Steve Metcalfe

Tomorrow's front page 📰

Convicted US felon to arrive in Scotland

Food systems work perfectly...

...for the handful of multinational corporations who control them, that is 😱

We need to focus less on profit, and more on people and planet.

To achieve this we need government action and strong social movements, says @stuartgillespie.bsky.social

Just brilliant

Imagine writing 464 pages to analyse a problem, but failing to say anything about the actual cause of the problem.

The UK can learn so much from other countries about reducing inequality and improving society.

Here, we outline how the Department for Health and Social Care can learn from Brazil, Canada and other countries which have led the way in community-based care.

China rare earths: The BBC visits the world's mining capital for the metals - BBC News The price of the rare earth metals the world buys from China

"Life as we know it could grind to a halt without Bayan Obo."

The town producing rare earth metals needed for our phones, solar panels and EVs - and where one tonne of minerals processed produces a staggering 2,000 tonnes of toxic waste.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/resourc...

a couple of hours before my keynote, I went through an intense negotiation with the organisers (for over a hour) where we went through my slides and had to remove anything that mentions 'Palestine' 'Israel' and replace 'genocide' with 'war crimes'

1/

Huge changes taking place in development right now - declines in civic space and freedoms, emergence of polycrises, failures of multilateralism and cuts in funding. What should a development-focused research and teaching institute prioritise?

Please share your thoughts - survey is very quick ⬇️

"A chant directed at a military force currently under investigation for war crimes by the International Criminal Court". So, nothing to do with anti-Semitism, then.

Great analysis of the Bob Vylan controversy and how the real issue is the Mail on Sunday fabricating a quote.

UK’s sale of F-35 fighter jet parts to Israel is lawful, high court rules Rights group loses challenge despite government accepting they could be used in breach of humanitarian law in Gaza

Lawful to sell fighter jet parts that are being used to break international law? I'm no lawyer, but that sounds like a cop-out from UK courts www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

Ahead of #FFD4 my colleagues at @ictdtax.bsky.social have released an excellent brief on smarter, more equitable tax systems.

Big aid drops mean tax is more important than ever - yet many lower-income countries collect way less tax / GDP than wealthier countries.

www.ids.ac.uk/campaigns/th...

"Food is for people, and we need to have alternative economic systems that benefit our communities and those people who are underserved in communities"

@deewoods.bsky.social shares her vision for transforming food systems in this latest video from the Food Equity Centre

Clothing companies need to take rapid and coordinated action to stop their products causing serious damage to wetlands in Ghana, polluting water and impacting fishing livelihoods.

Brilliantly researched piece from Greenpeace Unearthed.

Global Inequality - Global Inequality

Hi everyone, I'm excited to announce this new project: a website dedicated to research and data on imperialism and inequality. You're going to love this...

globalinequality.org

England faces water shortfall of 6 billion litres per day: a shortfall equivalent to a third of current daily use 😱

The BBC has chosen to emphasis small measures for the general public; but the Guardian shows there are much wider issues like uncontrolled use of AI

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

Critical minerals: The one issue COP has forgotten about To reverse the climate crisis, COP30 must address the unforeseen consequences of the critical mineral boom, which is adding more deforestation and CO2 emissions

🚨 Critical minerals are powering the green transition – but at what cost?

COP still isn’t addressing the deforestation, corruption and land grabs linked to mineral extraction. That needs to change.

👉 gwitness.org/3FwT37B

#COP #JustTransition #ClimateCrisis

We've got a bunch of video shorts coming out on how food systems need to be transformed. Here's the first!

With thanks to @chalkstonefilms.bsky.social

Gaza: its genocide, and the world needs to act.
By one of the world's top humanitarian authorities Martin Griffiths & IDS research fellow @philipproudfoot.bsky.social

Storks migrate back to conservation project at Knepp estate - BBC News At least six birds born in West Sussex in 2024 are back in the county after migrating to Morocco.

"An emblem for nature recovery" - I love the white storks at @kneppwilding.bsky.social, an inspiring story of nature revival.

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

Oil giant Equinor funds game that promotes fossil fuels to children An online game used in UK schools portrays oil, gas and coal as part of a green transition.

This is shocking. www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2025...

Let’s get real about public support for UK aid and development | Bond Slippery concept or not, the government needs to show leadership and the development sector needs to pull its socks up to get the public on side of UK aid.

UK politicians use reduced public support to justify axing development funding - but don't recognise how their actions have contributed towards the loss of support. And we've got to stop talking about "aid": a patronising, outdated concept which erodes public trust www.bond.org.uk/news/2025/06...

Climate change could bring insect-borne tropical diseases to UK, scientists warn Mosquito experts say cuts in aid will lead to collapse of crucial surveillance and control in endemic countries

The UK's cuts to international aid are not just affecting ability of hot countries to tackle tropical diseases, they are also making the UK more vulnerable to disease. So short sighted.

www.theguardian.com/science/2025...

Great! Can we stop banging on about it now, and focus on actual problems?

It’s time to stop the great food heist powered by big business. That means taxation, regulation and healthy school meals | Stuart Gillespie The global food system has been captured by a few rapacious companies that profit from public ill-health. We need a radical overhaul

🔥Time to stop the great food heist

And we know what to do....

my new article for @theguardian.com

www.theguardian.com/global-devel...

The State Department reportedly pressured African countries to adopt Elon Musk’s Starlink The DOGE effect?

US development funding is being used as a negotiating tactic to make Musk richer
www.theverge.com/politics/668...

Why is Labour attacking international research, when it is so crucial to tackling complex problems and supporting economic growth?

Never thought I'd find an opinion from Jacob Rees-Mogg that I could agree with, but here we are.

Shamima Begum was radicalised when she was just a child - she's a victim and should never have had her citizenship taken away

IDS researchers denounce Gaza catastrophe and urge urgent global response - Institute of Development Studies As Palestinians today mark the 77th anniversary of the Nakba – the expulsion of Palestinian Arabs from their homeland in 1948

On the 77th anniversary of the #Nakba, Gaza is facing famine and mass displacement. IDS researchers warn of a deliberate humanitarian collapse and call for urgent global action. 👇

https://ac.pulse.ly/iyefxkvygt

Let's keep international students out of the UK immigration debate.

As this article points out, the British "public is generally pretty unfussed about international students", and recognise that international students boost the UK economy, fill skills gaps and create jobs

Brilliant analysis by my colleague @jigyasa.bsky.social on how the Indian government weaponised gender norms to help justify military strikes against Pakistan @ids.ac.uk