Sign in

James Fransham

@fransham.bsky.social
5.3K followers 8 following 56 posts

Data journalist @ The Economist Newspaper. Covering everything under the sun, but now with a British focus.

PostsRepliesMedia
James Fransham @fransham.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
Net migration has fallen dramatically over the past few years; but people are still irked by immigration. What's going on? My latest: www.economist.com/britain/2026...
economist.com
Immigration remains at the forefront of British voters’ minds
The focus has shifted to asylum and small boats
021
James Fransham @fransham.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
Some good news from the coal-face... Petrol prices have peaked.
220
James Fransham @fransham.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
The war in the Middle East has been quick to reach Britain's shores. The cost of petrol has risen by 16p to £1.49 a litre and diesel is up 32p to £1.74 a litre—the highest for about 18 months. But is driving actually that expensive? A thread (1/7) www.economist.com/britain/2026...
economist.com
By our calculations, motoring in Britain has rarely been so cheap
Petrol prices in Britain rose after Middle East conflict, but fuel efficiency gains and lower real costs make driving cheaper than at any time since 1990.
232
Reposted by James Fransham
Owen Winter @owenwntr.bsky.social · 08/02/2026
Good time to plug @fransham.bsky.social's Starmer tracker: www.economist.com/interactive/... Keir Starmer isn't just unpopular because of his presentation. He also hasn't made any progress on voters' priorities
2227
James Fransham @fransham.bsky.social · 22/01/2026
Last week there was a storm brewing over pubs' rising business-rates bills. The the government is due to announce the details of its U-turn in the "coming days". My piece crunches the numbers on how much tax relief will cost the government (and ultimately you). www.economist.com/britain/2026...
economist.com
Another U-turn from Britain’s government
This time over property taxes
000
James Fransham @fransham.bsky.social · 09/01/2026
This week's work: a pithy little note on the lacklustre Labour government. www.economist.com/britain/2026...
001
James Fransham @fransham.bsky.social · 07/01/2026
The UK government published a new road safety strategy today (the first since 2011). Road deaths are now a third higher per mile travelled than in Sweden. Here's a piece I wrote in the depth of last winter about how to reduce deaths: www.economist.com/britain/2025...
economist.com
Why Britain has fallen behind on road safety
More than 1,600 people still die each year in road collisions
112
James Fransham @fransham.bsky.social · 16/12/2025
There's a lot of flu around the UK at the moment; and lots of Christmases will be ruined for it. What if we adopted some of the preventative measures such as at-home testing, monitoring and mitigation that we did during covid? My piece from 2022 explored this: www.economist.com/britain/2022...
economist.com
What if the flu were treated more like covid, not the other way round?
A post-pandemic thought experiment
011
James Fransham @fransham.bsky.social · 08/12/2025
Trivia Q: when was the last time that a British governing party was polling in third place? www.economist.com/interactive/...
000
James Fransham @fransham.bsky.social · 04/12/2025
In this week's Economist I've written about how, contrary to the breathless hot-takes last week, the emigration of British citizens from the UK is actually falling. (A thread 1/17) www.economist.com/britain/2025...
economist.com
Are Brits really leaving the country in droves?
No. We estimate that emigration is lower now than it was five years ago
1134
James Fransham @fransham.bsky.social · 26/11/2025
In light of today's new mansion tax, re-upping my piece from last year on council tax. Why Buckingham Palace, valued at around £1bn, pays less tax than an average three-bedroom semi in Blackpool: www.economist.com/britain/2024...
economist.com
Britain’s council tax is arbitrary, regressive and needs fixing
Based on estimated house values 33 years ago, it is not fit for purpose
021
James Fransham @fransham.bsky.social · 25/11/2025
What happens when you stick 61 budget speeches into OpenAI? www.economist.com/britain/2025...
economist.com
Words to watch out for in Rachel Reeves’s budget
Our analysis of 50 years of chancellors’ speeches
100
James Fransham @fransham.bsky.social · 14/11/2025
Tax avoidance schemes, such as snail farms, can be brazenly amusing. But they have serious impacts on government coffers. The £24bn tax yield from commercial property has fallen in recent year, as landlords and their tenants take advantage of carve-outs. My latest: www.economist.com/britain/2025...
economist.com
A slimy scheme to avoid property tax
From snail farms to sham churches—the British will do anything to dodge taxes
142
James Fransham @fransham.bsky.social · 07/11/2025
Britain's biggest political party...
1135
James Fransham @fransham.bsky.social · 23/06/2025
I'm calling it: peak Nigel. Reform UK hitting their ceiling at 30%; Tories and Labour bottoming out, too. Just updated: www.economist.com/interactive/... [no paywall]
140
Reposted by James Fransham
Matthew Holehouse @matthewholehouse.bsky.social · 18/05/2025
Gen Z, a much maligned and panicked-about generation, are behind a remarkable collapse in weekend violence. Great reporting from @fransham.bsky.social www.economist.com/britain/2025...
23484100
James Fransham @fransham.bsky.social · 03/02/2025
Why Brits love gas boilers...
gas prices
160
Reposted by James Fransham
Marie Segger @mariesegger.bsky.social · 29/01/2025
🗳️🇩🇪 We have launched our German election forecast! The hard-right AfD is 2nd in the polls and has been gaining ground on the centre-right CDU/CSU. But none of the other parties want to work with it. Which coalitions will be possible? Follow the runners & riders: www.economist.com/interactive/...
economist.com
2025 German election polls and prediction model
Track who is ahead in the polls, and explore our forecast model in the run-up to February’s election
1249
James Fransham @fransham.bsky.social · 29/01/2025
Every day around five people die on roads across Britain. We accept 1,600 deaths a year as simply the cost of going about our daily lives. But if the same happened for planes, trains or ships then these modes of transport would be at a standstill. www.economist.com/britain/2025...
economist.com
Why Britain has fallen behind on road safety
More than 1,600 people still die each year in road collisions
281
James Fransham @fransham.bsky.social · 13/01/2025
The UK government has set a lofty goal of "ending homelessness for good". But homelessness in England has increased by 26% over the past five years. My reporting from the streets of Manchester demonstrates how difficult it will be to tackle. www.economist.com/britain/2025...
economist.com
Homelessness in England has risen by 26% in the past five years
Manchester demonstrates how hard it will be to tackle
033
James Fransham @fransham.bsky.social · 27/11/2024
Which company should you work for if you want to get ahead? To find out The Economist has created a new index with the Burning Glass Institute, a think-tank. Explore how 151 of Britain's biggest and most well-known firms are rated, here: www.economist.com/opportunity-...
economist.com
The best British companies to work for to get ahead
A new ranking of firms by pay, promotions and hiring practices
0123
Reposted by James Fransham
Alex Selby-Boothroyd @alexselbyb.bsky.social · 11/11/2024
Excellent piece by @fransham.bsky.social about Britain's pathetic mobile service. Download it on wifi if you're in central London www.economist.com/britain/2024...
Chart showing the average download speed of mobile networks in selected countries. Britain ranks 46th out of 56.
083
James Fransham @fransham.bsky.social · 11/11/2024
It has long been a pioneer in telecoms: the first commercial telegraph in the 1800s; the first transatlantic telephone call in the 1920s; and the first text message in 1992. But today this country has the rich world's worst mobile service: www.economist.com/britain/2024...
economist.com
The rich country with the worst mobile-phone service
5G networks are fast. Their roll-out is not
161