak of soul searching in the global North about the future of development aid. The more aid is slashed, the more conferences and initiatives are organised. But there is some good new thinking emerging. Some reflections from me: michaelujacobs.substack.com/p/aid-and-th...

Aid and the search for a new world order

As the US, UK and other European countries slash their overseas aid budgets, global relationships are being redrawn. Perhaps ultimately for the better?

michaelujacobs.substack.com

For people not in the UK... you may have seen that British politics is in turmoil (again), with Keir Starmer possibly about to be overthrown as Prime Minister. I have written a piece for Inside Story explaining what is going on. I hope is is helpful! insidestory.org.au/starmer-on-t...

Starmer on the brink • Michael Jacobs

After last week’s disastrous local election results, two aspiring prime ministers have made their moves

insidestory.org.au

I have written my very first Substack! It's on climate finance, and who governs it. Since most of the $1.3tn annual goal by 2035 will need to come from sources not governed by the UNFCCC, we need a wider agenda in the G20, IMF and other fora. Here's some recommendations substack.com/home/post/p-...

Making progress on climate finance

We need to address the governance problem

substack.com

I see that Your Party has temporarily mislaid half its leadership, expelled a whole swathe of members and cannot agree on a name. The Judean People’s Liberation Front already having been taken, may I respectfully offer Party McPartyface? www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Your Party conference thrown into chaos as Zarah Sultana boycotts first day

Sultana skips Saturday’s proceeding in solidarity with delegates expelled over links to other parties

theguardian.com

The conclusion of COP30 in Brazil has left a bitter taste in the mouth. A new ‘axis of obstruction’ has emerged to block stronger commitments to reduce emissions - Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Russia - with Donald Trump urging them on. My analysis for inside Story: insidestory.org.au/not-so-good-...

Not so good COP • Inside Story

The latest UN climate summit was buffeted by geopolitical headwinds

insidestory.org.au

On the penultimate day of COP30 we are still waiting for new text from the Brazilian presidency. The key issue is whether there should be a ‘roadmap on transitioning away from fossil fuels’. I have tried to explain what this is and why it’s important. www.linkedin.com/posts/michae...

It's 1pm on Thursday here in Belem, but since yesterday morning time has stood still at COP30. That was when the Brazilian presidency told us they would issue a 'Mutirão' / 'Belem Poli...

It's 1pm on Thursday here in Belem, but since yesterday morning time has stood still at COP30. That was when the Brazilian presidency told us they would issue a 'Mutirão' / 'Belem Political Package' t...

linkedin.com

So, COP30: what’s happening? I have tried to explain in a post on LinkedIn:

What’s happening at COP30? A very significant shift in the dynamics of climate diplomacy. With the US absent, the faultlines between countries are becoming clearer - between countries that want faster collective action on climate and those that don’t. Me on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/posts/michae...

It's Day 4 of the COP, and the agenda is becoming clearer even as it remains mired in fog. In a 'presidency consultation' which has now had three plenary meetings - delegates referred to...

It's Day 4 of the COP, and the agenda is becoming clearer even as it remains mired in fog. In a 'presidency consultation' which has now had three plenary meetings - delegates referred to it despairi...

linkedin.com

COP30 is up and running. What are the issues on the agenda? This is my first report from Belem, which is not actually ‘the capital of the Amazon’, but is nevertheless an appropriate venue for a conference in search of sustainable and equitable economic development. insidestory.org.au/for-whom-wil...

For whom will Belém toll? • Inside Story

President Lula’s climate summit failed to defy Donald Trump in the way some had hoped, but COP30 has the chance to tackle two key challenges — if they can get on the agenda

insidestory.org.au

So this COP30 thing. You’ve probably heard about it. It’s a talking shop. It has way too many people attending, burning fossil fuels as they fly in. 30 years of COPs have failed to stop emissions rising. And so on. But the criticisms miss the point. My analysis: theconversation.com/the-un-clima...

The UN climate summits are working – just not in the way their critics think

Many say UN climate summits are pointless. They’re wrong.

theconversation.com

So what’s this COP30 all about? I shall be posting regular explainers from Belem. To kick-off here’s a very readable analysis of climate geopolitics and geoeconomics by my ODI Global colleagues Sarah Colenbrander and Shandelle Steadman. For more, watch this space! www.linkedin.com/posts/odi_co...

#cop30 #climateaction #geopolitics | ODI Global

Our COP blog series is back! Over the next few weeks, we'll be posting daily insights and reflections on the negotiations on our dedicated resources hub. To kick things off, Sarah Colenbrander and S...

linkedin.com

BREAKING: Govt has published a new plan to hit UK climate goals out to 2035 (Unlike prev govt's plans) it says it'll deliver **100%** of required reductions under the sixth carbon budget 2033-2037, 96% of the 2030 NDC and 99% of the 2035 NDC We'll have full details tomorrow 1/2

Donald Trump’s impact on global climate policy is not as great as feared. In this piece for Inside Story I give both the ‘glass half full’ and ‘glass half empty’ versions: what Trump is doing, and how rapid the clean energy transition has now become, despite him. insidestory.org.au/trump-vs-ear...

Trump vs. Earth • Michael Jacobs

Threatening behaviour at this month’s maritime negotiations continued the US administration’s efforts to turn back the sustainability tide

insidestory.org.au

International climate finance can be obscure for those who are not in it, and frustrating for those who are. Last year’s COP29 adopted an ambition of $1.3tn a year in flows to developing countries by 2035. But few people in the finance world thought it remotely likely. odi.org/en/insights/... 1/3

What on earth is happening in British politics? A far right party topping the polls barely a year after Labour won an election landslide, 100,000 white nationalists marching through London… I have written an article for Inside Story trying to explain. insidestory.org.au/disunited-ki...

Disunited kingdom • Michael Jacobs

Keir Starmer’s Labour government is struggling to position itself in a fragmented political landscape

insidestory.org.au

We’re told that Keir Starmer may not attend the critical Leaders’ Climate Summit in Brazil just before the start of COP30. This would be an appalling abdication of responsibility - handing victory to Donald Trump. Me in the Guardian: www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Starmer can help shape the future of the world at Cop30. He can’t let fear of Farage stop him | Michael Jacobs

The battle inside No 10 about whether the PM should attend an absolutely crucial climate summit in Brazil is ludicrous. He must assert himself – and go, says economist Michael Jacobs

theguardian.com

It’s been a hot (41C!) and fascinating week at the 4th UN Financing for Development Conference in Sevilla. I have written an article for @insidestory on what happened, and the implications of the US’s non-participation for wider global governance: insidestory.org.au/can-the-worl...

Can the world be governed without the US? • Inside Story

A UN conference discovers the absence of the United States can be an opportunity rather than a hindrance

insidestory.org.au

🚨🚨The White House is pissed off about this ad so you know what to do, share it everywhere! ICE is disappearing people just because of the color of their skin! No Warrant! No Due Process! This is not who we are as Americans! #MAGAKidnappers want an all white America, fuck that‼️

Interesting survey of Labour MPs on the Chancellor’s options ahead of the Spending Review. Adds to the pressure on Rachel Reeves to bend fiscal rules and/or raise taxes to avoid spending cuts.

Invest In Britain@investinbritain.bsky.social · last yr.

🧵New polling from @investinbritain.bsky.social by @survation.bsky.social reveals a majority of Labour MPs want the Chancellor to change course on fiscal policy. 1/8 thetimes.com/article/6448...

Why would the government choose to cut vital benefits and services rather than tax the richest? And why aren’t the main opposition parties calling for taxes on the super-rich either? Our full Sunday Times Rich List analysis at sharethewealth.org.uk

Exposing the extreme wealth of the super-rich and the profiteering of big corporations | Share The Wealth

We expose the extreme wealth of the super-rich and the profiteering of big corporations.

sharethewealth.org.uk

I have written an article in the Guardian on the economic policies of the Starmer government in the UK. It seems to me that it is (seeking to be) much more radical than people have generally appreciated, and indeed than it publicly admits. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Labour’s economic agenda has all the right ideas – but it’s a race against time to make it work | Michael Jacobs

This government needs to reverse at least three decades of financial woes, and it needs to show progress before its plan gets Trumped, writes economist Michael Jacobs

theguardian.com