DrLJ

Do not be young. Do not be ill. Do not be old. Labour is intent on failing you. As The Telegraph reported last night: Sir Keir Starmer has caved to welfare rebels by agreeing that existing disability claimants can keep their benefits. In a major concession, The Telegraph underst...

Keir Starmer's PIP concessions aren't good news for anyone not yet disabled, because they will bear the price if and when they are. Labour should be ashamed if it falls for this. www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2025/06...

This is welcome and long overdue. MPs are now calling on the UK government to ban trawling and dredging in "Marine Protected Areas". It's outrageous that this wholescale destruction is permitted anywhere, let alone in these "reserves". It has to stop. committees.parliament.uk/publications...

Graphs showing 25 years of budgets for the National Institute of Health, NASA, and the NSF. In all cases, the proposed budget for next year is far, far below any year of the previous quarter century.

There are 2 previous historical cases of countries destroying their science and universities, crippling them for decades: Lysenkoism in the USSR and Nazi Germany. The Trump administration will be the 3rd.
It's not just budgets but research, institutions, expertise, and training the next generation.

Pride month starts today 🏳️‍🌈

What a perfect day to tell brands that they can't call themselves LGBTQ+ allies and fund GB News.

Send them a clear message: back pride, not hate 👇
action.goodlawproject.org/pick-a-side-...

Gaza doctor who lost nine children in Israeli airstrike dies from wounds in same attack Hamdi al-Najjar, 40, was critically injured when Israeli forces bombed the family house in Khan Younis

Footage shared by the director of Gaza’s health ministry and verified by the Guardian showed the burnt, dismembered bodies of Najjar’s children being pulled from the rubble of their house near a petrol station as flames engulfed what remained of the family’s home. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/j...

It’s the last day of #NoMeatMay! And this hot and humid day is an ideal time to remind you of the vast amount of freshwater used to produce meat and dairy! Save water, eat plants. 🌱

It’s almost the end of #NoMeatMay! But there’s just time to remind you that vast amounts of antibiotics are used in animal agriculture, driving resistance.

There are great #plantbased alternatives for all your favourite meaty meals. Try them all this #NoMeatMay!

You don’t need to eat meat to get iron! There are many plant based sources. #NoMeatMay

Where did the weekend go? We got behind in our #NoMeatMay facts - here’s a catch up!

We cannot compete with the vast sums JK Rowling has to spend on her war on a tiny minority and civil society organisations that want to promote inclusivity.

But @goodlawproject.bsky.social is the UK's biggest defender of trans rights. If you'd like to support our work there's a link in my bio.

It’s day 24 of #NoMeatMay! Protect the ocean & all the creatures that live there by leaving fish off your plate.

Infographic showing the responses to the question "Do you think the following should be nationalised and run in the public sector, or privatised and run by private companies?" Headline: Public ownership is popular Water - 82% Energy - 71% Buses - 66% NHS - 87% Rail - 76% Royal Mail - 75% Polling by YouGov, June 2024

Your regular reminder that public ownership is popular in the UK. ⁠

vist.ly/3n559rc

The notion we should learn from the United States - where people are getting swept up off the streets and imprisoned by the state for their politically inconvenient speech - might be the most absurd thing the Financial Times has ever published.

Never take seriously those who ridicule low income people for having a smartphone or laptop.

“If they’re so poor how did they buy an iPhone???”

Because they’re trying to escape poverty, not the 1700s, genius. If you think basic tech access is unnecessary or a luxury, survive a month without it.

YouTube video by How To Academy Debate: High Immigration Is Good For Britain - Matthew Goodwin, Nadhim Zahawi, Zoe Gardner

Oh boy. The recording of the debate I did with Jonathan Portes against Nadim Zahawi & Matthew Goodwin is up.

It got pretty nasty, but we won by a long way, which is nice.
@jdportes.bsky.social proving Goodwin was lying about OBR figures was a highlight for me 😅

www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXbQ...

It’s day 23 of #NoMeatMay! Reduce your risk of food poisoning by switching to plants!

Oops we missed a day! Don’t miss out on these alternatives to fish & leave marine life in the sea! #NoMeatMay

"We cannot condone a plan that risks condemning more disabled people to a life of poverty."

Current proposals on welfare reform will increase levels of poverty among disabled households.

As part of the Disability Charities Consortium, we’ve written to Liz Kendall and Rachel Reeves to ask for a cross-governmental strategy to lift disabled people out of poverty.

Chart shows the effects of Sure Start on academic achievements by age, SEN support by age, probability of hospitalisation by age and criminal behaviour up to age 16.

NEW: Sure Start generated widespread, long-lasting benefits for children in education, health, absences, and SEND.

Every £1 of up-front spending on Sure Start could generate around £2 in total benefits over the long run.

THREAD on our new ‪@nuffieldfoundation.org‬-funded report:

[1/11]

New analysis shows that lowering speeds on our roads is saving lives.

Every death on our roads is one too many. Slower speeds not only protect the most vulnerable, but help create safer streets. We’ll continue working to eliminate death & serious injury on the transport network.

Graphic showing how much less space is needed to move more people on transit.

To carry 50,000 people per hour in each direction, a city needs a 175m wide road for cars.

Even if those cars are electric.

And then there’s all the parking.

OR a city can move A LOT MORE people in a lot less space, with A LOT LESS public money and pollution.

Via UITPnews

This is how the likes of Matthew Goodwin gets “polling” not worth the name that tells you 80% of us supposedly want immigeation reduced by a factor of ten, or whatever other total nonsense he’s been sharing lately.

You can get polls to say almost anything. All depends on the question.

A malnourished young child sits on a thin mattress inside a tent or shelter, being fed with a spoon by an adult. Another child is visible in the foreground, assisting with feeding. Below the image is a headline from The Guardian's “First Thing” newsletter dated May 20, 2025, stating: "UN says 14,000 babies could die in Gaza in next 48 hours under Israeli aid blockade." The subheading notes that the UK, France, and Canada have warned Israel about its "egregious" conduct. The article is authored by Jem Bartholomew

Powerlessness is a tide tonight.

It’s not rage, not even grief. Just a profound silence where action should be.

The house is quiet.
The world is burning.

And I am here, watching...
...useless.

There should be resignations at the top of the EHRC because of the way they have wantonly and purposefully misinterpreted this ruling.

It’s day 20 of #NoMeatMay already! Today we’re reminding you to make sure you get enough vitamin B12 - with a supplement if you’re on a plant based diet. Remember that animal products only provide B12 because it’s added to animal feed - so everyone is on a supplement somehow!

Chart showing how by 2029-30, 7 million families will be affected by the welfare reforms announced this Spring, almost half of whom (3.2 million) will lose support

In March the Government released its Pathways to Work Green Paper, setting out welfare reforms that amounted to a net reduction in spending of £4.8 billion in 2029-30.

By the end of the decade 7 million families will be affected by these changes, with nearly half losing out on support.

The Planetary Health Diet - EAT The EAT-Lancet Commission presents a global planetary health diet that is healthy for both people and planet. Discover the report’s key takeaways and specific actions that we all can take to contribut...

Read more at: tinyurl.com/LancetCom

It’s day 19 of #NoMeatMay! We’re excited for the release of the update to the EAT Lancet report this year, but in the meantime the last one is still excellent! We can fold a global population of 10 billion within planetary boundaries - how amazing!