Area of work
Labour Politics, Good Growth and State Capacity
I write about policy and communications strategies to help Labour win elections, evidence-informed policies fit for the modern world but rooted in Labour values, and how Britain can build state capacity to improve delivery.
Current roles
- Executive Committee Member Labour Digital
- Committee Member Labour Campaign for International Development
Former roles
- Policy Adviser to the Shadow Minister for Science, Research and Innovation The Labour Party
- Executive Committee Member Scientists for Labour
Highlights
A Good Growth Action Plan
An authentically Labour economic strategy, built on a working definition of Andy Burnham’s “good growth”: rising market wages for people living in towns. It splits measures into those that can deliver by July 2029 and those that pay off by 2034.
Read →Rebrand the Welfare State
On the communications and politics of cutting and spending. Argues that what a policy is called shapes how a decision lands on the doorstep, and that Labour would rather be known for expanding children’s nutrition payments and means-testing a targeted pension supplement than for the versions voters currently hear.
Read →When Should You Devolve a Quango?
On when functions currently held by arms-length national bodies are better exercised by mayors and combined authorities, aligned to Andy Burnham’s devolution agenda.
Read →Writing
Blogs and op-eds.
On empire building and the adversarial culture between departments, with analysis of which departments took up more resources at the 2025 Spending Review and how parliamentary time is allocated.
Productive State 2026 A Good Growth Action PlanAn authentically Labour economic strategy, built on a working definition of Andy Burnham’s “good growth”: rising market wages for people living in towns. It splits measures into those that can deliver by July 2029 and those that pay off by 2034.
Productive State 2025 Rebrand the Welfare StateOn how the naming and framing of welfare policy decides how spending and cuts land with voters.
Productive State 2025 When Should You Devolve a Quango?On which functions of arms-length national bodies are better exercised by mayors and combined authorities, aligned to Andy Burnham’s devolution agenda.
Productive State 2026 Eight Tests for Good Policy StrategyConsiders how effective policy strategy can be designed, keeping in mind political considerations.
Productive State 2026 Ten Tests to be Prepared for GovernmentOn what teams need to prioritise to be ready to govern the country.
Productive State 2026 Andy Should Move Fast on Standards in Public LifeMakes the political case for acting early and decisively on standards in public life, given potential electoral benefits.
Productive StateTopics I work on
- Labour’s electoral coalition
- Policy and communications strategy
- Metapolicy
- State capacity
- Whitehall and civil service reform
- Devolution and regional growth
- Public service reform
- Political economy of growth