James Johns

Husband, father, political geek, hiker, slow rally driver. Tweets, obvs, are my own.

[James Johns @JamesAJohns]

@kmei_ Who on earth are the 7% who have a positive opinion of Andrew M-W?

[James Johns @JamesAJohns]

@wallaceme See also the tradition that a bit of the Treasury has to be perpetually located in the constituency of a former Chancellor. This should carry on until the Treasury is divided across 650 offices. (I joke, but I actually think this sort of thing is a good idea.)

[James Johns @JamesAJohns]

@jameschappers It's far from being a bad idea, but interested to know how you think a Peer Chancellor could be held to account by the Commons in the same way a member of the Commons could be.

[James Johns @JamesAJohns]

@DavidGauke @_PaulMonaghan @Prosper_UK_ It's not *quite* that simple, is it, because NI contributions are managed differently to other taxes, in that they're paid into the National Insurance Fund rather than the Consolidated Fund. Not disputing your point about the NIF working on a "pay as you go" basis though.

[James Johns @JamesAJohns]

@JohnRentoul I have a similar one, albeit less odd, and with less odd people in it. (To some extent, at least.)

[James Johns @JamesAJohns]

@JohnRentoul Something about "first as tragedy, then as farce" springs to mind.

[James Johns @JamesAJohns]

@wallaceme Fantastic. Lost it a bit at 'exham, and 'aydon bridge.

[James Johns @JamesAJohns]

@AskThePatrick @JohnRentoul But the upside of good legislation is that it's harder for a successor government to reverse. I think I once heard a coalition era minister say that they could cut Sure Start because it was principally a funding stream and the statutory underpinning was so weak.

[James Johns @JamesAJohns]

Hurrah!

[Pippa Crerar @PippaCrerar]

EXCL: An agreement to rejoin Erasmus – the EU’s student exchange programme – set to be announced on Wednesday as part of UK government’s drive towards closer relations with Brussels.

https://t.co/nFvBewAgnn

[James Johns @JamesAJohns]

@wallaceme You can add gammon/ham to the list of things that taste good hot and cold, and coincidentally, to a list of things that taste good with pease pudding.

[Ambassador Andrew Puzder @USAmbEU]

Productive meeting with @Workday in Brussels. As Europe advances its AI framework, it’s vital that regulation supports innovation rather than stifling it. I’ll continue advocating for fair, balanced rules so American companies like Workday can keep building trust, creating jobs, and driving progress on both sides of the Atlantic.

[James Johns @JamesAJohns]

@jo3hill Spot on. It also means that officials are wary of granting approval for smaller-scale announcements, including on business' social media and elsewhere, that would help spread good news stories. It's a small part of why government finds it difficult to get its messages across.

[James Johns @JamesAJohns]

@TheSumoGuy Up the 'Boro.

[James Johns @JamesAJohns]

@DavidDavisMP @BTP Great they secured prosecution in your case. I had my bag stolen from a train last November in similar circumstances and was told by @BTP that "it it is not proportionate to investigate this crime any further at this time" Genuinely intrigued to know what made the difference.

[James Johns @JamesAJohns]

@rcolvile If we had coffee, we could have coffee and tea, if we had tea.

[James Johns @JamesAJohns]

Truly a legend of the British technology industry, who leaves a fantastic legacy.

[Dame Steve Shirley CH @DameStephanie_]

We are so sad to share that Dame Stephanie “Steve” Shirley CH has passed away aged 91. Child refugee turned tech pioneer, philanthropist & autism advocate, she founded an all woman software company & changed countless lives. Her light will never fade.

https://t.co/GfXgCSvTwm

[James Johns @JamesAJohns]

That there's no decent phone signal for great tracts of the mainline between Edinburgh and London is a ridiculous state of affairs in a country that presents itself as a digital leader.

[James Johns @JamesAJohns]

@NeilDotObrien Yup. See also the 2018 Civil Society Strategy... https://t.co/V2wEDQjE9x

[James Johns @JamesAJohns]

I had the pleasure of seeing Cultural Forces perform in the House of Commons last night. They are utterly fantastic and so, so talented. Slava Ukraini!

[Johanna Baxter MP @JohannaBaxter]

Before Putin's illegal invasion, they were professional musicians. Today, they defend their home, their people & their culture.

It was a huge honour to attend a performance by Cultural Forces, a band of the Armed Forces of Ukraine at @FCDOGovUK office this aft.

Slava Ukraini 🇺🇦