UK Politics

The UK’s top financial influencers skew Conservative – which helps explain why Keir Starmer’s Labour is so anxious about uncosted spending pledges

— Labour is divided over whether it will win over voters by promising more public investment or by proving it is economically restrained.

Public Health

How austerity made the UK more vulnerable to COVID

— Evidence shows austerity has wide-ranging consequences for health.

OPINION

Better a diamond with a flaw than a stone without

— The Tories’ lies, corruption, and incompetence exposed, and their plan to call an early election to avoid losing more voters revealed. How about their disastrous leaders: Johnson, Truss, and Sunak?

UK Politics

Goldsmith on Government’s green policies: Gove is a monster, Shapps is backward, Sunak not interested

— In a recent interview, Zac Goldsmith, former international environment minister, criticised fellow Tories for their handling of climate commitments.

Net Zero

Sunak wants to balance Net Zero with pragmatism

— Rishi Sunak supports Net Zero but worries about green costs. The PM backs the ban on petrol and diesel cars but wants to invest in nuclear and wind.

COMMENT

In having nothing to say about Rishi Sunak, new Tory MP Steve Tuckwell said it all

— Some people, like Britain’s prime minister, have hideously good luck.

UK Politics

By-election losses are terrible for the Conservatives – but there are glimmers of hope

— The Conservatives lost two more by-elections, and only just held Uxbridge by a whisker. The party faces its worst defeat since 1997 as Sunak lags far behind Starmer. Is there more trouble ahead?

UK Politics

Labour leads in latest YouGov poll on general election outcome

— A new survey by YouGov shows that more people think Labour will win the next general election than the Conservatives.

OPINION

Lies, hypocrisy and distraction: The British media toolkit

— There’s something deeply wrong with the right-wing British nationalist media – AKA the media – and it represents a serious threat to the future of democracy in the UK.

Politicians

Minority ethnic politicians are pushing harsh immigration policies – Why representation doesn’t always mean racial justice

— The UK has more minority ethnic politicians, but they don’t always champion racial justice. Some align with conservative values and justify policies that harm immigrants and minorities. They use their own identity to dismiss racism and ignore its link to immigration.

OPINION

The impossibility of an adult conversation about drugs in Scotland

— On Scotland’s drug problem and the proposal to decriminalise personal possession of drugs and introduce safe consumption rooms instead of the UK government’s approach of treating drug use as a criminal issue.

Long-Read

The new Brexit consensus

— On the failure of Brexit and the lack of consensus on how to fix it. Professor Chris Grey criticizes some Brexiters who propose unrealistic or recycled solutions, such as mutual enforcement for Northern Ireland or no deal at all, suggesting that Brexit is a problem that needs a new approach.

Long-Read

Could post-Brexit Britain lead global AI regulation?

— Professor Chris Grey on the UK’s ambition to lead global AI regulation after Brexit, and the challenges and opportunities it faces, with the competition from other countries and regions, especially the EU.

Analysis

Why report into misleading parliament still matters, even after Boris Johnson resigned as an MP

— The privileges process is a vital part of the British constitution, so what the committee investigating Boris Johnson decides matters for future precedent, even if he is gone.

Public Health

Sunak delays anti-obesity measure for two more years

— Rishi Sunak has delayed his ban on junk food deals until 2025, citing inflation and consumer choice as reasons. The ban aims to reduce obesity by limiting multi-buy offers on unhealthy products. Health campaigners are likely to be unhappy with the delay.

OPINION

Johnson the liar and bully who led a lying and bullying party

— On Boris Johnson lying to Parliament, resigning as an MP, and refusing to accept responsibility for his actions.