Red Lines

A weekly briefing of curated analysis and commentary from the progressive ecosystem

[Red Lines @redlinesblog]

📊 Chart of the week.

Common Wealth's figures on the six biggest outsourcing firms.

£34bn of revenue from public contracts over five years, and £1.5bn of operating profit.

https://t.co/HORPMEDgzj

#outsourcing #publicservices

[Red Lines @redlinesblog]

Quote of the week.

@AndyBurnhamGM at the UN General Assembly:

"There is no national security without a strong, cohesive society."

https://t.co/HORPMEDgzj

#UNGA #UKpolitics

[Red Lines @redlinesblog]

Red Lines No. 8 is out.

Burnham's first week as a world leader, £129bn of public services run by private companies, and the top three parties within two points of each other.

40 pieces across 11 sections.

https://t.co/HORPMEDgzj

#Labour #UKpolitics

[Red Lines @redlinesblog]

Polling round-up: level with Reform at @YouGov (23–23), ahead at @OpiniumResearch (28–24), ahead at @FindoutnowUK for the first time since January 2025. Burnham +14, Farage −26. All the links in one place:

https://t.co/sRDwcopMC7

[Red Lines @redlinesblog]

Ministers pulled four council mergers and paused the rest. A Commons answer on a Scottish referendum had @JohnSwinney writing to No 10 within hours. Holyrood "is not working", says @IPPRScotland. Devolution & Regions, this week:

https://t.co/sRDwcopMC7

[Red Lines @redlinesblog]

The question @AndyBurnhamGM keeps not answering: how to fund defence at 3.5% of GDP without touching social security. @IsabelHardman on PMQs, @reporterboy on "talking different, governing the same", Matthew Parris on the temptation to cut and run.

https://t.co/sRDwcopMC7

[Red Lines @redlinesblog]

Gordon Brown (@GordonBrown) calls it a social recession. @IPPR has measured it: the share of 16–24-year-olds whose mental health means they get less done has quadrupled since 2010. Both in this week's RED | LINES.

https://t.co/sRDwcopMC7

[Red Lines @redlinesblog]

Chart of the week: 73% of voters call @Nigel_Farage sleazy. @AndyBurnhamGM, @KemiBadenoch and @EdwardJDavey are the only leaders where "not sleazy" wins. @YouGov, 6–7 September. Full edition:

https://t.co/sRDwcopMC7

[Red Lines @redlinesblog]

RED | LINES No. 06 is out: The Social Recession. Britain leads 12 nations against the settlements, @darrenpjones gives his first interview since leaving government, and @GordonBrown names the crisis nobody is fixing.

https://t.co/sRDwcopMC7

[Red Lines @redlinesblog]

Devolution & the nations, this week in Red Lines:

— "No10 North" and who's really driving it (@themjcouk)
— @IPPR_Scotland on Swinney's Programme for Government
— why Wales still feels so powerless (@nation_cymru)

👇

https://t.co/XBbwtZkf9S

[Red Lines @redlinesblog]

Stat of the week: 32.9% 💷

The gender pensions gap — retired women get roughly a third less pension income than men, £7,000+ a year.

New @The_TUC analysis, in this week's Red Lines 👇

https://t.co/XBbwtZkf9S

[Red Lines @redlinesblog]

A genuine three-way heat at the top:

@YouGov — Lab 23, Ref 23
@OpiniumResearch — Lab 27, Ref 25 (Burnham +14)
@MoreinCommon_ — Lab +4

Everyone packed inside four points. This week's Red Lines rounds up the polls 👇

https://t.co/XBbwtZkf9S

[Red Lines @redlinesblog]

Chart of the week 📊

The "hidden NEETs" the system misses — ~300k under-25s who are NEET but claim nothing.

74% are looking for work (vs 54% of NEETs on benefits). Just 2% are sick or disabled (vs 27%).

Via @TheIFS 👇

https://t.co/XBbwtZkf9S

[Red Lines @redlinesblog]

🔴 RED | LINES No. 05 — "The Physics of Popularity" is out.

@YouGov, @OpiniumResearch & @MoreinCommon_ now put @UKLabour and Reform inside four points.

The week's best reads from the progressive ecosystem 👇

https://t.co/XBbwtZkf9S

[Red Lines @redlinesblog]

Also in this week's Red Lines:

— the unions on employment rights (Prospect, UNISON, PCS)
— a devolution deep-dive
— fresh critical voices
— podcasts for your commute

https://t.co/na5Lq5sdXG

[Red Lines @redlinesblog]

They're calling it the retail premiership.

Is Burnham governing by consumer offer — cheaper fares, a war on subscription traps, tackling dodgy builders?

His critics aren't sold.

This week's Red Lines:
https://t.co/na5Lq5sdXG

[Red Lines @redlinesblog]

Is Britain's productivity finally turning a corner?

Resolution Foundation finds the pick-up is broad-based — 12 of 19 sectors improving.

We round up the week's sharpest policy reads.

https://t.co/na5Lq5sdXG

[Red Lines @redlinesblog]

One number stands out this week:

Andy Burnham's +13 net favourability is the best any PM has managed since Boris Johnson in May 2020.

And he's barely six weeks into the job. How long can it hold?

https://t.co/na5Lq5sdXG

[Red Lines @redlinesblog]

Chart of the week: every UK party leader is underwater on favourability — except one.

Burnham +13
Davey −8
Badenoch −16
Polanski −29
Farage −44

The full picture since 2024 👇

https://t.co/na5Lq5sdXG

[Red Lines @redlinesblog]

RED | LINES No. 04 is out.

Andy Burnham is the only UK party leader with positive favourability — +13 (YouGov). Farage sits at −44.

Plus the productivity revival, the unions' verdict, and the week's best reads.

https://t.co/na5Lq5sdXG