Since 2022, Civic Future has grown from a single Fellowship into policy courses, workshops, crisis simulations and two Talent Programmes. It’s a school in all but name. So today we’re making it official: the Civic Future School for Government 🏛️🧵 civicfuture.org/school-for-g…

The Cosy 12 heat pump was just named one of TIME's Best Inventions of 2026 – an accolade shared by the @Apple iPhone, the @Dyson Air Multiplier and the @Tesla Model S. 570,000 people have asked us about getting a heat pump in the last 18 months. That’s roughly a third of the UK’s yearly boiler replacements. It makes sense when (not to plug or anything but) a heat pump on a smart tariff costs around £230 a year less to run than a gas boiler, or nearly £350 without the gas standing charge. And 9 in 10 who’ve switched are happy with their Cosy heat pump. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme helped get us here. Keep backing it, keep growing the market, and heat pumps will keep getting more affordable for households across the country. We are very proud of the little heat pump that could. Last night, Cosy had a big night out to celebrate 👇 (The photo NOT AI - we really did hand glue a billion sequins to crown Cosy!)

The elites of Victorian Britain got up late, drank ceaselessly, worked short hours, partied through the night, and knew nothing about science, technology or engineering. And yet, by their own lights, they were hugely effective. worksinprogress.co/issue/the… The Victorians are often held up as a model against the supposedly soft, feckless, humanities-educated elites of today. But I argue that the genius of their system may have been its drastic weighting towards soft skills, team-building and intra-elite networking: - A Victorian’s gentleman’s office hours typically began about 11am and finished about 5pm, including a multi-course lunch with wine. - Upper-class Victorians drank ceaselessly. Conduct guides recommended four or five glasses of wine at dinner *for married women*. Port was often served in pints. - Party culture was intense and nocturnal. Balls started at about 10pm, peaked after 1am, and continued till dawn. During the social season, bankers, judges and politicians might go to several balls per week. - Elite Victorians learnt almost no STEM at school or university. At least half of class time was given over to ancient languages, often as much as 80 percent. One leading educationalist remarked that it was not worth teaching science to gentlemen because it does not involve ‘continued reasoning’. - Sports and character formation were valued far above transmitting facts. A top headmaster described his school’s priorities as ‘First – character, second – physique, third – intelligence, fourth – manners, fifth – information’. This cannot have made elite Victorians more productive individually, but maybe the dense social and emotional network it created helped them to work as a sort of extended team. Perhaps we should think again about what makes groups of people effective.

🚨 NEW: John Healey is set to cut energy bills for households on certain benefits at the Budget [@guardian]

I know people are worried about fuel prices. And I get it. You get to the pump, watch the numbers climb, and wonder why it's costing so much more than it used to.   The reality is that global events are pushing up costs, and families here at home are feeling the impact.   But I won't accept that there's nothing I can do to help.   That's why from today, you'll be able to see petrol and diesel prices on Google Maps, compare nearby stations and find the cheapest option before you fill up.   It's a small change, but if there's a practical way to help people keep more money in their pocket, I'll do it.

🇬🇧🇨🇳 UK is preparing tariffs on Chinese Electric Vehicles to stop Beijing from flooding the British market with cheap vehicles, per The Times Britain is preparing potential tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles amid concerns that Beijing is flooding the UK market with state-subsidized cars. Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds is drawing up the measures, with ministers considering matching the EU’s tariffs of up to 45% on Chinese EVs.