Joseph Evans

Senior Research Fellow, IPPR North | IPPR The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) is an independent charity working towards a fairer, greener, and more prosperous society.

We're hiring!💥

IPPR North are looking for a senior researcher who has big ideas for the future of our regions. Join us at this pivotal time for our economy and democracy.

Based in Manchester, apply by 31st October.

www.ippr.org/jobs/senior-...

This is a really welcome development - IPPR called for land to be included in the government's plans for a Community Right to Buy, to facilitate more community ownership of environmental assets at a time when nature is in managed decline

See our full report here: www.ippr.org/articles/dri...

The politics of migration have shifted so far to the extreme right, the Conservatives and Reform now have a more hardline policy on deporting legal British residents than... the British National Party did in 2005

Andrew Bailey under political attack on all fronts Legacy of Bank of England’s quantitative easing policy is coming back to bite the Governor

Support is growing for adressing the £22 billion annual taxpayer losses at the Bank of England.

To do so, both BoE and HMT would need to act. On Thursday the Bank should stop active bond sales. And HMT should claw back interest rate losses via a targeted levy.

www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/5259508...

Think this is a pretty detailed problem-definition piece, correctly identifying the scale of the challenge.

I'm curious to read how their solutions to the 5 "giants strangling Britain" balance/address some of the following when they publish it.

- How do they propose to redistribute wealth?

1/🧵

The rise of green tech is feeding another environmental crisis The world's race to decarbonise has led to the rise of electric cars - and with it, soaring demand for lithium, which is required for the batteries

Interesting article from @ionewells.bsky.social over the weekend, genuine local engagement should always be a requirement of any mining project

But there's also a major question missing - what is this replacing?

This leads to one of my favourite stats ever...

(1/3)

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

ICYMI (h/t @josephevans.bsky.social)

Great approach to tackling food deserts:

"In Liverpool, healthy food will come to them: a mapping tool will direct a mobile greengrocer, the Queen of Greens, to visit areas where social housing residents have poor access to food"

As Starmer unveils his 10-year plan, here’s my advice: don’t fall into the Joe Biden trap | Sam Alvis The ex-president spent billions reforming the US economy for the long term – but the Democrats lost. Labour must learn that prices in the here and now matter too, says the IPPR’s Sam Alvis

Today’s industrial strategy echoes Bidenomics. But while the US economy improved, Biden couldn't stop Trump. We went to Washington to find out why.

✒️ IPPR's @samalvis.bsky.social writes for the @theguardian.com 👇

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

We’ll find out more about how departments will deliver on the government's promise of “good jobs” in practice when they publish sectoral Workforce Strategies - starting with the Office for Clean Energy Jobs' strategy later this summer

At first glance, the other sector plans – for advanced manufacturing, creative industries, digital and technologies, and professional business services – have less to say about how departments will create “good jobs” in practice, beyond existing commitments on skills

DESNZ’s intentions are encouraging, including:
➡️ Working with trade unions to ensure clean energy jobs are high-quality
➡️ Exploring how to introduce job quality measures in the Clean Industry Bonus

Looking at sector-specific plans, the Energy Secretary’s commitment to create “a new generation of good, industrial jobs with strong trade union representation” is particularly welcome

➡️A “Lifelong Learning Entitlement” from Jan 2027 – particularly significant in the context of the need to deliver a fair transition for workers in carbon-intensive sectors

Here are some of the most eye-catching:
➡️£275m for technical training and apprenticeships – a welcome injection of cash, although spread over the rest of the Parliament, this is relatively modest
➡️A commitment to £1.2bn additional investment in skills per year by 2028-29

Having the skills to secure these jobs is also vital. Many young people are not developing tertiary skills, and many workers are trapped in insecure, low-quality work

The government clearly understands the importance of skills – and the commitments listed in the white paper are welcome

Who is able to access these jobs matters. Geography – where new jobs are located – is part of the story

Some areas of the UK (eg the South East) already have a strong share of good-quality jobs. The aim should be to create high-quality work that is more fairly distributed across the UK

Because productivity growth is higher in these sectors, jobs created by businesses in these industries are likely to be better-quality than, say, jobs in service sectors

In this way, the industrial strategy may start to improve the quality of work in the UK

Ministers have focused the strategy on eight sectors – the IS-8 – which have “the greatest potential to raise national levels of investment and productivity”

By raising labour demand in these sectors, the industrial strategy is likely to create more good-quality jobs

The government published its industrial strategy today. How is it likely to affect the labour market?

Ministers are focused on securing higher business investment in high-productivity sectors. At a basic level, higher investment means greater demand for labour, and therefore more jobs

Young workers and black employees most likely to have workplace monitored A new report warns privacy rights are potentially being breached, suggesting an urgent need for legal reform so workers can have a say over how they are monitored

Pleased to speak to The Mirror about @ippr.org's latest paper on workers' rights

The government's pledge to protect workers from surveillance comes at a really crucial time

www.mirror.co.uk/news/young-b...

📸 | NEW REPORT: Black & young people are at the highest risk of being targeted by worker surveillance.

@josephevans.bsky.social‬ & ‪@joeatkinson.bsky.social‬ make the case for new laws to give workers a say over biometric tracking & monitoring in the workplace 👇

www.ippr.org/articles/neg...

The Telegraph are right on cue!

Getting to know 'Reform curious Labour voters' exploring the attitudes, demography and values of Reform curious Labour voters and the coalitional dilemmas they lose

NEW: Who are the voters Labour risks losing to Reform?

How might Lab unite them with the rest of its election winning coalition? How might Reform win them over?

Some big new research out today with @persuasionuk.bsky.social as featured by @greenmirandahere.bsky.social in today's FT 🧵👇

Mission-driven industrial relations: The case for fair pay agreements | IPPR This report explores how fair pay agreements could support the government’s mission-based approach by resolving labour market challenges in specific sector

Fair Pay Agreements could help the government to deliver its commitments - 1.5 million new homes, thousands more childcare places and publicly-owned rail

They could form the basis of modern industrial relations, with benefits for both sides of the negotiating table

www.ippr.org/articles/mis...

Interesting article from the US

Kate Andrias & @awhf.bsky.social from the Obama and Biden administrations explain how sectoral and multi-employer bargaining can ensure that "abundance" delivers for workers as well as consumers

We at @ippr.bsky.social recommended a similar approach for the UK

Trump's tariffs are destabilising the global economy, and will impact UK manufacturers, particularly the car industry. A trade deal to avoid tariffs will be helpful, but the government can go further by supporting these industries to build the tech of the future

Mission-driven industrial relations: The case for fair pay agreements | IPPR This report explores how fair pay agreements could support the government’s mission-based approach by resolving labour market challenges in specific sector

It remains to be seen whether the Mission Board develops into a forum for negotiation between employers and workers, as we recommended - see our recent report for more info: ippr.org/articles/mis...

But the government's announcement is still a vital move in the right direction

Government unleashes next generation of construction workers to build 1.5m homes New training will help deliver 1.5 million homes which will transform communities and drive growth through the Plan for Change.

IPPR called for new, industry-wide Negotiating Bodies to resolve workforce challenges in sectors which deliver on the government's missions

This Mission Board will play a similar role, resolving workforce challenges across the entire construction sector

www.gov.uk/government/n...

As Maya says, the Chancellor recently announced the government is creating a Construction Skills Mission Board

This industry-wide body is a crucial step towards ensuring the construction workforce is ready to build 1.5 million homes and new infrastructure

We recently recommended a similar approach

GB Energy is the clean energy champion for the British people, designed to capture the benefits of the energy transition for us all, @josephevans.bsky.social tells @martinstanford.bsky.social.

@ippr.bsky.social | @lbcnews.bsky.social