Mark Byrne

How will the Warm Homes Plan change home heating? Prioritising electric technologies like heat pumps and solar, and backed by £15 billion investment, the plan will mandate minimum energy efficiency standards for rented homes and create the new Warm H...

We have our Nesta reaction to today's Warm Homes Plan up!

What does it mean for heating, fabric and electrification? What funding is available? What gaps are there in the plan?
Read all about it here:

www.nesta.org.uk/blog/how-wil...

I would have thought condemning an company producing child abuse material on an industrial scale for profit would be an easy one. But here were are.

How a Tuscan vision took Barnsley back from the brink of disaster - BBC News The once-struggling mining town is now rivalling the historic city of York in visitor numbers.

Sometimes people ask me - where do you think is doing some really interesting local development?

Often I respond Barnsley.

Here’s why!

www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvgrnkwjvlgo.amp

Why your AI companion is not your friend First, tech companies usurped the meaning of ‘friends’ and ‘connection’ — now they are coming for ‘companionship’

Marvellous, moving and wise column by @martinsandbu.ft.com:

Yesss

The way to go viral on twitter now is to complain about quality street

Merry Christmas one and all x

Current Opportunities Check here for current job opportunities.

In case you're thinking (or know people) thinking about a new role in the New Year we're hiring atm for
- Training/Development Associate to help people make use of our insights
-Comms assistant to help share our insights across platforms
Details & apply here: www.moreincommon.org.uk/about-us/jobs/

An insane seven days and I'm finally getting to lay on my sofa with the cat

The best thing about having a cat is when he’ll walk in the room carrying a slice of ham but you don’t have any ham in the house. Where’d you get the ham little guy?

This is a good thread! Every week someone reads out a London Centric story on TikTok without credit and does big views. This isn’t a wah wah moan… more that when a big news outlet steals, they know what they’re doing. I think a lot of content creators sincerely think “reading words” *is* reporting?

This dynamic is in part why Keir Starmer should have a good, regular Substack, because so much of important media is what I think of as 'derived' these days, i.e. it is TikTok or Facebook thread from someone who actually reads journalism repurposed or driving their opinions.

Defo. Could be very interesting if part of a broader strategy to "make legacy media come to me for a change", but it does not look like that.

This is a borderline psychotic thing to put in a newspaper.

A hundred times this

I never ever want to hear the word smorgasbord again, thank you.

Festive tradition of my cat immediately trying to toss the tree

If the OBR document is correct, this seems to be the energy bills package:

Government taking 75% of the Renewables Obligation levy off electricity bills, at a cost of £2.3bn per year. This is good!

The ECO levy (£1.7bn per year to upgrade fuel poor homes) will *end in April 2026*.

I agree with GT here on the actual impact, but if you want to compete politically you need to be a lot less fussy about the rabbits you chase. Do it all.

Want to do my job? Fantastic opportunity to join the @instituteforgovernment.org.uk partnerships team! Working at at the heart of the Institute, this role will give you the chance to work across teams, generate resource and drive impact. Drop me a line if you're interested and want to know more.

The disciplines theory of government Are legacy disciplines dragging the whole operation down?

Thought this was interesting: medium.com/@jamestplunk...

Getting Britain out of the hole A plan for the UK economy

New essay out today by me and @acjsissons.bsky.social - ‘Getting Britain out of the hole: a plan for the economy’. You can read the whole thing here getting-out-of-the-hole.uk

A chart mega-thread follows 🧵

Hard to know if asking your MPs to defend seizing jewellery from asylum seekers will improve morale

Said this a lot before, but there is no politician conveying any sense of what they think the country should look in 2040 or 2050, so no sense they are taking steps to get there.

With the ending of permanent asylum, taxes on foreign students, two U-turns on income tax, a refusal to listen to business concerns about hiring costs, again I ask ‘who are Labour for?’ What is the vision underlying all these choices other than responding to last week’s polls?

Hahah

The thing to understand about this is that this catastrophe in the UK has redounded to the political benefit of the very same people and political movement that pushed for it! Extremely perverse.

I'm afraid this would push me over the edge

Let us simply not check that figure after they stuck most of the BBC in the US behind a paywall a few months ago to increase revenue at the expense of British soft power and influence.

London’s new Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration to open in May 2026 A new museum will open in London next year, as the Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration has confirmed its delayed opening date.

A new museum will open in London next year, as the Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration has confirmed its delayed opening date.

www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/que...