Jake Puddle

Text: Margaret Thatcher’s right-to-buy scheme has cost UK taxpayers almost £200bn, according to a report into the policy’s contribution to Britain’s housing crisis. In its report into the sale of millions of council homes to their tenants at steep discounts since 1980, the Common Wealth thinktank said the policy had fuelled vast shortages in social housing and turbocharged inequality. Describing it as one of the “largest giveaways in UK history”, it said the sale of 1.9m council homes in England had contributed to a situation where one in six private tenants in England now rents a former local authority home.

The cost of Right to Buy ...
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

This man is a Conservative MP and former No.10 adviser.

UK: Are fears of a second summer of anti-migrant unrest unfounded? British police have made a number of arrests following anti-migrant protests in the country this month, but are fears that the latest demonstrations could spark another summer of unrest, which followe...

'Are fears of a second summer of anti-migrant unrest unfounded?' asks @infomigrants.net - citing the recent 'The State of Us' report from British Future and Belong, and quoting British Future senior researcher @jakepuddle.bsky.social
www.infomigrants.net/en/post/6610...

YouTube video by AFSA Jake Puddle - AFSA

Grateful to have been interviewed on our ‘State of Us’ research on cohesion at the Asian Fire Service Association.

We discussed the risks of further riots and the role that emergency services can play in building community resilience to hate

youtu.be/jNrOar1Nilo?...

Comment: ‘I (do not) predict a riot –  but cohesion demands more’ Expert says social media turns rumour and fear into potential flashpoints

@sundersays.bsky.social explores how to strike a balance between vigilance and alarmist fearmongering in the wake of the Epping tensions

www.easterneye.biz/southport-ri...

Great piece, exploring the unique role that community events and creative arts can play to restore local pride and knit social connections

Online abuse against migrants doubled after Southport attack A year of hatred against people in the UK followed social media posts containing misinformation about Southport

🚨NEW: X failed to act on 97% of the posts calling for violence against migrants & Muslims identified by CCDH & reported to the platform by Southport MP @patrickhurley.bsky.social.

A year after the UK riots, Musk's X remains a central hub for calls for violence – despite it violating X's own rules.

One year on, tensions still circle Britain’s asylum-seeker hotels A report from Epping and Diss reveals disconnected and resentful communities.

“Deprivation and social dislocation, not levels of immigration, were the most common factors in riot-hit areas last summer.”

One year on from the riots of 2024. Brilliantly reported from @anooshc.bsky.social for the @newstatesman.com. www.newstatesman.com/cover-story/...

Come and join us!
We’re recruiting an experienced researcher for our exciting new 3 year @nuffieldfoundation.org project - ‘Voices for equity: from evidence to action’
CV and letter by 15th August
www.britishfuture.org/about-us/jobs/

I live in Britain; I grew up in Israel. It’s painful to say, but we need real UK sanctions to save Gaza | Yair Wallach Symbolic gestures and empty statements are no longer enough. In Israel’s globalised economy, here’s what will shift public opinion, says says senior lecturer in Israeli studies Yair Wallach

By continuing business as usual, Israel’s international partners are allowing the Israeli government to continue with its genocidal campaign with no consequences beyond symbolic gestures of disapproval and statements.
The time to act is now - me @theguardian.com

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

A year after anti-immigrant riots in Britain, many worry it could happen again The killing of three girls at a summer dance class in England a year ago Tuesday, by a teenager misidentified as a migrant, triggered days of street violence directed at newcomers and minorities

A year after the riots, Jill Lawless reports on what has or hasn't changed
www.independent.co.uk/news/britain...

Important & must read discussion paper by @sachahilhorst.bsky.social

“The state should endeavour to create, facilitate and maintain spaces where solidarity might thrive.”

Summary of performance against key indicators of @localtrust.org.uk Big Local areas against other similar areas without neighbourhood-based interventions. Pretty impressive.

Paper: localtrust.org.uk/wp-content/u...

In focus groups, concern about Channel crossings greatly outweighed discussion of migration for work/study/family. This is similar in our tracker poll. There's been some hardening of views since 2022 but the public struggle to identify where they'd reduce migration when asked about specific groups

Community leaders can help curb false claims online after attacks in UK, say researchers Analysis finds swift release of information helps to debunk inflammatory falsehoods on social media

One thing to consider here is how community spaces where community leaders could have influence on discourse have been closed down over the last several decades. That's created vulnerabilities in information ecosystems. www.theguardian.com/media/2025/j...

But there are no easy answers. In fact, the Independent Commission on Community Cohesion will be kicking off a national conversation to look ahead to 'where do we go from here'. More info on how to get involved TBA soon

Govt has been sleeping at the wheel for too-long. 'The State of Us' sets out not to doom-monger, but to point towards the long-term risk of institutions being too slow in trying to connect communities, to do democracy better, to deliver visible growth & to drive more constructive online spaces

Perceptions within our fast-changing info environment matter & ultimately many of us have failed to keep up with those stoking division. Govt will need to think hard about how to adapt if it is to secure democratic resilience & resist a long-term path towards the types of populism seen overseas

Is it all vibes or real life is I think an unhelpful binary. Public perceptions & our info envirionment can shift the political terrain of society & in turn impact us materially (take the USA). Progress needs to be felt

Trends toward many being more cash & time poor also exacerbate disconnection

But our imagined community is rapidly changing
▶️ Perceptions of our town/city & nation are becoming moulded by algorithms that churn out polarising or 'polycrisis'-coded content

▶️ We're spending more time alone

▶️ 17+ years of slow growth has fostered group perceptions of fairness/unfairness

Our report tries to sketch the light and shade. From the Lionesses(!) to local WhatsApp groups, we found clear sources of pride and connection. It's not all bad vibes!

There are creative community groups, schools and national institutions which govt partnership could strengthen shared ground

On the other hand, some have countered with a 'we're alright' narrative that underplays much of the vulnerability & long-term risk to our social fabric as we become a poorer, lonelier and more online society

On the one hand, several media headlines have exaggerated a narrative of the UK on the brink of 'societal collapse', beset by fears of imminent mass unrest. Understandably this has come under fire for stoking a spiral of doomerism

Two weeks since 'The State of Us' report was published, there has been a lively discussion about our snapshot of community cohesion in the UK

Much of it captures a delicate but essential tightrope that must be walked between complacency and alarmism 🧵

Skegness, one of your absolute finest people right here. Buy her a drink whenever you see her.

Sarah Champion’s letter calling on the PM to recognise a Palestinian state has now been signed by 254 MPs

What could make a difference on cohesion? Public views and priorities, reported in The State of Us report, covered in @jenwilliamsft.bsky.social FT report on cohesion pressures and challenges

www.ft.com/content/7fa5...

It’s not all about media. But the collapse of a way for government to get a hearing on what’s becoming the new mainstream media (ie short form algorithm-selected video platforms) is such a part of this. Talk to journalists who “do words” or “timely news” and they can feel the audience moving there.

One year on: UK communities count the cost of anti-immigration riots Charities and politicians describe a ‘tinder box’ atmosphere in some areas

The FT on our ‘State of Us’ report, exploring the febrile atmosphere that remains in many communities a year on from the riots

on.ft.com/3H5O9in

Dear "Nige". Ventured out in the crime-ridden hellhole that is "Sadiq Khan's London" earlier today. People were dancing. Smiling. Laughing. Enjoying themselves in the regenerating Docklands. It was terrible. Please put a stop to it immediately. #london #farage