Mike Buckley

Brexit has likely done more economic damage than feared. Recent evidence suggests the economic cost of Brexit may be approaching twice the 4% impact assumed by the OBR. The Chancellor has signalled a shift in approach to EU trade, but the effect will depend on how far the govt goes on alignement.

We are living through a French Fourth Republic-like collapse in national self-confidence and morale.

This week Labour ended the two child limit. Change like that only comes when you vote for it. Out in Coatbridge at lunchtime today with the fantastic @HigginsKieron talking with local people about the change Scotland needs that only @ScottishLabour can bring.

We have to find a way to fund both defence and development. They are not opposites, as any aid worker or soldier will tell you, they operate best in partnership to build security, resilience, democracy and opportunity across the world. archive.ph/Vu7u6

Labour has a proud record of action at home and abroad to tackle and prevent the climate crisis. While ambition remains at home, stepping back globally is counterproductive. I hope these budgets can revised up, and 5 year commitments returned to, soon. theguardian.com/environment/20…

Climate change is exacerbating physical inactivity with dire consequences, driving potentially hundreds of thousands of premature deaths worldwide by 2050, according to a new study. wapo.st/4sep2fE

They said it would take 193 years to clean London’s air. We did it in nine. 💨 London has now met legal limits for nitrogen dioxide air pollution. theguardian.com/environment/20…

This is actually a very important intervention from the French Foreign Minster. That the UK would be welcomed back into the Single Market with “open arms.” A strange myth exists in Westminster France would want to veto a game changer reset like this. Just not true at all.

Significant announcement from the Chancellor today on fiscal devolution. Very important for the ability of regional leaders to drive growth and investment in their parts of the country. Looking forward to working on the plans with Mayors & businesses in the months ahead.

He took the greatest military force in world history, lost a war to a middle power in a week, begged the world to save him, and demanded that the media lie about this and everything else. I try, but at a simple human level I do not see how anyone can mistake this man’s almost supernatural weakness for strength. His weakness is something negative, gravitational, so deep that it can draw in a whole country. But only if we fail to see it. Only if we let it.

"Six months ago the Navy decommissioned its four Avenger-class minesweepers that had been stationed in Bahrain precisely to deal with Iranian mines. It gets dumber: Those four final American minesweepers left the theater in mid-January." open.substack.com/pub/thebulwark…

'Staying the course on clean energy would not only save households three times as much money but render the UK truly energy secure for generations to come.' Maximising North Sea production would reduce bills by just £16 to £82 per year, say researchers from the Oxford Smith School ⬇️ theconversation.com/would-more-nor…

A relief to see MSP’s vote against their own flawed assisted dying bill that - like the England and Wales version - gave zero protection against coercion and abuse. A big moment. bbc.co.uk/news/live/cx2g…

Devolving money and tax raising powers is a pivotal move for the UK economy and for regional growth. This, plus clear statements on the EU and trade, make this a welcome and important speech. theguardian.com/business/2026/…

A ranking of 193 countries shows that human development is stalling almost everywhere economist.com/graphic-detail…

"Iran has discovered a powerful future deterrent that is quite independent of nuclear weapons. If the regime survives this war, it may yet emerge in a stronger position internationally" giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/ac… via @FT

Things are not okay.

We are drilling in the North Sea, but the fact remains that even with new licences North Sea oil and gas extraction will fall by 95% between now and 2050. Tony Blair and Ed Balls understand North Sea oil and gas even less than you do. Why are you misleading people?

The U.K already uses 100% of North Sea gas. We only import 14% of the gas we use. We could eliminate all imported gas if we delivered heat pumps at 17.5% of U.K homes. Or we could risk locking ourselves into fossil fuel dependency and gas deposits that may never be recovered.

Labour MP Chris Curtis has written in the FT this his party must change course otherwise it risks losing a whole generation of young voters Curtis says decision to increase and then freeze student loan repayment thresholds will ‘take cash out of young people’s pockets’ when they now have ‘other choices’ at the ballot box ⬇️ ft.com/content/53f66c…