“[Public ownership] isn’t just ideological ... there are rational economic reasons ... the ideological people now are those who are committed to a status quo which is clearly and manifestly not working.” @mathewlawrence.bsky.social on @lbc.co.uk 👇

“Essential services ... that were privatised are no longer working ... there’s a different way of organising it ... it’s not going back to the 1970s, it’s saying that a modern, dynamic economy has to fix those essentials.” @mathewlawrence.bsky.social on @lbc.co.uk 👇

“Tomorrow, the really big thing is the size, the ambition, the nature of this cost of living package ... does it actually do what it says on the tin? ... Will it provide actual relief on core essentials?” Our Director @mathewlawrence.bsky.social on @bbc5live.bsky.social 👇

“The first step is putting more money back into people’s pockets, ending this relentless squeeze people are facing ... but we need bigger structural reform.” @mathewlawrence.bsky.social on @thetimes.com Radio 👇

Further shocks to food prices are likely following the war in Iran. 14.1 million people in the UK live in food insecure households. That includes 3.8 million children. 16% of households in a “wealthy” nation can't afford to eat.

🚨 In January, @yougov.co.uk polling found that more than 4 in 10 people (44%) said they struggled to pay for food in the past 3 months. Food prices are now 38% higher than in 2020 — outpacing overall inflation (31%). This is a crisis, and it’s not going away. 🧵

“The country is yearning for a deeper change, in how power is organised, how our economy is run, who its run by and for. If it is just superficial tinkering, if reforms don't really go beyond the surface, the public will know.” @mathewlawrence.bsky.social for @thetimes.com Radio👇

“Whether as billpayers or as taxpayers, the public ultimately fund the cost of infrastructure. The question is: do we want to layer on top of that the cost of higher debt servicing and equity returns for shareholder investors?” @mathewlawrence.bsky.social on BBC's Westminster Hour 👇

“People are screaming at politics to do something more ... they hate the dependency of not being able to have infrastructure they can rely on, the basic features of life.” @mathewlawrence.bsky.social for @lrb.co.uk with @piercepenniless.bsky.social 👇

“So, this system is literally making bills higher for consumers in England and Wales?” “That’s right. There’s a privatisation premium that ordinary people face ... and that is an upward redistribution of income towards shareholders.” @mathewlawrence.bsky.social on @lbc.co.uk with Andrew Marr 👇

“Britain is one of the [world’s] most centralised countries ... pushing power out, respecting communities to decide how they want to develop, giving them resources & powers ... [it] doesn’t *just* benefit the north of England & the Midlands.” @mathewlawrence.bsky.social on Times Radio 👇

🚨 Common Wealth is hiring a new Digital Officer. 📍 London, UK ⏰ Permanent, full-time (9 day fortnight) 🗓️ Deadline: 10AM BST, 13 July 2026 Find out more and apply below 👇 www.common-wealth.org/vacancies/di...

“To fix the essential sectors that we all need to live good lives, for businesses to thrive, communities to do well ... we need the state not just to regulate or redistribute, but actually to invest, own & provide those fundamentals.” @mathewlawrence.bsky.social speaks to @bbc5live.bsky.social 👇

1) The infrastructure fracking built. The abundance of oil and gas reserves unleashed by fracking occurred simultaneously with sluggish growth in US energy demand. This incentivised the buildout of export-orientated infrastructure.

“If something does go wrong, [regulators are] limited in the extent to which they can punish the entities responsible, because that creates a ‘regulatory risk premium’, increas[ing] the cost of capital” @chrismwhayes.bsky.social for @bylinetimes.bsky.social on privatisation of our essentials. 👇

“Outsourcing and privatisation ... has not led to efficiency ... it has led to an economy where we extract rather than invest, fragment rather than coordinate, and price for profit rather than provide for need”. Our Director @mathewlawrence.bsky.social speaks to Sky News 👇

“We have outsourced, privatised, deregulated many of the core essential services ... Manchesterism is an idea about bringing those back into public control to deliver affordability” @mathewlawrence.bsky.social on BBC Radio 4 discussing public ownership and the Productive State 👇

“We need a real rebalancing, which is not to be against London, but it's to be for the rest of the country.” @mathewlawrence.bsky.social speaks to James Butler for @londonreviewbookshop.co.uk on privatisation and the centralisation of political power. 👇

“There is an abandonment of control, partly because the [British] state is not a productive state, it is [an] outsourcing state.” @mathewlawrence.bsky.social speaks to James Butler for @lrb.co.uk 👇

The Economist’s claims... 👇

In last week’s article by The Economist, it claimed “privatisation is credited with successes” in the water industry and electricity sector. But does the conclusion stack up with the evidence? Let’s unpack the reality. 🧵

Our preliminary modelling suggests these savings could stack up, saving £100-£200 per household a year by 2030.

We model savings for three different price paths: Low: Crisis resolves quickly ➡️ £15bn cumulative savings 2026–30, or £192 per household Central: Sustained disruption with gradual recovery ➡️ £26bn = £327/🏠 High: Extreme, lasting damage ➡️ £36bn = £444/🏠

We propose moving these assets onto power purchase agreements (PPAs) at fixed prices, preserving their subsidies. Savings depend heavily on where prices would go. Over 2026-30 savings could reach £192 per household in our low price scenario, and £444 in our high scenario.

Gas still sets the price of electricity nearly 80% of the time, despite comprising barely a quarter of electricity. Only Belgium suffers a wider disparity. With the Ras Laffan outage, this is a ticking timebomb for household bills. See below 👇

“It’s far too early to say that the domination of British politics by conservative economics is coming to an end. But that mindset is more vulnerable than for a long time.” 🖊️ Andy Beckett for @theguardian.com

“Across England’s towns and cities, parcels of land are being sold to investors in a property-led development model that favours investors’ profits over affordable housing.” 🖊️ @sophieflinders.bsky.social for @yorkshirepost.co.uk 🔗 👇 www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/opinion...

“Sacha Hilhorst ... made a really interesting case for just going really hard on political renewal ... one of those provisions should be [that] MPs should not be allowed to hold second jobs ... I think that would be such an easy win.” 🎙️ @newstatesman1913.bsky.social

“[Public control] can mean anything, from what’s happening in Greater Manchester — where they have regulated, and brought under public control ... a deregulated, fragmented private bus & tram network — to other sectors that are natural monopolies.” @mathewlawrence.bsky.social in @thetimes.com 👇

Since 2010, Leeds has raised £739 million through the sale of public assets — including car parks, libraries and nurseries. Explore our map in the report to find details on the seven most expensive asset sales by the council since 2009/10: