Ruby Blower (she/her)
@rubyblower.bsky.social
Policy @ JRF / Posts & views my own
Reposted by Ruby Blower (she/her)
I'm constantly shocked (but not surprised) by how little we discuss the additional financial burden placed on young people by the Clegg-Cameron student loan regime.
@rmcunliffe.bsky.social is one of the few journalists who brings it up continuously - once again in the wake of the budget 👇
@rmcunliffe.bsky.social is one of the few journalists who brings it up continuously - once again in the wake of the budget 👇
Rachel Reeves hits young graduates with a double stealth tax
The Chancellor plans to raise as much money from freezing loan repayment thresholds as from the mansion tax
www.newstatesman.com
November 27, 2025 at 1:04 PM
I'm constantly shocked (but not surprised) by how little we discuss the additional financial burden placed on young people by the Clegg-Cameron student loan regime.
@rmcunliffe.bsky.social is one of the few journalists who brings it up continuously - once again in the wake of the budget 👇
@rmcunliffe.bsky.social is one of the few journalists who brings it up continuously - once again in the wake of the budget 👇
retweet
On my knees BEGGING journalists to stop calling it the “two-child benefit cap”. It’s two measures, the two-child limit, and the benefit cap. One is going, the other one isn’t.
November 27, 2025 at 11:24 AM
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Reposted by Ruby Blower (she/her)
Every child, no matter their background, deserves to have a good start in life. Ethnic minority children were disproportionately impacted by the two child limit which widens ethnic disparities in child poverty rates.
Scrapping this cruel policy to lift 450000 children out of poverty is a huge win!
Scrapping this cruel policy to lift 450000 children out of poverty is a huge win!
November 26, 2025 at 2:02 PM
Every child, no matter their background, deserves to have a good start in life. Ethnic minority children were disproportionately impacted by the two child limit which widens ethnic disparities in child poverty rates.
Scrapping this cruel policy to lift 450000 children out of poverty is a huge win!
Scrapping this cruel policy to lift 450000 children out of poverty is a huge win!
Huge news in the budget today, the two child limit is being scrapped. It has been the driving cause behind rising child poverty, which has reached record levels. Wouldn't hav been possible without the 100s of organistions that have tirelessly campaigned to scrap it since its introduction 8 yrs ago.
November 26, 2025 at 1:42 PM
Huge news in the budget today, the two child limit is being scrapped. It has been the driving cause behind rising child poverty, which has reached record levels. Wouldn't hav been possible without the 100s of organistions that have tirelessly campaigned to scrap it since its introduction 8 yrs ago.
V pleased to be waking up to the news that Reeves is expected to scrap the 2 child limit in full at Wednesday’s budget. This policy drags 100 children into poverty every day, it is cruel and it needs to go.
November 24, 2025 at 8:53 AM
V pleased to be waking up to the news that Reeves is expected to scrap the 2 child limit in full at Wednesday’s budget. This policy drags 100 children into poverty every day, it is cruel and it needs to go.
Reposted by Ruby Blower (she/her)
We've published the final installment of our analysis of public services performance
Our view is that govt has made limited progress on most services
The exceptions are children's social care, where reforms look really positive
And adult social care, where govt has likely harmed the sector
Our view is that govt has made limited progress on most services
The exceptions are children's social care, where reforms look really positive
And adult social care, where govt has likely harmed the sector
November 19, 2025 at 9:41 AM
We've published the final installment of our analysis of public services performance
Our view is that govt has made limited progress on most services
The exceptions are children's social care, where reforms look really positive
And adult social care, where govt has likely harmed the sector
Our view is that govt has made limited progress on most services
The exceptions are children's social care, where reforms look really positive
And adult social care, where govt has likely harmed the sector
V interesting research by @hopenothate.org.uk on the segmentation of Reform supporters. Suggests there is not a single issue that unites them and infact they have competing priorities that will become increasingly hard to keep together. (Some great maps too!)
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Who supports Reform and why? The charts that show who favours Farage’s party
Based on largest poll of supporters, these charts and maps show five distinct groups that could hand Reform a majority
www.theguardian.com
November 13, 2025 at 9:36 AM
V interesting research by @hopenothate.org.uk on the segmentation of Reform supporters. Suggests there is not a single issue that unites them and infact they have competing priorities that will become increasingly hard to keep together. (Some great maps too!)
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
New poll for ITV shows young people's support has dramatically shifted away from Labour towards the Greens, who've doubled their support in 8 months. It's the 'Zack Polanski effect' in full force.
Greens 32%
Labour 25%
Reform 20%
www.itv.com/news/2025-11...
Greens 32%
Labour 25%
Reform 20%
www.itv.com/news/2025-11...
www.itv.com
November 12, 2025 at 10:01 AM
New poll for ITV shows young people's support has dramatically shifted away from Labour towards the Greens, who've doubled their support in 8 months. It's the 'Zack Polanski effect' in full force.
Greens 32%
Labour 25%
Reform 20%
www.itv.com/news/2025-11...
Greens 32%
Labour 25%
Reform 20%
www.itv.com/news/2025-11...
Reposted by Ruby Blower (she/her)
What you’re witnessing is a populist assault on the BBC.
This is not an institutional scandal in any meaningful sense of the word. It is an attack on public service broadcasting.
iandunt.substack.com/p/extra-edit...
This is not an institutional scandal in any meaningful sense of the word. It is an attack on public service broadcasting.
iandunt.substack.com/p/extra-edit...
November 10, 2025 at 10:52 AM
What you’re witnessing is a populist assault on the BBC.
This is not an institutional scandal in any meaningful sense of the word. It is an attack on public service broadcasting.
iandunt.substack.com/p/extra-edit...
This is not an institutional scandal in any meaningful sense of the word. It is an attack on public service broadcasting.
iandunt.substack.com/p/extra-edit...
Reposted by Ruby Blower (she/her)
“Anyone who thinks this is about a 12-second clip on a Panorama more than a year ago that not a single viewer complained about is not reading the proper story,” said one. “What’s going on here is much more about macro politics.”
www.theguardian.com/media/ng-int...
www.theguardian.com/media/ng-int...
‘Make no mistake – this was a coup’: the extraordinary downfall of the BBC’s top bosses
The whirlwind that started when Deborah Turness came under attack at a board meeting is part of a wider political story, some say
www.theguardian.com
November 11, 2025 at 8:45 AM
“Anyone who thinks this is about a 12-second clip on a Panorama more than a year ago that not a single viewer complained about is not reading the proper story,” said one. “What’s going on here is much more about macro politics.”
www.theguardian.com/media/ng-int...
www.theguardian.com/media/ng-int...
Reposted by Ruby Blower (she/her)
Vital piece of investigative reporting from Sky. They've uncovered the X algorithm which feeds users extremist right wing material from the moment they join the site. It is a far-right radicalisation engine, by design.
news.sky.com/story/the-x-...
news.sky.com/story/the-x-...
Elon Musk is boosting the British right - and this shows how
Elon Musk is boosting the British right - and this shows how
news.sky.com
November 6, 2025 at 7:23 AM
Vital piece of investigative reporting from Sky. They've uncovered the X algorithm which feeds users extremist right wing material from the moment they join the site. It is a far-right radicalisation engine, by design.
news.sky.com/story/the-x-...
news.sky.com/story/the-x-...
Reposted by Ruby Blower (she/her)
Spoke to the BBC about the drivers of deprivation and the impact on families. There's a clear link between living in hardship & feeling socially/politically disconnected.
To make meaningful progress, communities must be involved in decisions affecting their lives.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
To make meaningful progress, communities must be involved in decisions affecting their lives.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
What is life really like in one of England's most deprived towns?
Hastings in East Sussex is one of the most deprived local authorities in England, data shows.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 3, 2025 at 9:40 AM
Spoke to the BBC about the drivers of deprivation and the impact on families. There's a clear link between living in hardship & feeling socially/politically disconnected.
To make meaningful progress, communities must be involved in decisions affecting their lives.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
To make meaningful progress, communities must be involved in decisions affecting their lives.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Pressure is building on the gov to take action on child poverty, esp given FT reports that the 2 child limit won't be scrapped in the budget. Investment in social security & binding targets are 100% necessary if the gov is going to have the legacy it wants on child poverty.
tinyurl.com/3anxzc3r
tinyurl.com/3anxzc3r
Charities and stars call on UK government to set child poverty reduction targets
Signatories of open letter include National Children’s Bureau, Barnardo’s and celebrities such as Emilia Clarke
www.theguardian.com
October 31, 2025 at 10:19 AM
Pressure is building on the gov to take action on child poverty, esp given FT reports that the 2 child limit won't be scrapped in the budget. Investment in social security & binding targets are 100% necessary if the gov is going to have the legacy it wants on child poverty.
tinyurl.com/3anxzc3r
tinyurl.com/3anxzc3r
Reposted by Ruby Blower (she/her)
Asylum seekers, housed in hotels in Manchester, are reaching out in their own words to address the concerns of the local community.
Please take a minute to read their letter, & share it with the people in your life who need to hear the truth about the people they are protesting.
Please take a minute to read their letter, & share it with the people in your life who need to hear the truth about the people they are protesting.
October 27, 2025 at 11:41 AM
Asylum seekers, housed in hotels in Manchester, are reaching out in their own words to address the concerns of the local community.
Please take a minute to read their letter, & share it with the people in your life who need to hear the truth about the people they are protesting.
Please take a minute to read their letter, & share it with the people in your life who need to hear the truth about the people they are protesting.
Reposted by Ruby Blower (she/her)
Permanent settlement in the UK helps people put down roots in communities and fulfil their potential. But Reform don’t want that.
Instead, they want to crash the already-struggling economy and tear people’s lives apart by making them "foreigners" forever.
www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/poli...
Instead, they want to crash the already-struggling economy and tear people’s lives apart by making them "foreigners" forever.
www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/poli...
Farage vows to axe indefinite leave to remain and ban migrants’ benefits access
The Reform UK leader will outline a planned crackdown on legal immigration at a Monday press conference
www.independent.co.uk
September 22, 2025 at 7:51 AM
Permanent settlement in the UK helps people put down roots in communities and fulfil their potential. But Reform don’t want that.
Instead, they want to crash the already-struggling economy and tear people’s lives apart by making them "foreigners" forever.
www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/poli...
Instead, they want to crash the already-struggling economy and tear people’s lives apart by making them "foreigners" forever.
www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/poli...
Reposted by Ruby Blower (she/her)
Our new report on the Household Support Fund, part of the @safety-nets.bsky.social project, is out today. It draws on analysis of HSF admin data and interviews with LAs and @changingrealities.bsky.social participants to identify how the HSF can be improved in a long-term settlement /Thread
Renew and improve • Resolution Foundation
This briefing note, part of the Safety Nets project, assesses how the Household Support Fund could be improved in a longer-term settlement, through analysis of administrative data and interviews with ...
www.resolutionfoundation.org
May 22, 2025 at 12:22 PM
Our new report on the Household Support Fund, part of the @safety-nets.bsky.social project, is out today. It draws on analysis of HSF admin data and interviews with LAs and @changingrealities.bsky.social participants to identify how the HSF can be improved in a long-term settlement /Thread
Living Assessments was one of the first projects I worked on at NCB and I’ve always been in awe of the academic’s ability to make complex research accessible and their commitment to meaningful engage experts by experience right from the start. Really excited to celebrate the project today 🌟
We’re at the @britishlibrary.bsky.social today for the first day of our events celebrating our #LivingAssessments project with @kent.ac.uk and @uniofcam.bsky.social ✨
February 21, 2025 at 10:57 AM
Living Assessments was one of the first projects I worked on at NCB and I’ve always been in awe of the academic’s ability to make complex research accessible and their commitment to meaningful engage experts by experience right from the start. Really excited to celebrate the project today 🌟
A podcast that exposes the true horror of housing in the UK that everyone should listen to.
The Sunday Times joins The Guardian, New Statesman, i paper, and Great British Podcasts to recommend you listen to our new podcast THE TRAPPED.
The story of what’s really happening in Britain, behind close doors.
Spotify open.spotify.com/episode/5WfY...
Apple: podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/t...
The story of what’s really happening in Britain, behind close doors.
Spotify open.spotify.com/episode/5WfY...
Apple: podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/t...
December 9, 2024 at 8:54 AM
A podcast that exposes the true horror of housing in the UK that everyone should listen to.
Working with colleagues at the End Child Poverty Coalition, we have developed eight tests to judge the gov's child poverty strategy that will set us down a pathway towards eradication. All the steps are there, we just need the bold action to make it a reality. @ncb.org.uk
A strong benefits system is the sign of a healthy society – and essential to ending child poverty
Child poverty is preventable – as a country we must do better for our children
The government must ensure that no UK child grows up in poverty, says the End Child Poverty Coalition. Here's how it can do that.
buff.ly
December 4, 2024 at 5:07 PM
Working with colleagues at the End Child Poverty Coalition, we have developed eight tests to judge the gov's child poverty strategy that will set us down a pathway towards eradication. All the steps are there, we just need the bold action to make it a reality. @ncb.org.uk
More unacceptable news… 1 in 3 children now facing destitution in the UK. The picture can’t get any clearer, the gov’s child poverty strategy must set an ambitious pathway to eradication.
www.theguardian.com/society/2024...
www.theguardian.com/society/2024...
More than one in three children in poverty as UK deprivation hits record high
Exclusive: Study finds almost quarter of UK population living in poverty, reaching the highest level this century
www.theguardian.com
November 18, 2024 at 6:20 PM
More unacceptable news… 1 in 3 children now facing destitution in the UK. The picture can’t get any clearer, the gov’s child poverty strategy must set an ambitious pathway to eradication.
www.theguardian.com/society/2024...
www.theguardian.com/society/2024...
Reposted by Ruby Blower (she/her)
Maybe Threads is like the non-meteor earth conditions which weakened the dinosaurs so that they would be made extinct by the meteor. Although it's not working as a Twitter replacement. It's cyphoning off enough eyeballs and life and revenue that a BlueSky shock could sink it, or sink it faster.
November 18, 2024 at 10:43 AM
Maybe Threads is like the non-meteor earth conditions which weakened the dinosaurs so that they would be made extinct by the meteor. Although it's not working as a Twitter replacement. It's cyphoning off enough eyeballs and life and revenue that a BlueSky shock could sink it, or sink it faster.
Reposted by Ruby Blower (she/her)
NEW: "Moving Off X: An Open Letter from UK Journalists"
UK political journalists: "Twitter was, for a long time, the place to be for UK politics. We believe that time is now over...
"We have taken the decision to move over to other platforms, in particular Bluesky" docs.google.com/document/d/1...
UK political journalists: "Twitter was, for a long time, the place to be for UK politics. We believe that time is now over...
"We have taken the decision to move over to other platforms, in particular Bluesky" docs.google.com/document/d/1...
November 15, 2024 at 11:51 AM
NEW: "Moving Off X: An Open Letter from UK Journalists"
UK political journalists: "Twitter was, for a long time, the place to be for UK politics. We believe that time is now over...
"We have taken the decision to move over to other platforms, in particular Bluesky" docs.google.com/document/d/1...
UK political journalists: "Twitter was, for a long time, the place to be for UK politics. We believe that time is now over...
"We have taken the decision to move over to other platforms, in particular Bluesky" docs.google.com/document/d/1...
Threads or bsky?
November 15, 2024 at 5:21 PM
Threads or bsky?
Reposted by Ruby Blower (she/her)
Twitter is dead. Long live Blue Sky.
The exodus is real.
iandunt.substack.com
November 15, 2024 at 12:04 PM
If you work in the children's sector then join our sector starter pack below👇✨
We are putting together a children's sector starter pack - charities, people etc.
If you're out there, let us know and we will add you! 🌱
go.bsky.app/Da51zVg
If you're out there, let us know and we will add you! 🌱
go.bsky.app/Da51zVg
Children's sector
Join the conversation
go.bsky.app
November 15, 2024 at 11:26 AM
If you work in the children's sector then join our sector starter pack below👇✨