Eleanor

I’ve never saved an owl - though I absolutely would, given the opportunity.

What I have done is accidentally mouth a pigeon.

A rat of the sky, startled by a passing runner, flew into my face and its wing went right into my mouth.

Spent the next week convinced I was going to die of bird plague.

Robert Jenrick and his wiggy puppet

“You described Reform and other parties across Europe today as among the 'right wing equivalents of the fascists in the 1930s'. Why?”

“Because that’s what they are”

@vicderbyshire.bsky.social asks Lord Heseltine about remarks he made at Conservative Party Conference.

#Newsnight

Thanks - will keep trying.

Went to see GP this morning feeling slightly foolish, because it's just about a tiny spot on the tip of my nose. Turns out it's not foolish - it's a basal cell carcinoma, which is treatable and not life threatening - but shows how important it is to get skin lesions investigated!

Jenrick expanded the need for hotels by slowing processing of claims. He said it was to be a deterrent but reality is that Conservative mates and donors made massive profits.

Isn't that entirely deliberate though?
The government has already made clear its goal to scapegoat and punish the disabled and unemployed. They are very much disincentivised to release clear data that contradicts their narrative.

I have just noticed that next week is Hate Speech week when we are advised to call out every instance and show support in our communities for those effected.

Chart showing: Number of families claiming a health-related benefit: Great Britain

Of course, researchers try to make sense of this by collating lots of different DWP data releases...

But we shouldn't expect journalists to do this every month. Until DWP publish their data more clearly, we shouldn't be surprised if misleading and unforgiving headlines keep coming.

Decomposition of growth in the number of claimants of Universal Credit with Limited Capability for Work and Work-Related Activity, or in the Employment and Support Allowance Support Group

What makes this more frustrating is that DWP knows this is an issue and has the data it needs to publish clearer stats. It published a whole article on the various factors contributing to the rise in health-related benefit claims back in January: www.gov.uk/government/s...

...Again, this isn't inevitable. DWP could publish, as standard, time-series charts of people claiming UC or equivalent legacy benefits. UC has been rolling out for over a decade now - it's not like this has come as a surprise!

Screenshot of chart: Rise in claimants not required to work

Case study 2: UC stats get written up as 'rise in claimants not required to work' - and anyone glancing at this chart would think there's been an extraordinary change in benefit claims. You have to read footnotes/surrounding text to know that there's been a corresponding fall in ESA claims...

...Yet it's impossible to know how much of this relates to people moving from one part of the benefits system to another or a genuine rise in people making new claims for sickness benefits. Surely it's in DWP's interest to prioritise publishing WCA data for new claimants vs those migrating from ESA?

Screenshot of headline saying: Long-term sickness claims rising by 5,000 a day

Screenshot of chart: Monthly Universal Credit WCA decisions, Great Britain, April 2019 to May 2025

Case study 1: DWP count people who go through a Work Capability Assessment when they move from ESA to UC as a 'new' claimant. So when you draw a time-series chart of Work Capability Assessments - even if you limit it to 'initial' assessments - you see a big spike in recent months...

It's increasingly perplexing that DWP aren't prioritising improving their stats to better reflect the move from legacy benefits to UC.

Until then, we'll keep getting misleading headlines like 'Long-term sickness claims rising by 5,000 a day' - you can't blame journalists when the stats are so bad!

🧵This is not just an issue for specialists. Official data which is not fit for purpose is feeding a crisis narrative on benefit claims that is for the most part accepted uncritically by political elites and the media.

Screenshot of an Express article; it says: Robert Jenrick lists 30 'activist judges' he vows to axe in war on UK's open border In a bold move, Robert Jenrick is set to unveil a controversial plan targeting what he calls 'activist' judges, at the Conservative Party conference.

I say this with the bluntness it requires: they will get people murdered if this continues. This is not just populism anymore either: it’s completely unhinged and a deliberate choice that does endanger lives. I am not saying this lightly at all.

Oh wow that is bad.
Hope the electrician gods are listening and decide to intervene.

As someone that has been home-based for many years it does take a lot of getting used to. My year for joining groups and getting out more was 2020 🙄

I think the flu vaccination affected me this year which is unusual and just well enough now for covid tomorrow.

Rest well and I hope it passes.

I hope we won’t see more cases of severe Covid or long COVID as a consequence of changing eligibility. I also hope some deal can be done to help accessibility of the vaccines for those that can’t shell out over £100 to vaccinate their families

This mismatch is confusing for people who just one year ago were eligible for both free vaccines. Communicating eligibility needs to be made clearer to avoid disappointment. Vaccines can be purchased from most pharmacies - flu around £18.50 and Covid 75-99 which adds up

Who’s eligible for the 2025 COVID-19 vaccine, or ‘Autumn Booster’? This blog post was reviewed and updated in September 2025. When autumn comes, protection from any earlier COVID-19 vaccination you may have had will be starting to wane. For those who are more likely ...

So if you are 75 and over, in a care home or severely immunocompromised you are eligible but not if eg you have asthma, are pregnant or have diabetes

Last winter was a severe one for flu but Covid relatively was low and this likely influenced JCVI decision as they claim it is mild for most (tell that to my kids at uni both suffering now) - irrespective jcvi recommended a restricted offering

Pharmacies facing angry patients over Covid jab confusion Up to half of patients coming to some pharmacies are being turned away because they are not eligible.

So much confusion by charging guidelines for Covid and flu vaccines in UK with a massive mismatch in eligibility for who can get them 🧵

Most thinks sound better in Welsh - I just have to keep working at the pronunciation 🫤

Hope you feel better soon.

I worked in the NHS, a high percentage of NHS staff are foreign workers, we don't see individuals we see family all working to make patients healthy again. The new rules will negatively impact not only our NHS by removing vital staff we can't replace but also our care sector. Labour must reconsider

NHS could cease to function under Labour’s new visa rules, say nurses Exclusive: Royal College of Nursing says plan to tighten rules for foreign workers is ‘pandering’ to Reform UK

NHS could cease to function under Labour’s new visa rules, say nurses

Royal College of Nursing says plan to tighten rules for foreign workers is ‘pandering’ to Reform UK

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

That we have such overt racists in our parliament disgusts me and brings shame on us all. To think this racist will stand up for the national anthem makes me feel physically sick.

Streeting hires delivery adviser with no health experience Wes Streeting is drafting in an education expert as his senior adviser on delivery, despite disagreements in his department about the role.

The mysterious process of becoming a government ‘adviser’. Guess he is a good communicator- IF people listen. Anyway Mr Streeting might just as well employ Mary Poppins as an ‘adviser’ for magical thinking seems to be a key aspect of the Ten Year Plan
www.hsj.co.uk/integrated-c...