Long-Read

Our politics is incapable of responding to the failure of Brexit

— Professor Chris Grey’s latest Brexit analysis on why despite last-ditch attempts by Brexiters to redefine ‘success’, the public view has settled that Brexit has failed. But for now, our politics is incapable of responding to the failure of Brexit.

UK Politics

Is Labour’s vision of a New Britain any different to the Tories’ levelling up?

— The plan to abolish the House of Lords has drawn the most attention but Labour is also proposing radical changes to how power is distributed.

UK Politics

Winter of discontent: How similar is today’s situation?

— With everyone from rail workers to civil servants going on strike over the winter, it’s hard to see this ending well. To say the least, Rishi Sunak’s government is in a very difficult position.

Long-Read

The Brexit silence is breaking

— Professor Chris Grey’s analysis on how the budget aftermath exposed the costs and the lack of public consensus for Brexit. Some of the revived debate repeats the past, but there is a new context. How Labour responds now is crucial.

Trust in Politics

Trust in UK politics has taken a hit after recent chaos – and historical data suggests only a change of government can fix it

— The public does not trust British political parties at the moment, particularly not the Tories. This affects their ability to govern because much of governing is about persuading people to do or not to do things, and that becomes impossible if voters believe that they are being lied to all the time.

OPINION

Labour’s same old waffle on Lords reform

— Labour promising yet again to abolish the House of Lords is just more of the same old waffle, which will lead to an upper chamber which serves the interests of the government of the day.

OPINION

It’s Brexit, stupid

— We are stuck in the Tory game of make-believe that everything is coming up roses in an English country garden. The reality is that following Brexit the rest of the world looks at England with a mixture of perplexity, pity, and amused contempt.

OPINION

Preparing to win the next UK General Election

— It is safe to say now that the Conservative party has made a catastrophic mistake by choosing Liz Truss as its leader and as Prime Minister.

UK Politics

Keir Starmer needs to tell a bolder story about Britain’s future to convince voters to back him

— Keir Starmer has never made the creation of a story of us central to his leadership; his storytelling is an occasional practice. When he brings it out, his instincts are spot on, but so far he has lacked the courage of his convictions.

UK Politics

Why Labour will resist calls for electoral alliances, even when facing the prospect of a hung parliament

— Forming a pact with the Liberal Democrats to form a ‘Progressive Alliance’ would make electoral sense in England – but Keir Starmer does not see it as a risk worth taking.

UK Politics

Will Keir Starmer lead Labour back into government?

— There’s a mountain to climb but there are positive signs for the opposition in the first few weeks of Liz Truss’s government.

Cost of Living Crisis

Gordon Brown economics versus Liz Truss tax cuts: A new twist in the battle to resolve the UK’s cost of living crisis.

— It is only reasonable to expect the UK government to provide millions of individuals, households and companies with the immediate direct financial support they need to survive the cost of living crisis.

Brexit

How might Labour’s Brexit policy be made to work?

— Professor Chris Grey’s analysis on how Keir Starmer's timid policy could become less constipated, the implications of his foolish stance on post-election cooperation and the best/worst scenarios that follow.

Refugees

Survey shows British people, and especially Tory voters, feel very differently about some refugees than others.

— A heartening 70% of British voters want to allow Ukrainians into the UK but only 50% feel the same way about Afghans. And the difference is even starker among those who vote Conservative.

Analysis

Boris Johnson: A terminal case of hubris syndrome.

— He hardly has any government ministers and his own cabinet tried to force him to resign. What is going on?

Analysis

What Keir Starmer could learn from Neil Kinnock to capitalise on Boris Johnson’s woes.

— Kinnock lost two elections as Labour leader. Starmer could learn a lot from his successes and failures.