@shaina-sangha
Researcher in policy making team and formerly public finances @instituteforgovernment.org.uk. Interested in immigration and asylum policy, and policymaking for groups historically underserved by the state. Former parliamentary staffer.
Fantastic to see both of the brilliant @emmanorris.bsky.social and @gemmatetlow.bsky.social recognised in this year's Women in Westminster top 100.
Both are incredibly impressive colleagues and I've learnt so much from them. www.politicshome.com/in-focus/wiw...
Shabana Mahmood’s announcement that asylum status will be granted on 30 month basis isn’t unprecedented in west (see Denmark), but still a remarkable break from previous UK policy. ALSO extremely unclear would achieve any govt objectives: see @migobs.bsky.social in the Guardian.
shorturl.at/xmu7I
Interesting piece and good to see Sunder reiterate his support for a migration plan, as devised by @instituteforgovernment.org.uk colleagues last year and which received the support of Sunder and directors from Onward, CPS, and IPPR in a letter to the Times. tinyurl.com/4hb8akr4
Great to give @instituteforgovernment.org.uk's take on the feasability of Reform's immigration enforcement plans in an Observer article today, in the venerable company of Prof Alan Manning and Dr Madeleine Sumption.
You can read the article here: observer.co.uk/news/politic...
Net migration in all of 2025 (Jan-Dec) will be revealed in May 2026: it is clearly well below net 205k of year to June 2025; and could well be lowest outside pandemic since 2010 (150k in 2012-13) + since 1998 (140k)
Ministers still saying net migration is still comparatively high - but it isn't
Great to give @instituteforgovernment.org.uk's take on the feasability of Reform's immigration enforcement plans in an Observer article today, in the venerable company of Prof Alan Manning and Dr Madeleine Sumption.
You can read the article here: observer.co.uk/news/politic...
New comment from @danhaile.bsky.social, @jillongovt.bsky.social and me on why next Tuesday's spring forecast should ideally be a fiscal "non-event".
We don't expect major shifts in the economic outlook, and so shouldn't see the "knee-jerk" policy responses of past spring statements.
Govt’s proposed SEND reforms contain positive ideas to move the system towards early intervention.
But there are tensions the govt has not yet worked through between investing in these changes quickly and ensuring reforms are fully evidenced.
So much of this rings true from experience. One of the most depressing parts of working for an MP is looking at constituents stuck in a kafkaesque casework nightmare where no part of the state is working for them or speaking to each other, knowing that the MP's office is pretty powerless to help.
Major news for local government finance. Great that there's now more certainty - without action it's likely the majority of councils would have faced 'bankruptcy' in 28/29.
But unclear (at least to me) where the £5bn is coming from. For context that's about 8% of the core schools funding for 25/26
I have a report out today on the near-perennial question of why UK governments struggle to stick at growth policy in anything like a strategic way. Some hurried points:- 0/
www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/publication/...
W thanks to @jeremypattison.bsky.social for heads up, int levy could also hit exchange students on student visa. Would make exchange v costly for HE providers, who already take on costs hosting exchange (w no tuition fees). Weird if kept, esp. as we've just rejoined Erasmus.
tinyurl.com/4bayx4tn
Today the @instituteforgovernment.org.uk hosts First of Wales, Eluned Morgan MS, to hear thoughts on the future of devolution. Not to be missed - sign up via the link below.
NEW REPORT: the gov’s proposals for judge-only trials will deliver only marginal savings and distract from the real route out of this crisis: reversing recent falls in court productivity.
I spoke at the House of Lords Justice & Home Affairs Committee yesterday, on behalf of @instituteforgovernment.org.uk, on immigration, citizenship and integration. Thanks to @jlowen.bsky.social, @cassiarowland.bsky.social and @hcdunlop.bsky.social for help on prep!
Session here: tinyurl.com/372h6jdk
In a couple of hours we'll be hearing from Darren Jones about his plans to 'move fast and fix things' in government - you can watch it here:
www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/event/modern...
📢NEW REPORT📢
Every year @instituteforgovernment.org.uk sets out the latest on the civil service - size, professions, pay, morale. You name it, we analyse it. This year's report is out today.
If you're interested in state capacity, you should be interested in what's happening in the civil service. 🧵
Delighted that Wes Streeting will be kicking off our Government 2026 conference - bright and early tomorrow ⬇️
Other speakers through the day include Mel Stride, Darren Jones, Louise Casey, Andy Burnham, Michael Gove, Ed Balls, Ayesha Hazarika and many more
There's now data out about the resident doctor strikes last month
So how disruptive did they end up being? And what can we say about how the NHS is responding to ongoing strikes?
Short 🧵👇
Reform councillors are trying to blame Labour's funding reforms for council tax rises
It doesn't stack up. After those reforms, 5/10 Reform councils will receive above average funding increases and none get anywhere near a cut
They are raising tax because they failed to deliver promised savings
The latest Covid Inquiry evidence exposes the damage caused by poor government information sharing www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/covi...
So re. capabilities, esp in an era where there's increasing conflict/skirmish (Snyder's stability/instability paradox), it's a big tradeoff on conventional vs nuclear cap's for an economy like the UK's, whereas e.g. DE has to make do without nukes and so has other (possibly more useful) strengths.
We have been pretty much average on Nato GDP %spending for many years. UK spends large chunk of this on equipment (we're at 36%, FR, DE and US all <30%), inc a stonking amount on nuclear deterrent, 20% of all def spend.
BUT (and probably as a result) we have fewer troops than all those countries.
The NATO def is also the broadest of the three metrics govt uses to define defence spending. NATO figures inc. e.g. pensions for retired military personnel and contributions to UN peacekeeping missions - not exactly capability building.
The latest Covid Inquiry evidence exposes the damage caused by poor government information sharing
Government departments must do more to prepare for the next crisis, says @shaina-sangha.bsky.social www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/covi...
New year, new comment piece, same problems. I've written for @instituteforgovernment.org.uk on what the covid inquiry is revealing about (poor) govt info sharing during the pandemic and what needs to be in place for the next crisis. HMT does not come off well...
tinyurl.com/muhtm2r8
This should be a great event... What can govt communicators do when Trump blows up their grid on a daily basis. Have we now normalised ignoring facts and is politics just performance art? Does our system of government have any protections if someone followed populist playbook?
I'm really delighted to announce that- in a restructure of the @instituteforgovernment.org.uk’s senior team - I've appointed @gemmatetlow.bsky.social to the new role of Executive Director of Research & Innovation & @alexgathomas.bsky.social to the new role of Executive Director of Impact & Influence
So we are already back to the levels of migration of the early 2010s and declining faster... let's hope all those new restrictions, based on previous higher numbers, don't make Britain massively unattractive to those migrants the government DOES wish to attract.
The most 'optimal' solution (re. govt objectives) targets providers who are abusing the system or providing low-quality degrees (though this is a contested term) while putting minimal pressure on excellent institutions. The announcement today may be okay in that regard but hard to tell right now.