Head of Policy and Research @futuregovforum
Joined December 2013
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Tom Collinge retweeted
Strong words by Ed Miliband, but he could have gone even further and mentioned the rape, gang rape and genital mutilation by Russian soldiers, and the kidnapping of tens of thousands of Ukrainian children by the Russians.
NEW: UK Foreign Secretary @Ed_Miliband has told Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov that he and his government are responsible for killing innocent civilians, condemning Thursday’s attack on Dnipro railway station
Speaking directly to Lavrov at a meeting of G20 foreign ministers in the US today, Miliband said:
"Let me say this directly to the Russian Foreign Minister: we all know who the aggressor in this war is. Let's talk about what happened at Dnipro railway yesterday. Only yesterday your drones attacked and killed 15 people. And there are countless examples like this of you killing innocent civilians throughout this war. We all know you are the aggressor. We all know you started this war four and a half years ago with the full scale invasion of Ukraine. "
"And Putin thought then he would win this war easily. But you are are not winning this war. Thanks to the courage of the Ukrainian people and the solidarity of countries round this table, you are not winning. If you had the courage to tell the truth and to do what is right you would tell Putin that he is not winning this war and will not win."
Tom Collinge retweeted
Devolution was never intended to stop at Cardiff Bay - and we risk Wales soon becoming the most centralised nation in the UK. Whilst we recognise it’s for Welsh Government to determine how local govt works in Wales, we’re offering to work in partnership to unlock Wales' potential
Tom Collinge retweeted
Yes! This Budget is the biggest Budget for devolution in modern British history.
Proud to have worked on it with @JohnHealey_MP
& on fiscal devo in HMT with @jamesmurray_ldn!
londoncentric.media/p/london…
Tom Collinge retweeted
This is an underexplored part of the Budget in the UK debate so far.
We've made big calls to back UK strategic position in AI. Good for our country, and our place in the AI revolution.
NEW from me: Britain’s AI testing agency outguns US
Britain wants to pour another £120 million — roughly $160 million — into a government lab that tests the world’s most powerful AI models, an infusion of cash that alone is more than 10 times the annual budget of its US counterpart.
It contrasts sharply with the approach in the US, where federal efforts to evaluate AI are receiving far less cash and are shared by different parts of government.
semafor.com/article/10/27/20…
Tom Collinge retweeted
1/3 A significant boost for British entrepreneurs in Chancellor @JohnHealey_MP’s Budget today.
Huge credit to @dantomlinsonmp, @LucyRigby and the wider @hmtreasury team for their work on a Budget that backs British entrepreneurs and tackles the barriers holding back growth.
A serious programme of supply side reform to make Britain the best place to start, build and scale a business.
Tom Collinge retweeted
Today’s is the most decentralising Budget in decades, certainly since the Westminster power-grabs of the 1980s. For decades, we have got something as fundamental as where decisions are made wrong. This has made us poorer and more unequal. This Budget plots a new course.
Tom Collinge retweeted
3/4 Borrowing powers alone won't get projects built. Local leaders need access to affordable finance and the expertise to deliver complex infrastructure.
Sharing knowledge between each level of government, from tunnel boring to project financing, can bring down costs.
Tom Collinge retweeted
Struck by the softly populist tone this Budget is taking, smaller measures than some previous budgets so far - but more overtly political. Targeting areas public have little sympathy for (landlords, gambling, banks) in exchange for broader (if not deeper) cost of living relief
Tom Collinge retweeted
Market snapshot as Chancellor sits down:
FTSE 100 10,710 (up 10)
FTSE 250 24, 830 (up 90)
10-year gilt yield: 5.31% (a bit lower)
£ vs $: 1.329 (flat)
£ vs euro: 1.194 (tiny bit higher)
Basically no big change, he'd probably take that as a win
Tom Collinge retweeted
***JOHN HEALEY’S UK BUDGET***
ECONOMY
— says the world faces “economic storms” from Trump’s war in Iran
— 2027 growth forecast lowered to 1% from 1.6%
— fiscal headroom will be £15b
— borrowing will be higher in every year of the forecast compared to what was seen in March
HOUSEHOLD ENERGY SUPPORT
— £100 energy payment for households for 20 million households in council tax bands A-D, costing £2.6b
— VAT cut on household electricity bills extended to next July, taking £50 off price cap
— gas standing charges removed from household bills, similar reforms to follow for
TAX CHANGES
— bank surcharge raised to 6% from 3%, temporarily, for 15 months starting in January
— small business rate relief threshold for retail, hospitality, leisure raised, taking 70,000 businesses out of paying business rates
— that’s paid for by raising taxes on gambling, with gaming machines duty raised to 25% from 20%, and carving out gaming centres and vape shops from business rates relief
— on capital gains, increasing rates on income from property and savings by 2 percentage points
— cut to Business Asset Disposal Relief
— new pensioners’ tax allowance so state pension isn’t taxed
— limit on cash ISAs to stay at £20,000
— extending tax cuts for motorists to July
— suspending tariffs on 100+ supermarket products
DEFENCE
— says UK will spend 3% of GDP on defence by 2030, with funding set out in the spending review
— £10b of additional economic and military support for Ukraine based on loans, export finance guarantees and urgent funding for the winter
— Defence Investment Plan will be fully funded
INVESTMENT
— £20.4b for National Wealth Fund
— new British Data Centre Covenant to require data centres to invest in local communities
— new young entrepreneurs allowance
— reforming skilled worker visas, non-compete clauses
— founders relief on capital gains tax for entrepreneurs
— extra £1.5b for social/affordable housing
— first time buyer ISA to replace lifetime ISA
DEVOLUTION
— 100% of business rates to be retained locally by end of decade
— 20% of business rates will go to mayors from next year
— from 2028 mayors will have powers for a visitors levy
WELFARE CUTS
— pledges to bring down welfare bill
— says govt will respond to the Milburn report this year and publish a white paper and legislation next year
Tom Collinge retweeted
Welcome announcements from @JohnHealey_MP to back British AI:
- More funding for @AISecurityInst to test AI & keep us safe
- More support for @UKSovereignAI to back brilliant British AI start ups
- A new deal on data centres: to get grid connections & so local people benefit
Tom Collinge retweeted
The Chancellor has just announced that he'll be meeting the same set fiscal rules at this budget - within the third year of the forecast.
This makes Andy Burnham the first prime minister to keep the same fiscal rules as his predecessor. That is a good thing.
Tom Collinge retweeted
BREAKING
* John Healey announces that £100 will be paid to 20million households in council tax bands A to D. That's much more generous than previously expected
* He confirms that the VAT cut on electricity bills will be extended to July
* Gas standing charges will be scrapped, similar reforms will follow on electricity bills
* He pledges to scrap green levies on energy bills
Tom Collinge retweeted
Good piece in the FT.
Slough is becoming the data centre capital of Europe. But Slough's council is absolutely right to try and extract as much community benefit as possible.
Data centre investors are some of the most cash-rich in history, but they need speed.
The councils and communities that are fastest to offer planning permission and grid connections should be richly rewarded!
ft.com/content/d92ede23-75c3…
Tom Collinge retweeted
It’s really good to see @BritishBBank launch a new angel programme for underinvested founders 👏👏👏
This was recommendation 4 in our ‘Closing the funding gap - building a fairer finance system that works for all founders’ report written by Dillon Lancaster & Ram Puvinathan, which said:
'The government should establish a dedicated angel programme for underinvested founders, funded through Investor Pathways. Evidence demonstrates that diverse investors back diverse founders, so growing the pool of angels from underinvested backgrounds would offer one of the most cost-effective ways to expand the capital available to them.'
british-business-bank.co.uk/…
Tom Collinge retweeted
Tomorrow, Chancellor John Healey will deliver his first #Budget.
Here are three things that FGF’s Adam Terry would like to see tomorrow:
1️⃣ More power and funding given to mayors - through a clear fiscal devolution roadmap and Mayoral Infrastructure Investment Partnerships
2️⃣ Unlocking innovation and opportunity - unleashing the UK’s innovative potential and supporting underinvested founders and young people starting their own businesses
3️⃣Driving the growth agenda - establishing a Growth Investment Tracker to show where public investment happens across the country
Read how the Chancellor can deliver a truly progressive budget in @DanRCorry's article: publicfinance.co.uk/opinion/…
Tom Collinge retweeted
A man who would've been proud to see this moment...
🙌 Harry gave a mention to the late Kenny Jackett in his Ballon d'Or acceptance speech last night.
Tom Collinge retweeted
The reason UK universities demand more equity than US universities in "spin outs" is not that they're tougher negotiators. It's that they're too inexperienced to realize they're charging over market rate.
Tom Collinge retweeted
I worked the Brazilian elections for France 24.
For what it's worth (and armed with a degree in History and Politics!!), here's my take on what happened.
Tom Collinge retweeted
New piece in @PoliticsHome marking Burnham’s 100th day.
Power is moving out of Whitehall. Danger is that Whitehall’s baggage moves with it:
Same creaking services. Same turf wars. Same playbook. Same outcomes.
We have a chance to build something better:
politicshome.com/opinion/art…
