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Re:State

@re-state.bsky.social
3.3K followers 167 following 1.1K posts

Formerly Reform think tank. Re:State is an independent, cross-party public services think tank. We don’t want to tweak, we want to transform.

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Reposted by Re:State
Joe Hill @jo3hill.bsky.social · 21h
One idea that worries me is the 'buy British' story on procurement, because every government that tries it focuses on mandating suppliers to buy from British companies, which ultimately doesn't work. Instead, governments should lower the barriers to entry so companies can compete for contracts.
cityam.com
The state wants to 'buy British'. But the British don't want to work with the state
The government's drive to 'buy British' is futile if British companies don't want to sell to them, writes Joe Hill.
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Re:State @re-state.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
As we publish our new draft of the National Procurement Policy Statement, our Director of Strategy @jo3hill.bsky.social has written about the case for our procurement reforms on the Re:State Substack.
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Re:State @re-state.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
As covered by the Telegraph this morning, today we have published a new report on how to fix the procurement market, with our own draft of the National Procurement Policy Statement - guidance which the government could issue to change how the public sector buys. re-state.co.uk/publications...
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Re:State @re-state.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
🚨New report: we have published a new draft of the National Procurement Policy Statement - the guidance issued by government to public sector organisations on how they should do procurement. Our draft fixes problems caused by bad policy in the current NPPS. Linked here re-state.co.uk/publications...
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Charlotte Pickles @charliepickles.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
All the chat about scrapping the triple lock in order to pay for social care is totally missing the fiscal point Ofc we need to scrap the triple lock (among other things)... to address the terrifyingly unsustainable fiscal trajectory Not to spend it elsewhere restate.substack.com/p/getting-se...
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Joe Hill @jo3hill.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Report launch eve 💥
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Re:State @re-state.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
The Re:View is out! The headlines have focused on whether employees should have to phone their boss when they’re off sick. @alicesemark.bsky.social looks at the much bigger idea behind Mayfield’s review, and the questions it raises. Read more 👇 restate.substack.com/p/the-review...
restate.substack.com
The Re:View 25 September 2026
With Andy Burnham out of the country at his first UN General Assembly as PM and parliament in recess for conference season, it has been a relatively quiet week on the domestic policy front.
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Re:State @re-state.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Our latest publication, 'No Job for the Centre', was covered by @thetimes.com. Our report argues that the answer is not to reform Jobcentre Plus, but to replace it with a fundamentally different model that puts people and places at its centre. www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/...
thetimes.com
‘Calling in’ sick with a text or email must end, says work tsar
Sir Charlie Mayfield, the ex-John Lewis boss who now advises the Treasury, said improving communication could help people return to work after being signed off
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Re:State @re-state.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Our latest report, 'No Job for the Centre: the case for devolving employment support', was featured in @politico.eu's London Playbook newsletter today. www.politico.eu/newsletter/l...
politico.eu
Islands in the stream
Presented by SSE By ANDREW MCDONALD with DAN BLOOM and MEGAN MCELROY PRESENTED BY Send tips here | Subscribe for free | Politics at Sam and Anne’s podcast | Listen to Playbook and view in you…
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Joe Hill @jo3hill.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
This is the big one. @re-state.bsky.social report out today from @alwalker.bsky.social. Jobcentre Plus cannot meet the scale of the welfare crisis. It should be scrapped, and devolved to regions, with HMG still overseeing conditionality and sanctions re-state.co.uk/publications...
re-state.co.uk
No Job for the Centre: the case for devolving employment support - Re:State
Britain’s employment support system is failing the people who need it most. Its backbone – Jobcentre Plus – remains a highly centralised, one-size-fits-all institution, despite the importance of local...
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Charlotte Pickles @charliepickles.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Britain is facing a participation crisis & we're relying on an outdated, distrusted institution to tackle it Times to abolish Jobcentre Plus... 🧵
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Re:State @re-state.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
🚨NEW REPORT: 'No Job for the Centre: the case for devolving employment support'🚨 Jobcentre Plus is a centrally-controlled, one-size-fits-all institution which is incoherent in the context of English devolution. Our new report argues that it should be scrapped.
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Charlotte Pickles @charliepickles.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
I've been wanting us to write this one for a while... One more sleep! 👀
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Alice Semark @alicesemark.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
It's nearly Labour Party Conference! I'm particularly excited that @re-state.bsky.social will be joined by Rt Hon Sir Stephen Timms, Minister for Social Security & Disability, to discuss how we can support more disabled people into sustainable work and close the disability employment gap.
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Alice Semark @alicesemark.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Just over a week to go until Labour Party Conference! To start on a high, join @re-state.bsky.social on Sunday eve for a fascinating panel with Rt Hon Dame Diana Johnson MP, @paulfarmerceo.bsky.social, and Janet Morrison OBE. 👉 Don't miss out, sign up here: luma.com/sejhupj6
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Re:State @re-state.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
The Re:View is out! This week, @jo3hill.bsky.social looks at the unexpected problem complicating the abolition of NHS England and what it reveals about the way Whitehall manages the State. Read more 👇 restate.substack.com/p/the-review...
restate.substack.com
The Re:View 18 September 2026
Westminster is now firmly ‘back to school’, even if MPs are back in recess for the party conferences this week. But regardless
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Re:State @re-state.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Our Chief Executive, Charlotte Pickles @charliepickles.bsky.social, joined @watchinvert.bsky.social to discuss social care and our proposal for a Later Life Care Fund, set out in our report 'Beyond caring'. www.youtube.com/watch?v=6D_Y...
youtube.com
Welfare Expert: 1 In 4 Pensioners Is A Millionaire. You Can’t Afford A Flat.
YouTube video by Invert
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Re:State @re-state.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Great to see 'Benefitting from abroad' covered by @dailymail.co.uk. Comparing working-age disability welfare systems across eight countries, our report highlights 14 lessons for Britain on assessing need, delivering support and helping people into work.
dailymail.com
Means-test disability benefits to save £8billion, Labour told
Andy Burnham could slash a further £2.2billion from Britain's bloated benefits bill by limiting disability benefit claims in under-30s to those with the most severe conditions, a report found.
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Re:State @re-state.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Our latest report, 'Benefitting from abroad', was featured by @andrewsparrowgdn.bsky.social in @theguardian.com coverage of the pressures facing the Government to reduce spending on disability benefits. www.theguardian.com/politics/liv...
theguardian.com
Burnham says budget will be ‘challenging’ and denies he is just ‘tax and spend socialist’ – UK politics live
PM responds to criticism from former Bank of England chief economist
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Re:State @re-state.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Britain is one of very few countries that compensate people with cash benefits for the additional costs they face as a result of disability or ill-health. Even among countries that do, Britain is a significant outlier in how much it spends on extra-cost benefits as a share of GDP.
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Re:State @re-state.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Today, we published ‘Benefitting from abroad’ exploring international lessons for reforming sickness and disability benefits. Co-author @alicesemark.bsky.social has also written a new substack making the case that the unsustainable trends Britain is experiencing are not inevitable.
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Re:State @re-state.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Britain’s working-age sickness and disability benefits caseload has grown at pace, far outstripping population growth or rising rates of disability among working-age adults. This represents a devastating loss of human potential, as well as unsustainable costs for the taxpayers.
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Charlotte Pickles @charliepickles.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
How should we reform welfare? Well, Britain is an outlier when it comes to disability-related benefits - eligibility & assessment is less strict - evidence requirements lower - incentives & conditionality weaker - support services poorer - extra costs payments higher 🧵
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Charlotte Pickles @charliepickles.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
'How we broke the welfare state' Today @re-state.bsky.social is launching it's latest workstream - 'Re:imagining Welfare' and I've written an essay to set out our stall I think the system is failing almost everyone. I think Beveridge would be appalled. restate.substack.com/p/how-we-bro...
restate.substack.com
How we broke the welfare state
Why a “revolutionary moment” is a “time for revolutions”
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Pete Miles @petermiles.eurosky.social · 15/09/2026
I've just read this. "... we have a welfare system that is requiring an ever greater share of taxpayers’ money, delivering poor outcomes for those using it (with the system often seen as impersonal, difficult and even cruel), and losing the support of the British public." Thorny and consequential!
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Alice Semark @alicesemark.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Our first welfare report – an international comparison of working-age disability benefits – is out! The soaring caseloads & costs Britain is experiencing are not inevitable. Different design choices lead to different outcomes. Our report highlights 14 lessons for reform. Read it below👇
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Re:State @re-state.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
🚨NEW 'RE:IMAGINING WELFARE' REPORT – 'Benefitting from abroad: international lessons for reforming sickness and disability benefits'🚨 Britain’s welfare system is failing working-age adults with a disability or health condition, and it is not working for those who fund it.
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Joe Hill @jo3hill.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
My absolute favourite event we hosted at last year's Labour Party Conference was with Kanishka Narayan on the future of UK AI policy. Couldn't be a better time to be getting him back again for round two in Liverpool, as part of @re-state.bsky.social 2026 Party Conference Programme!
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Re:State @re-state.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Machinery of government changes rarely make headlines, but they shape how policy actually gets made. Our Director of Policy & Research @stkaye.bsky.social appeared in front of MPs today to talk about what the recent restructure actually means for technology policy and digital government.
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Re:State @re-state.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
🎉Our new 'Re:Imagining Welfare' workstream has launched🎉 We like to focus on the most thorny, important and consequential policy problems, so welfare certainly meets our criteria. The workstream launches with a call-to-arms essay from Chief Exec @charliepickles.bsky.social. Read it below👇
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Re:State @re-state.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
The Re:View is out! @stkaye.bsky.social asks whether the Government can deliver “good growth in every postcode” without first resolving the unfinished business of devolution. Read more 👇 restate.substack.com/p/the-review...
restate.substack.com
The Re:View 11 September 2026
Back in June, around the time of the Makerfield by-election, I predicted that Andy Burnham would be likely to pursue some kind of successor programme to ‘levelling up’
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Re:State @re-state.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Thrilled that @laylamoran.bsky.social will be joining us at Lib Dem Party Conference! She is a passionate advocate for health and care system reform enabled by true integration, long-term thinking, and evidence-led policy, so we're sure this will be a fascinating discussion.
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Re:State @re-state.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Today we're publishing 'Prescribing place', A new Re:State Scholars paper. The NHS wants to become more preventative, more rooted in neighbourhoods and better connected to the communities it serves. It also wants to retain and develop its Resident Doctors. How? Short 🧵👇
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Re:State @re-state.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
🟡 We're looking forward to talking about 'Powering UK prosperity: a plan for growth' with Daisy Cooper MP at the Liberal Democrats Party Conference.
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Re:State @re-state.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
With one Party Conference already under our belt, we’re looking ahead to the Liberal Democrat, Labour and Conservative Party Conferences in the coming weeks. Our full programme is here, with more events and speakers to be announced soon: re-state.co.uk/events/party...
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Re:State @re-state.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
The Re:View is back! After a short summer hiatus, we’re back with Chief Executive @charliepickles.bsky.social taking stock of the new government’s first few months, and the difficult choices now looming. Read it here: restate.substack.com/p/the-review...
restate.substack.com
The Re:View 4 September 2026
Politics very much didn’t stop this Summer. The perils of having a new, enthusiastic PM! Burnham embarked on a tour of the country to listen to the public,
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Re:State @re-state.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
We're at Reform UK Party Conference today! Come and join us inside the secure zone for two events this afternoon: 🕝14:30 - Remaking the State: In Conversation with Danny Kruger MP 🕓16:00 - Reforming local government: governing across England's regions
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Re:State @re-state.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Great to see our latest report, which sets out a draft performance management policy for the Civil Service, covered by @civilserviceworld.bsky.social today. www.civilserviceworld.com/professions/...
civilserviceworld.com
Whitehall's worst-kept secret: How can Andy Burnham address the civil service's performance management crisis?
Civil service performance reform is long overdue. Here's how Burnham can make it stick
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Re:State @re-state.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Our latest publication, 'A New Civil Service Performance Management Policy', was covered by @telegraph.co.uk. In the report we set out a draft cross-Whitehall policy to strengthen performance management and tackle poor performance. www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/202...
telegraph.co.uk
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Re:State @re-state.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
How do you create a performance management policy across the Civil Service? Co-author of our latest report "A New Civil Service Performance Management Policy" @matthewfeeney.bsky.social explains how to implement necessary and long-overdue reforms. restate.substack.com/p/how-to-mak...
restate.substack.com
How to make the civil service high-performing
Our performance management policy for Whitehall
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Re:State @re-state.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
🚨New report: A New Civil Service Performance Management Policy🚨 Today, we published a draft performance management policy for Whitehall-based civil servants aimed at tackling persistent poor performance and rewarding exceptional talent. re-state.co.uk/publications...
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Charlotte Pickles @charliepickles.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Failing to address poor performers in Whitehall is failing to serve the public When we published 'Making the grade' 2 years ago, arguing Whitehall largely ignores poor performance, we had an outpouring from civil servants of 'thank god someone is saying this' 🧵
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Re:State @re-state.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Don’t miss Re:State at the Reform UK Party Conference this Friday, 4 September. 📢Remaking the State: In Conversation with Danny Kruger Sign up: luma.com/x4k694wa 📢Reforming local government: governing across England’s regions Sign up: luma.com/4hobbpkl
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Matthew Feeney @matthewfeeney.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Report launch eve💥new report out tomorrow. @re-state.bsky.social
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Re:State @re-state.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
🚨From rare to revolutionary: how science can reach every patient. Rare diseases may be individually uncommon, but they affect millions of patients. This write up summarises discussions at a recent roundtable on the future of rare disease policy. re-state.co.uk/publications...
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Re:State @re-state.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Our Chief Executive, Charlotte Pickles @charliepickles.bsky.social, appeared on @bbcnewsnight.bsky.social last night. She discussed the fiscal challenges facing the Government ahead of the Budget this autumn, including the difficult choices around spending cuts and tax rises. tinyurl.com/ckrhc8xs
tinyurl.com
Charlotte Pickles, Chief Executive, BBC Newsnight 18 August 2026
Re:State Chief Executive, Charlotte Pickles, appeared on BBC Newsnight last night. She discussed the fiscal challenges facing the Government ahead of the upcoming Budget this autumn, including the difficult choices around spending cuts and tax rises.
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Charlotte Pickles @charliepickles.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
Reform published a major paper on reforming welfare yesterday, I read it so you don't have to! Here's my take aways... Spoiler: agree or disagree, I think it's a way more serious contribution than you might expect Whether it's politically do-able tho... www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-r...
linkedin.com
What are Reform UK proposing on welfare and how plausible is it?
Having worked for the last big welfare reformer, IDS, during the Coalition years, here's my initial thoughts on yesterday's Reform UK welfare paper. Firstly, and assuming the numbers are correct (I ex...
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Re:State @re-state.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
Why we need metapolicy. In today's Re:Think @jo3hill.bsky.social discusses why we need a new field for studying policymaking, and what this field can learn from the successes of metascience. restate.substack.com/p/why-we-nee...
restate.substack.com
Why we need metapolicy
What the state capacity field can learn from metascience
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Re:State @re-state.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
The Re:View is out!🥳 For our final edition before the summer break, @jo3hill.bsky.social reviews the Burnham government's first reforms and asks whether they can survive the first Budget. Read more 👇 restate.substack.com/p/the-review...
restate.substack.com
The Re:View 7 August 2026
It’s been less than three weeks since Andy Burnham became Prime Minister. Feels like much longer, right? It is remarkable how quick the new leadership have been to act and launch new policies.
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Re:State @re-state.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
This morning the Government published a set of reforms to public procurement. @jo3hill.bsky.social has written a Re:Act on why this looks like a good change on the surface, but on balance it's a big cause for concern. restate.substack.com/p/why-procur...
restate.substack.com
Why procurement shouldn’t be based on social value
Analysing the Government’s procurement policy changes
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