Josh Westerling
@joshwesterling.bsky.social
Work on campaigns and public affairs at JRF. Current home Bethnal Green, from Wycombe. West Ham ST holder. Views mine.
Reposted by Josh Westerling
Yet this is a government with three years left to run and an enormous Commons majority. For all the problems, there is an enormous opportunity there for someone with the political nous to take it and use it.
Starmer's reported condition - incredibly unpopular, shorn of authority, probably un-reelectable and yet will stagger on for want of an alternative - is just the new normal of how Britain is governed. It was also true for two-thirds of May's premiership, half of Johnson's and all of Sunak's.
February 6, 2026 at 11:52 AM
Yet this is a government with three years left to run and an enormous Commons majority. For all the problems, there is an enormous opportunity there for someone with the political nous to take it and use it.
Dad would've been 57 today - here with my Mum roughly the same age I am now.
February 6, 2026 at 9:16 AM
Dad would've been 57 today - here with my Mum roughly the same age I am now.
Reposted by Josh Westerling
EXC:
I can reveal the contents of a memo by Labour peer Lord Maurice Glasman in January 2025 warning Number 10 it was making a mistake to hire Mandelson - sent to Starmer’s chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney.
www.ft.com/content/584a...
I can reveal the contents of a memo by Labour peer Lord Maurice Glasman in January 2025 warning Number 10 it was making a mistake to hire Mandelson - sent to Starmer’s chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney.
www.ft.com/content/584a...
Keir Starmer apologises to victims of Jeffrey Epstein
UK prime minister faces criticism from Labour MPs but insists he is not about to quit
www.ft.com
February 5, 2026 at 2:35 PM
EXC:
I can reveal the contents of a memo by Labour peer Lord Maurice Glasman in January 2025 warning Number 10 it was making a mistake to hire Mandelson - sent to Starmer’s chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney.
www.ft.com/content/584a...
I can reveal the contents of a memo by Labour peer Lord Maurice Glasman in January 2025 warning Number 10 it was making a mistake to hire Mandelson - sent to Starmer’s chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney.
www.ft.com/content/584a...
Reposted by Josh Westerling
I mean yes, in a way, but it's not *the reason* and *bad governments* aren't really the problem.
Everything we are seeing is downstream from the hollowing out of democracy as per Peter Mair. Parties have stopped mediating between the public and the state. Instead we have the managerialism...
Everything we are seeing is downstream from the hollowing out of democracy as per Peter Mair. Parties have stopped mediating between the public and the state. Instead we have the managerialism...
lads I don't want anyone to panic but I am writing up quite the scorchio take for tomorrow's newsletter
February 5, 2026 at 1:36 PM
I mean yes, in a way, but it's not *the reason* and *bad governments* aren't really the problem.
Everything we are seeing is downstream from the hollowing out of democracy as per Peter Mair. Parties have stopped mediating between the public and the state. Instead we have the managerialism...
Everything we are seeing is downstream from the hollowing out of democracy as per Peter Mair. Parties have stopped mediating between the public and the state. Instead we have the managerialism...
Reposted by Josh Westerling
Whole column here if you like reading column www.economist.com/britain/2026...
Britain’s worst political scandal of this century
The Mandelson affair threatens Sir Keir Starmer’s premiership
www.economist.com
February 5, 2026 at 8:20 AM
Whole column here if you like reading column www.economist.com/britain/2026...
Yeah this line is not tenable
Wes Streeting saying on Today that Mandelson is ‘not the man we thought he was’ but the trouble is, he is exactly the man we thought, just on a much worse scale than almost anyone thought. And there is an alternative world where none of this is this govt’s problem, because they never gave him a job
February 4, 2026 at 10:03 AM
Yeah this line is not tenable
Looks essentially the exact same today!
This is "High Wycombe" by Harold Steggles from 1938. It was exhibited at Lefevre in 1938 & 1939 & again at the Ashmolean in 1939, where it was sold to Sir Robert Ensor. It is fascinating to see Harold's archive photo & his "alteration" of the view #HaroldSteggles #EastLondonGroup #HighWycombe
February 4, 2026 at 9:42 AM
Looks essentially the exact same today!
Change the law. And make a point of not referring to him by his title and why you’re not
BREAKING: Lord Mandelson is to step down from the House of Lords immediately.
But he will keep his title as a peerage is bestowed for life - unless government changes the law.
But he will keep his title as a peerage is bestowed for life - unless government changes the law.
February 3, 2026 at 3:33 PM
Change the law. And make a point of not referring to him by his title and why you’re not
Reposted by Josh Westerling
Labour needs to bake morality into how it campaigns and governs.
My @newstatesman1913.bsky.social column on the Epstein-Mandelson story, and the hangover of a post-ideological age:
My @newstatesman1913.bsky.social column on the Epstein-Mandelson story, and the hangover of a post-ideological age:
The Epstein files expose the rot of Mandelson's Britain
New Labour’s dead-end of pragmatism over everything else – including morality
www.newstatesman.com
February 3, 2026 at 9:56 AM
Labour needs to bake morality into how it campaigns and governs.
My @newstatesman1913.bsky.social column on the Epstein-Mandelson story, and the hangover of a post-ideological age:
My @newstatesman1913.bsky.social column on the Epstein-Mandelson story, and the hangover of a post-ideological age:
Reposted by Josh Westerling
BREAKING on ft website:
Lord Peter Mandelson leaked a sensitive UK government document to Jeffrey Epstein while he was business secretary that proposed £20bn of asset sales and revealed Labour’s tax policy plans
www.ft.com/content/fdf7...
Lord Peter Mandelson leaked a sensitive UK government document to Jeffrey Epstein while he was business secretary that proposed £20bn of asset sales and revealed Labour’s tax policy plans
www.ft.com/content/fdf7...
Mandelson leaked sensitive UK government tax plans to Epstein
Former ambassador forwarded memo from special adviser to Gordon Brown to late sex offender in 2009
www.ft.com
February 2, 2026 at 11:30 AM
BREAKING on ft website:
Lord Peter Mandelson leaked a sensitive UK government document to Jeffrey Epstein while he was business secretary that proposed £20bn of asset sales and revealed Labour’s tax policy plans
www.ft.com/content/fdf7...
Lord Peter Mandelson leaked a sensitive UK government document to Jeffrey Epstein while he was business secretary that proposed £20bn of asset sales and revealed Labour’s tax policy plans
www.ft.com/content/fdf7...
Reposted by Josh Westerling
Have seen this take a lot and really disagree. Gov’t could invest in anchor institutions for towns; build FE colleges in town centres; set up childcare co-ops; retrofit iconic buildings and make them into community gyms, etc. We are more than individual consumers - that’s the point of politics!
Sorry to sound so grumpy but this has the same vibe as people moaning about the state of public services at the same time as not wanting to pay more in tax. What's any government (right or left) supposed to do when people don't go shopping or to pubs as much as they used to - and never will again?
Labour risks election wipeout unless it improves Britain’s high streets, study finds
Decay of town centres a top issue among voters especially Reform UK supporters and is fuelling resentment against Westminster
www.theguardian.com
January 29, 2026 at 8:24 AM
Have seen this take a lot and really disagree. Gov’t could invest in anchor institutions for towns; build FE colleges in town centres; set up childcare co-ops; retrofit iconic buildings and make them into community gyms, etc. We are more than individual consumers - that’s the point of politics!
Reposted by Josh Westerling
“Work is the best route out of poverty.”...That’s the promise, but for millions in the UK, it’s broken.
📉 In-work poverty has risen from 2.5m workers in 2000/01 to 3.8m in 2023/24 (12%).
Work matters, but without secure jobs, fair pay and a real safety net, it’s not enough.
📉 In-work poverty has risen from 2.5m workers in 2000/01 to 3.8m in 2023/24 (12%).
Work matters, but without secure jobs, fair pay and a real safety net, it’s not enough.
🗣️ ‘Work should be the best route out of poverty’
Analyst @franladouch.bsky.social explains that for millions across the UK, employment is not the safety net from poverty that it should be.
Recent employment reforms are a good start, but the government must go further to protect working families. 🔽
Analyst @franladouch.bsky.social explains that for millions across the UK, employment is not the safety net from poverty that it should be.
Recent employment reforms are a good start, but the government must go further to protect working families. 🔽
February 2, 2026 at 10:07 AM
“Work is the best route out of poverty.”...That’s the promise, but for millions in the UK, it’s broken.
📉 In-work poverty has risen from 2.5m workers in 2000/01 to 3.8m in 2023/24 (12%).
Work matters, but without secure jobs, fair pay and a real safety net, it’s not enough.
📉 In-work poverty has risen from 2.5m workers in 2000/01 to 3.8m in 2023/24 (12%).
Work matters, but without secure jobs, fair pay and a real safety net, it’s not enough.
Andy Haldane champions "the Andy's" in the FT, who are overlooked by their respective parties.
January 31, 2026 at 11:50 AM
Andy Haldane champions "the Andy's" in the FT, who are overlooked by their respective parties.
Reposted by Josh Westerling
January 30, 2026 at 6:23 PM
Reposted by Josh Westerling
“The overwhelming liberal focus on disinformation misreads how digital platforms work…cutting-edge propagandists now focus less on policy messaging and more on massaging vibes”.
Start of a new series by the excellent @robtoes.bsky.social
Start of a new series by the excellent @robtoes.bsky.social
How liberals lost the internet | Robert Topinka
In the first part of our series on digital politics, we look at how centrists have lost ground fighting disinformation – when the real battle is over emotion and attention, says digital media academic...
www.theguardian.com
January 30, 2026 at 8:51 AM
“The overwhelming liberal focus on disinformation misreads how digital platforms work…cutting-edge propagandists now focus less on policy messaging and more on massaging vibes”.
Start of a new series by the excellent @robtoes.bsky.social
Start of a new series by the excellent @robtoes.bsky.social
Know there are practical difficulties to actually doing it but I don't think there are any other good arguments against removing his peerage.
I'm not prone to exaggeration but this is probably the biggest scoop I've ever been involved in
Mandelson's partner took £10,000 from Epstein to pay for his osteopath course while Mandelson was de facto UK deputy prime minister, according to new files
more to follow
www.ft.com/content/c950...
Mandelson's partner took £10,000 from Epstein to pay for his osteopath course while Mandelson was de facto UK deputy prime minister, according to new files
more to follow
www.ft.com/content/c950...
Jeffrey Epstein sent £10,000 to Mandelson’s husband, emails show
Epstein sent Reinaldo Avila da Silva payment in 2009
www.ft.com
January 30, 2026 at 4:56 PM
Know there are practical difficulties to actually doing it but I don't think there are any other good arguments against removing his peerage.
This Reform ad is well pitched and moves them into a space tonally and rhetorically beyond Broken Britain.
The Good Days Will Return.
YouTube video by Reform UK
www.youtube.com
January 30, 2026 at 9:49 AM
This Reform ad is well pitched and moves them into a space tonally and rhetorically beyond Broken Britain.
Highly recommend this paper!
This piece is prompted by exploring where power lies and why it's so often in the wrong places for @futuregovforum.bsky.social - you can read my report, Power Failure, here:
www.futuregovernanceforum.co.uk/resource/pow...
www.futuregovernanceforum.co.uk/resource/pow...
Power Failure: A new theory of power - Future Governance Forum
British politics feels stuck. In recent years, both Conservative and Labour governments have found themselves increasingly hamstrung by a web of problematic concentrations and dispersals of power, thw...
www.futuregovernanceforum.co.uk
January 27, 2026 at 9:46 AM
Highly recommend this paper!
'swans off to be mayor of Manchester' is a pretty incredible thing to brief
And yet, it could all backfire for Burnham.
Even if he gets through all the hurdles, there's no guarantee he'll be welcomed.
“Where was he in the Corbyn years?," says one MP. "I was in the trenches, dealing with all the abuse, with people in tears – and he swans off to be mayor of Manchester."
Even if he gets through all the hurdles, there's no guarantee he'll be welcomed.
“Where was he in the Corbyn years?," says one MP. "I was in the trenches, dealing with all the abuse, with people in tears – and he swans off to be mayor of Manchester."
January 25, 2026 at 6:29 PM
'swans off to be mayor of Manchester' is a pretty incredible thing to brief
Good piece that offers a guide to break out of the low-trust doom loop.
Centre-left politicians and parties should have respect for the "intellectual capacities of the public", make clear who its people are and communicate the choices and trade offs they're making.
Centre-left politicians and parties should have respect for the "intellectual capacities of the public", make clear who its people are and communicate the choices and trade offs they're making.
FREE TO READ: Rebecca Goldsmith (@beccagold.bsky.social) argues that post-war Labour governments suceeded electorally by channelling voters' desire for the "good life", and warns the contemporary Labour Party against underestimating public idealism
Progressive politics, trust, and the ‘good life’
08 Renewal 33.3-33.4_Goldsmith08 Renewal 33.3-33.4_Goldsmith.pdf79 KBdownload-circle
The Starmer administration has been widely criticised for failing to articulate a positive vision of change. In ...
renewal.org.uk
January 23, 2026 at 11:06 AM
Good piece that offers a guide to break out of the low-trust doom loop.
Centre-left politicians and parties should have respect for the "intellectual capacities of the public", make clear who its people are and communicate the choices and trade offs they're making.
Centre-left politicians and parties should have respect for the "intellectual capacities of the public", make clear who its people are and communicate the choices and trade offs they're making.
Would very much like more speeches available as purely audio and uploaded on a podcast platform, rather than only options being reading the transcript or watching the thing
January 22, 2026 at 5:06 PM
Would very much like more speeches available as purely audio and uploaded on a podcast platform, rather than only options being reading the transcript or watching the thing
Reposted by Josh Westerling
Voters want charisma! They want politicians who grab their attention! If your party doesn't promote these people, they will vote for a party that does!
January 22, 2026 at 3:04 PM
Voters want charisma! They want politicians who grab their attention! If your party doesn't promote these people, they will vote for a party that does!
Reposted by Josh Westerling
There are Iraq and Afghanistan veterans in every suburb and on every estate in Britain.
January 22, 2026 at 1:40 PM
There are Iraq and Afghanistan veterans in every suburb and on every estate in Britain.
Reposted by Josh Westerling
There is a lot of talk of a leadership challenge, but less about what is needed in a new leader or what they would need to do if they became PM, if it does happen.
I’m going to try and make some space to think about that, starting with this piece on criteria to judge candidates against.
I’m going to try and make some space to think about that, starting with this piece on criteria to judge candidates against.
In the Event of a Contest I: Leadership criteria
Some thoughts on judging potential candidates
open.substack.com
January 17, 2026 at 8:47 AM
There is a lot of talk of a leadership challenge, but less about what is needed in a new leader or what they would need to do if they became PM, if it does happen.
I’m going to try and make some space to think about that, starting with this piece on criteria to judge candidates against.
I’m going to try and make some space to think about that, starting with this piece on criteria to judge candidates against.