Samuel Coates

Strategist, writer & policymaker | FinTech builder | Former UK Govt Chief of Staff

[Samuel Coates @samuelcoates]

@CJCHowarth @sajidjavid Not true - early plans were changed, confirmed and launched under successors

[BBC Radio 4 Today @BBCr4today]

A major new research project by the Independent Commission on Community and Cohesion is trying to address the problem of increasingly fractured communities.

Project chair Sir Sajid Javid and playwright James Graham discuss the social cohesion crisis.

[Samuel Coates @samuelcoates]

Declining a pioneering adventure = decline of a pioneering culture

[YouGov @YouGov]

Among the half of Britons who say they would turn down an opportunity to visit the Moon, a simple lack of interest is the most common reason to not want to go

Not interested: 23%
No point: 8%
Reject idea of safe return: 8%
Would be scared or anxious: 7%
Nothing to do: 6%
Too old: 6%
Places on Earth I want to visit first: 5%
Happy on Earth: 4%
Claustrophobic: 3%
Would damage environment: 3%
Waste of money: 3%
Fear of flying/heights: 3%
Health issues: 3%

https://t.co/qt2hwFy8tW

[Mark Wallace @wallaceme]

It’s the fifth anniversary of the immortal and magnificently arch turn of phrase “while some recollections may vary”

[Sonia Sodha @soniasodha]

I get Starmer is in a tricky position. Problem is that he appears to regard international law as a substitute for moral judgment/leadership. Like he hopes it will dictate what to do. It's the wrong way round: legal frameworks are derived from our sense of what's right and wrong.

[Sajid Javid @sajidjavid]

There is room for disagreement about foreign policy.

There is no place for applauding violence against fellow Britons or amplifying Russian state propaganda.

Ukraine is fighting for its sovereignty. We should conduct our debate with seriousness and decency.

[Samuel Coates @samuelcoates]

A PM having a bilateral with a LOTO. Trying to think if that’s happened in UK in recent years? (Not just on margins of a formal event, or a sensitive briefing)

[Sajid Javid @sajidjavid]

“One of the best political memoirs I’ve read in years.” - The Times

Thanks to Patrick Maguire for a generous review.

https://t.co/9n3WkalC4J

[Sajid Javid @sajidjavid]

I am delighted to be able to share my childhood memoir, The Colour of Home, with you.

'A remarkable story of resilience and ambition, brimming with love for his family' SUNDAY TIMES

It is out today and you can order your copy from the link in my bio.

[Samuel Coates @samuelcoates]

@nelsabbey could start with reading the interview - he didn't say what's in that headline, and I note it was changed to something else

[Henry Olsen @henryolsenEPPC]

I have a new podcast - Conservative Crossroads! It's a biweekly discussion between two conservatives who disagree about things from Ukraine policy to American identity. Listen if you're interested in the main currents of American conservative thought!

https://t.co/yvLJWvGgy6

[Samuel Coates @samuelcoates]

British teacher gets disciplinary hearing for… teaching his students chess? (Something banned only by Taliban and early post-revolutionary Iran)

[Samuel Coates @samuelcoates]

Hope his friend Milei isn't reading his argument about boats landing a few hundred years ago...

[Nick Schifrin @nickschifrin]

NEW: @potus letter to @jonasgahrstore links @NobelPrize to Greenland, reiterates threats, and is forwarded by the NSC staff to multiple European ambassadors in Washington. I obtained the text from multiple officials:

Dear Ambassador:

President Trump has asked that the following message, shared with Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, be forwarded to your [named head of government/state]

“Dear Jonas: Considering your Country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped 8 Wars PLUS, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace, although it will always be predominant, but can now think about what is good and proper for the United States of America. Denmark cannot protect that land from Russia or China, and why do they have a “right of ownership” anyway? There are no written documents, it’s only that a boat landed there hundreds of years ago, but we had boats landing there, also. I have done more for NATO than any other person since its founding, and now, NATO should do something for the United States. The World is not secure unless we have Complete and Total Control of Greenland. Thank you! President DJT”

[Samuel Coates @samuelcoates]

Fortunate to have read a draft copy of this - it’s full of heart-warming moments and coming of age moments that a lot of people in this generation would relate to. Brilliantly written too.

[Sajid Javid @sajidjavid]

These arrived today.

The Colour of Home.

A childhood memoir, out on 4 February.

[Samuel Coates @samuelcoates]

5yrs ago

[David Lammy @DavidLammy]

Jury trials are a fundamental part of our democratic settlement. Criminal trials without juries are a bad idea.

The Government need to pull their finger out and acquire empty public buildings across the country to make sure these can happen in a way that is safe.

[Samuel Coates @samuelcoates]

@DrChrisParry @UKLabour Do you have a link to read more on this?

[Samuel Coates @samuelcoates]

Rare for SpAd roles to be advertised. I think it’s a good thing - the typical recruitment pool of those known to Ministers / party HQs is extremely small.

[Wes Streeting @wesstreeting]

I’m recruiting for an additional special adviser @DHSCgovuk, who will focus on supporting the wider ministerial team, and I also need an outstanding comms SpAd for mat leave cover.

Details here: https://t.co/yZ4t3jvoh1

[BBC Breakfast @BBCBreakfast]

'Imagine if you had lost a loved one in a terrorist attack'

On #BBCBreakfast Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood appealed to anyone taking part in protests this weekend to 'take a step back' as carrying on 'in this way is un-British'

https://t.co/F35Jq8ZSyo

[Samuel Coates @samuelcoates]

@Scarlett__Mag Is there anything interesting in the gender breakdown?

[Samuel Coates @samuelcoates]

I know from international projects I’ve been involved in that UK govt has spent millions constructively supporting social and national cohesion in other countries, inc combatting misinformation & divisive narratives online.

It’s time to make a more concerted effort at home too.

[Belong - The Cohesion and Integration Network @BelongNetwork]

Jake Puddle of @britishfuture talks us through the key takeaways from our new joint report, 'The State of Us' on this morning's webinar- including tackling online misinformation, the need for long term national investment in cohesion & addressing concerns on immigration/asylum.