John Mann

independent advisor to UK government on antisemitism

[John Mann @LordJohnMann]

For too long we have tolerated an acquiescence of antisemitism used to isolate and discriminate against the Jewish Community. My role is to ensure that government & civil society apply the values of freedom that our country stands for. My speech to @CST_UK
https://t.co/PH5yzzC38b

[Al Carns @AlistairCarns]

THE FIVE TESTS

For weeks I've argued that this party, and this country, needs a proper debate about where we go next. Not a reshuffle. Not a few degrees of course correction. The big, difficult, honest choices we've spent thirty years avoiding.

A few people have asked me what that debate should actually be about. Fair enough. I spent 24 years in the Marines and two in government, and I resigned because I couldn't win the argument I believed in from the inside. So let me make it here, plainly.

This isn't a manifesto, but a set of five tests. Anyone asking to lead our country should be able to look down this list and say yes to all five.

1️⃣ ⁠The Frontline Test
Do we give the people on the frontline the kit they need to do the job, and stand by them when the job is done?

I joined the Marines at 18. I've buried friends. So I do take this one personally.

I sat in government and watched us write a defence plan for a world that no longer exists, discussed in rooms I was kept out of. A 100k drone is now sinking warships that cost a billion. That is the reality of the wars being fought right now.

Passing this means 3% of GDP as the floor, not the ceiling. Buying for the next war, not the last. And fixing the Legacy Act so blokes in their seventies aren't back in the dock for what they were cleared of decades ago.

2️⃣ The Next-Generation Test
Are we handing the next generation a better deal than the one we inherited, or a worse one?

I'm a lad from a tough part of Aberdeen. My mum raised five of us through some bleak years. The only reason I got out was because I was given an opportunity. That cannot be said for young people today.

Nearly a million young people, around one in eight, are now outside work, education or training. That isn't their failure. It's ours.

Fixing this means a NEETs and youth unemployment target with a date, the youth guarantee delivered not just announced. Restoring the link between work and a decent life for the under 30s, on housing, wages and opportunity. Skills and apprenticeship numbers that beat the last government, not just match it.

Talent is everywhere in this country. Opportunity isn't. Fix that and you fix half of everything else...

3️⃣ ⁠The Trillion-Pound Test
Is the plan to add a trillion pounds to what Britain earns, or to manage the decline more politely?

Here's the lesson I learned from Ukraine and in government, and it never changes. We invent things. Other countries build them. Other countries decide. We're brilliant at the first mile and absent for the next ninety nine.

So set a target and be judged on it. A trillion pounds added to our GDP within a decade. Yes, it's ambitious. We should be ambitious!

Getting there means backing the high tech inventors just as much as the high street traders. Your local coffee shop shouldn't be paying more tax per cappuccino than Starbucks does. So why on earth do they?

It means an industrial strategy worth the name. Things to make and things to sell, in Barrow, in Derby, in every region. Our industrial base is national security, so we should fund it like it.

And it means building the chips and the compute here, not inventing the breakthrough and watching someone else scale it. Data is the new gunpowder.

4️⃣ The 10% Test
Can we make the country work 10% better, instead of only ever asking for 10% more?

I saw this from the inside. We patch the symptom this year, but the bill grows next year, and we end up paying for failure at the most expensive end of every system.

A 10% improvement in outcomes across a handful of our biggest problems, ill health, reoffending, wasted potential, would free up somewhere between £40 and £60 billion a year. We're already paying those costs. We just pay them too late, when they're at their worst.

Passing this means investing early instead of paying far more later, and having the honesty to admit that not every pound we spend today delivers an immediate return.

5️⃣ ⁠The Lights-On Test
Does our energy policy keep the lights on, the bills down and factories open, or do we keep chasing a target and hope the rest sorts itself out?

For years we've treated net zero as the only goal, and everything else, your bill, our industry, whether the grid even stays up, as a problem for later. That’s the wrong way around.

Make energy security the goal. Power that people, businesses, and industry can afford, and a grid that stays on when someone tries to switch it off. Do that and net zero follows. Chase the target on its own, and you end up with neither.

Passing this means a serious baseload, nuclear and the North Sea, built in time to matter. Strong countries have cheap, secure energy. Weak countries don't.

None of this is complicated. It's the oldest deal there is. You serve the country, the country stands by you. In uniform, in a hospital, in a classroom, on a building site. Right now that deal is broken, and everyone keeping our country going can feel it.

That broken deal is the real reason for the frustration out there. It's why trust has drained out of politics. And it's why our party that won a landslide is, halfway through the term, already arguing about who leads it.

But changing the person at the top fixes nothing if we don't fix the deal underneath. Swap one leader for another and leave the deal broken, and we'll be right back here in eighteen months, asking the same question all over again.

So I'm not interested in who gets what job. I'm interested in whether we've got the courage to pass these tests.

We've been promised a debate. This is my opening offer to it. And if that debate ever becomes a contest, it should be fought on this ground, not on personalities.

I know where I stand.

[Roberto Parrottino @rparrottino]

Marcelo Bielsa: “Jugar cuatro tiempos en lugar de dos altera la concepción que culturalmente se había construido para interpretar el fútbol. No le agrega nada y le quita mucho. Cuando se dividió en cuatro no se pensó en el efecto que puede tener sobre lo que hizo que el fútbol sea un deporte que enamora, sino que se pensó en otro tipo de repercusiones que no las discuto ni las analizo. Antes de esta decisión el fútbol tenía una característica; ahora tiene otra. La gente se enamora del juego por sus características”.

[John Mann @LordJohnMann]

I was strolling along to the turnstiles at Goodison Park in 2009. Bumped into Andy , cabinet member at the time, on his own, with his scarf, walking there like everyone else. Proper fan.

[John Mann @LordJohnMann]

I was strolling along to the turnstiles at Goodison Park in 2009. Bumped into Andy , cabinet member at the time, on his own, with his scarf, walking there like everyone else. Proper fan.

[Andy Burnham HQ @andyburnhamHQ]

The football memories that stayed with Andy ⚽️

[John Mann @LordJohnMann]

Defence spending is growth spending if done well - indeed more so as it can be ringfenced for uk companies

[Steven Swinford @Steven_Swinford]

There are some brutal briefings about Keir Starmer in the wake of John Healey’s resignation today

This one - from a Treasury official - stands out in our splash

“As always with the prime minister, he is unable to make sound political and timely decisions

“Funding the defence investment plan requires cuts to elements of government spending vital to growth - a key issue obviously this country needs to work on

“This was flagged to No 10 in May and as usual he is a rabbit in the headlights and does not make a decision

“Prioritise growth funding or defence spending - take a decision”

https://t.co/EZY91NlfPz

[John Mann @LordJohnMann]

I don’t know exactly how accurate Cummings is, but this insight should be considered by every serious person in government

[Dominic Cummings @Dominic2306]

NB. Some of Healey criticism is right.
BUT it's also right that the WORST parts of the MoD have run rings around him.
He hasn't worked with No10 and HMT to face reality honestly.
HMT is right about the worst parts of the senior MoD and Healey not gripping it.
The MoD is right that HMT processes and general procurement laws make their job impossible, and CO won't support them in changing them.
The CO is right to say that the Mod v HMT battle involves everybody lying.
And No10 is right that everybody including the CO is lying to them and the CO which is supposed to 'coordinate' cannot.
Everybody involved is part lying and part telling truth.
Only a PM determined to face reality and use their full constitutional authority -- a Gvt that controls the Gvt -- can solve this pathological nightmare.
In one week a new PM could get very close to honest budget numbers and be briefed on the secret nuke budgets.
I said before the 2024 election; all discussions of public finances are fake because all Nat Sec budgets are big and fake.
This blow up means the next PM will have to face reality finally - *classify, punt, spin fake accounts* has run out of room after 20-25 yrs.
But NB. this will have big implications for the entire spending plans.
Sorting out the nuke nightmare is huge.
And current spending plans are absurd, pretending to do big cuts in the year before the election.
So it's almost inconceivable the current spending envelopes remain, the new PM will do an emergency budget and a new SR.
Good officials desperate to avoid another PM melting down shd start work on this now so IF there is finally a decent regime in No10, you are ahead of the game...

[Al Carns @AlistairCarns]

Job security is national security.

Sick pay from day one. Paternity leave from day one. Delivered by Labour. Fought for by @GMB_union

[Al Carns @AlistairCarns]

A Green councillor called Hamas founders "martyrs".

The Lib Dems made him cabinet member for children and families.

Birmingham deserves answers.

[Jewish News @JewishNewsUK]

The lost world of European Jewish international footballers
https://t.co/otaKpul3fr

[Peston @itvpeston]

“Have you been [to Makerfield], Clive?”

“I’m going up tomorrow”

“Come up, I’ll happily take you for a pint”

Culture Secretary @lisanandy calls out Clive Lewis’ ‘breathtaking arrogance’ for assuming what voters in Makerfield think

#Peston

[Ridge & Frost @RidgeandFrost]

Lord John Mann: "A badge that says, 'I support Palestine', or a badge that says, 'I support Israel', I don't want my dentist to be wearing that when they are about to drill my teeth".

This comes as the government accepts the findings of his review into antisemitism in the NHS.

[John Mann @LordJohnMann]

This is on the extreme fringe of monetarism . Well beyond Milton Friedman. Nobody voted for bonds. Nobody is forced to buy bonds. Or sell bonds. Unless they wish to make major investment eg roads , railways, factories, broadband, schools, hospitals,

[Zack Polanski @ZackPolanski]

We must stop being in hock only to the bond markets.

No one voted for the bond markets.

[John Mann @LordJohnMann]

To the serious commentators, let me give you the inside track on this. Under all scenarios. The possibility of an early General Election is 0%.

[Alex Wickham @alexwickham]

NEW: Andy Burnham has opened up the possibility of a snap election if he becomes PM

Notably - and remarkably - his team is not ruling it out or disputing the idea. They are declining to comment at all on the speculation. It comes after @kateferguson4 and @guidofawkes reported they’re considering an early election. An ally says he’s focusing on the by-election.

On the pro side: it would solve the criticism Burnham will get if he tries to govern without a mandate. He may want to capitalise on any poll bounce. He may also want to free himself from the constraints of Labour’s manifesto on tax/Europe.

On the con side: Labour has a huge majority. It will be very controversial with MPs who won’t want to risk losing their seats. It means the prospect of a deal with the Greens if there’s a hung parliament. That said, Burnham seems to be embracing Labour deals with other left-wing parties in the future - he told @rsylvester1 he’s committed to proportional representation.

https://t.co/CzsEcPQ6Jr

[John Mann @LordJohnMann]

The industrial divide within both unions will be also significantly high .

[Theo Bertram @theobertram]

Reform support is at a whopping 36% among Unite members. Lower but still substantial 28% at Unison.

That correlates with the greater frequency and forcefulness of the attacks on Labour by the respective leaders.

Data from @JLPartnersPolls

[John Mann @LordJohnMann]

Jenrick is a liar. But worse a hypocrite. Guess whose constituency has huge numbers of low skilled migrants. And guess who was in government when this was agreed. From bakeries to farmers fields. Tell the truth. You support this Robert.

[Robert Jenrick @RobertJenrick]

If Burnham wins, a million low skilled migrants will be allowed to stay and get British citizenship in the next few years.

And he won’t stop the boats. Instead he will put them in bedsits on your street.

To pay for it all? He’ll have to hike your taxes.

[John Mann @LordJohnMann]

Richard intends to give a full analysis of his campaign against Russian military strategy and his protests outside the North Korean embassy. He is launching his campaign for unilateral Russian withdrawal from Ukraine.

[Richard Burgon MP @RichardBurgon]

Already in 2026, Trump has launched war on Iran, tried to strangle Cuba, bombed Venezuela, threatened Greenland and armed Israel's genocide.

The Trump Doctrine means yet more war and ripping up international law.

Join me at the International Conference Against War. Register 👇

[Albie @albieamankona]

Last week, a man told @RachelReevesMP to “fuck off” because he disliked Labour policy. @Nigel_Farage offered to buy him a beer. @ZiaYusufUK called him a patriot.

This week, Dame Helen Mirren was called a “Zionist bitch” by a man angry about Israel-Gaza. A total disgrace.

Different politics, same poison. Shame on these men & those encouraging them.

[John Mann @LordJohnMann]

@procurementfile The fundamental Home Office problem. Based on the false economic premise that ‘any’ growth is good for the real economy and the country. A points system for immigration would be public and therefore can be immediately scrutinized.

[John Mann @LordJohnMann]

@adamlangleben Of all the people I have met in parliament over many decades, Meta Ramsey was the most honorable and the kindest. Her life story was extraordinary and her mischief in recent times in dropping in the odd hint of how extraordinary was captivating.

[j wall ✡ @jwhaifa]

In 1943, the Gestapo finally caught Raymond Aubrac — one of France's most wanted Resistance leaders. He was sentenced to death. His execution was days away.
His wife Lucie was six months pregnant.
Most people would have hidden. Would have grieved quietly and prayed for a miracle. Lucie Aubrac did something else entirely. She obtained forged identity papers, constructed a cover story, and walked straight into the office of Klaus Barbie — the man history would remember as the Butcher of Lyon — and convinced him to grant her a visit with the condemned man.
She wasn't there to say goodbye.
She was memorizing guard positions. Counting minutes. Mapping the route the prison truck would take.
On October 21, 1943, that truck rolled through the streets of Lyon carrying Raymond and other prisoners toward what should have been the end. Lucie had spent weeks quietly assembling a team of Resistance fighters, planning an ambush with the precision of a military operation. When the truck reached the ambush point, the team struck — fast, coordinated, and without hesitation.
In the chaos of gunfire and confusion, Raymond Aubrac was pulled free.
Lucie — visibly, unmistakably pregnant — had organized every detail of his liberation.
They went into hiding. Weeks later, Lucie gave birth to their daughter in a safe house while German forces searched for them across France. When liberation finally came, the Aubracs didn't merely survive — they rebuilt.
Raymond became a celebrated engineer and entered public life. Lucie became a historian, pouring decades into ensuring that the women of the French Resistance — so often unnamed, so easily forgotten — were written permanently into the record. They raised three children. They traveled the world. They argued and laughed and grew old together.
When journalists asked Lucie, years later, what had compelled her to risk everything that October day, she didn't hesitate.
"He was my husband. What else would I do?"
Lucie Aubrac passed away in 2007 at the age of 94. Raymond — who had once needed a commando team to be freed from a German prison — lived on until 2012, reaching 97 years old. In his final years, he continued speaking publicly about the Resistance, about memory, about the obligation to tell the truth.
They had been married for 64 years.
Not a love story built on grand gestures or perfect circumstances. A love story built in occupied France, in safe houses and forged documents and a prison truck ambush on a Lyon street — forged in fire, and never broken.
True love doesn't wait for rescue. Sometimes, it does the rescuing