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Nice! We'll probably be passing each other somewhere in Belgium 😂 Feel free to DM me if there is specific intel I can provide

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Bikes on FERRIES review: Harwich Intl to Hook of Holland with Stena Line. Very straightforward. Nice easy embarkation. Disembarkation drops a mark - cyclists are allowed off first on the Dover-Dunkirk route - and another mark dropped for the lack of Rail and Sail deals with bikes 3/5 #bikesky

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Bikes on trains reviews: Manningtree to Harwich Intl with Greater Anglia. I suspect there are dedicated bike spaces, but with <5 mins to change train I didn't have time to look. Still loses points for the Rail and Sail thing, but a very helpful train manager gains it a point #bikesky 3/5

My bike on the Greater Anglia service from Manningtree to Harwich International

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Thank you 🤦🏻‍♂️

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Megan Bryer @meganbryer.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

Bikes on trains reviews: Liverpool St to Manningtree with Greater Anglia, en route to Harwich Intl. A no-frills experience - ample storage space but no belts to fasten bikes with. Points mostly dropped on bookings with bikes not being eligible for the Rail and Sail deal though :( #bikesky 2/5

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One week in and Andy Burnham's government is up and running. So who are the new ministers and what do Burnham's appointments tell us about how he wants to run his govt? Here's our @instituteforgovernment.org.uk top 6 takeaways - with @rebeccamckee.bsky.social and @philipnye.bsky.social 🧵...

Six things we learned from Andy Burnham’s government formation | Institute for Government

What do Andy Burnham’s cabinet choices reveal about the priorities and direction of his new government?

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Rebecca McKee @rebeccamckee.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

We've crunched the numbers on Burnham's new government to bring you up to speed with the new faces around the cabinet table, and what Burnham's choices tell us about how he wants to run his government. New from @meganbryer.bsky.social, @philipnye.bsky.social and I 👇👇

Six things we learned from Andy Burnham’s government formation | Institute for Government

What do Andy Burnham’s cabinet choices reveal about the priorities and direction of his new government?

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Philip Nye @philipnye.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

The IfG Ministers Database is now up to date with all this week's moves We think that's all the appointments, but there may be a few more next week (e.g. whips) www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/ministers-da...

IfG Ministers Database | Institute for Government

Search our database of all government ministers since 1979.

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Philip Nye @philipnye.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

Worth saying, we suspect appointments have finished, though there may be the odd whip appointment into next week

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Philip Nye @philipnye.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

I’ve now made a full-government version of this Of the 92 MPs in Burnham’s government, 11 represent constituencies in Greater Manchester The north west has 16 in total, equalling the number from London and Yorkshire and the Humber

A small multiple of bar charts from the Institute for Government, showing the number of ministers by constituency region for the Starmer and Burnham governments in July 2026. The North West has the 16 ministers under Burnham, up from 10 under Starmer, and equalling the number in London and Yorkshire and the Humber

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Rebecca McKee @rebeccamckee.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

It's been a busy week in government, and at the @instituteforgovernment.org.uk We've been keeping up with the key moves and announcements this week, so you don't have to Here's a round up of my top picks of analysis from my excellent colleagues 🧵

He wants to be adored – Burnham’s people-pleasing policy debut | Institute for Government

The Manchester Mill's Joshi Herrman joins the podcast team to explore Andy Burnham's first week as prime minister.

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Rebecca McKee @rebeccamckee.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

New @instituteforgovernment.org.uk comment from me and @aliceolilly.bsky.social Burnham is right to identify parliament as a source of useful scrutiny rather than a problem to be managed, but fixing relations with MPs will require more than warm words and should be backed by bigger changes.

Fixing relations with MPs will require more than warm words from Andy Burnham | Institute for Government

Andy Burnham should be prepared to redistribute power in Parliament.

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Alan Smith @theboysmithy.ft.com · 21/07/2026

By my reckoning the median latitude of the cabinet has shifted north from Wolverhampton/Leicester to betwixt Sheffield and Knowsley ...

A pair of maps comparing the locations of the constituencies between Starmer's outgoing cabinet and Andy Burnham's new cabinet. There is a greater cluster of MPs now in the North West

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Heloise Dunlop @hcdunlop.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

Good thread from @gavinfreeguard.com about the decision to split DSIT. It struggled with its ability to influence (esp. as digital centre of govt) across govt, hiring senior roles, and has just had a reorg with the move of GDS in 2024. But the new depts have big & more varied (& unrelated) briefs

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Alex Thomas @alexgathomas.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

A landmark moment, as the cabinet reaches gender parity for the first time

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Major machinery of govt changes including - finally! - the creation of an Office for the Prime Minister and Cabinet Long overdue and excellent news that the Burnham govt has grasped this nettle questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-stat...

questions-statements.parliament.uk

Written statements - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament

Information from UK Parliament on written questions & answers, written statements and daily reports.

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Rebecca McKee @rebeccamckee.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

Andy Burnham is holding his first cabinet meeting as prime minister and there are a few new faces around the table. Key appointments were confirmed late yesterday, so we've updated our @instituteforgovernment.org.uk chart to show where we currently stand with ministerial appointments 👇

A chart setting out confirmed and new appointments in Andy Burnham's cabinet as of 12:30pm on 21st July 2026. It shows all the cabinet positions have been filled, some ministers of state have been confirmed but others are yet to be confirmed as either staying in post or leaving.

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Almost certainly. I'd guess that London and possibly the West Mids would also look under-represented by that measure under both Burnham and Starmer Will see if I get chance to pull out the PLP comparatives later in the day

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Those with constituencies in the north west are: - Andy Burnham (Makerfield) - Lisa Nandy (Wigan) - Anneliese Midgley (Knowsley) - Angela Eagle (Wallasey) - Jonathan Reynolds (Stalybridge and Hyde) - Lucy Powell (Manchester Central) - Angela Rayner (Ashton-under-Lyne)

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Philip Nye @philipnye.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

One question that’s come up a couple of times: where do Andy Burnham’s new cabinet represent as MPs? The north west has been the big gainer, with seven cabinet ministers holding seats there – of whom, five are in Greater Manchester

A small multiple of bar charts from the Institute for Government, showing the number of cabinet ministers by constituency region for the Starmer and Burnham governments in July 2026. The North West has the highest number of cabinet ministers under either government, with seven under Burnham

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E.g. want to find out what roles new health secretary Yvette Cooper has held before? ➡️ www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/ministers-da...

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Philip Nye @philipnye.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

As cabinet appointments start to come in, a reminder that we (@instituteforgovernment.org.uk) hold a database of all ministerial appointments back to 1979 It's easy to look up all the previous holders of a post, all the roles someone has had etc: www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/ministers-da...

IfG Ministers Database | Institute for Government

Search our database of all government ministers since 1979.

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Jill Rutter @jillongovt.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

Its a sad ending for Britain's first woman Chancellor (as Theresa May once said - hopefully not the last) as Rachel Reeves returns to the backbenches. But she bears a lot of the responsibility for the failures of the Starmer government. The biggest mistakes were before the 2024 election

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Rebecca McKee @rebeccamckee.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

The two ministers who have resigned today were both direct ministerial appointments (appointed to the Lords by Starmer to serve in government) As PM Starmer appointed ten of these - you can read more about these posts and how they're appointed in our @instituteforgovernment.org.uk explainer

Direct ministerial appointments to the House of Lords | Institute for Government

If the prime minister wants to appoint a minister who is not a sitting MP or serving peer, they must ennoble them.

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Amber Dellar @amberdellar.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

Good news, and... One of the big positives in the Starmer govt’s approach was its move beyond a narrow focus on rough sleeping. Burnham should make sure this pledge sits within a broader prevention strategy - not simply drive more spending on poor-value temporary accommodation to meet the target

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Rebecca McKee @rebeccamckee.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

Ahead of Burnham's first speech as PM here's the latest from @instituteforgovernment.org.uk on how he can hit the ground running ✅A 25 point plan for tackling the big issues in the civil service, centre of gvt, public services, constitutional reform and the skills he needs to show from the start

The next prime minister: How can Andy Burnham hit the ground running? | Institute for Government

A 25-point plan for Andy Burnham as he succeeds Keir Starmer in No.10.

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Cassia Rowland @cassiarowland.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

Move increases the chances of a whole new ministerial team at MoJ, with Lammy widely expected to lose his role as justice secretary. The most damning thing is that by staying for two years, Timpson has become the longest serving prisons minister *for 15 years*. This level of turnover is so damaging!

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Rebecca McKee @rebeccamckee.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

No live blog from us today, instead we'll be bringing you expert insights and analysis from across the @instituteforgovernment.org.uk - starting with this from @cassiarowland.bsky.social who leads our work on criminal justice

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Alice Lilly @aliceolilly.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

It's England's world cup semi-finals day. Forget team selection dilemmas and xG analysis. What you really want is a really nerdy deep-dive into football, pub opening hours, and what they tell you about the most important form of legislation that you may never have heard of. Let's go.

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Amber Dellar @amberdellar.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

NEW REPORT: how to make a success of SEND reform Government needs to get off the sidelines and build a SEND system that makes it easier for schools, councils and health services to work together. Our new report sets out how 🧵

Joining up SEND | Institute for Government

How to begin fixing SEND by making the system more joined-up.

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Philip Nye @philipnye.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

There are risks to the 2031 Census because of challenges the ONS is still grappling with, the interim chair of the UK Stats Authority is to warn today, according to FT reporting www.ft.com/content/e99c...

A screenshot of the FT's story, reading "The UK’s Office for National Statistics faces a huge challenge in preparing for the crucial once-a-decade census while it is still struggling to stabilise core economic data, a top official is set to warn on Thursday.

Penny Young, interim chair of the UK Statistics Authority, is to deliver a lecture on the state of the statistical system, a year after the first such annual event was originally meant to take place, and in the absence of a permanent chair or a national statistician."

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Cassia Rowland @cassiarowland.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

NEW REPORT: How to deliver digital transformation in public services. Successive governments have looked to digital solutions for problems facing public services – with varying success. We’ve looked at past examples and drawn out 7 lessons for people working on future programmes:

How to deliver digital transformation in public services | Institute for Government

A practical guide to improve the design and delivery of digital transformation programmes in public services.

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Paddy McAlary @paddy-mcalary.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

With another prime minister being forced to resign it is worth looking at the role in the context of recent history Since Brown took power in 2007 there has been seven (soon to be eight) PMs - compare that to the previous 30 odd years where the UK had only 3 PMs @instituteforgovernment.org.uk

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Jack Burrows-Worlidge @jackworlidge.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

With Burnham's route to No10 looking far clearer, a lot more thought will be going into what he'll do once there. So @cathhaddon.bsky.social and I have set out for @instituteforgovernment.org.uk what prep for government involves & why it's harder for leadership contenders than opposition parties👇

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Jack Burrows-Worlidge @jackworlidge.bsky.social · 19/06/2026

A bit of a side note, today of all days, but @instituteforgovernment.org.uk analysis of yesteday's civil service staff numbers showed the civil service is *still* growing. FTE numbers were up almost 2,800 in Q1 2026 compared to Q4 2025. Very much continuing the trend of recent years

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Megan Bryer @meganbryer.bsky.social · 11/06/2026

Defence secretary John Healey has just resigned over the govt's Defence Investment Plan, writing that it "falls well short of what is required for defence and the country at this dangerous time". We're getting our @instituteforgovernment.org.uk resignation chart fired back up..

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Rebecca McKee @rebeccamckee.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

4 quick thoughts on the King's Speech 1) It's BIG - 37 bills in the background briefing including carried over and draft bills Very unusual for a second parliamentary session - it's very unlikely all of these will end up on the statute book by the end of the session

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Stuart Hoddinott @stuarthoddinott.bsky.social · 27/03/2026

NEW REPORT: the government claims that it wants public services to be more devolved, better integrated, and more focused on prevention With a raft of reform programmes now underway in services, are they on track to achieve those aims? www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/publication/...