The political centre does not have a divine right to govern; it must prove itself worthy of trust again, or face being wiped out. In March, the two main parties of UK politics found themselves trailing in the polls for the first time to insurgent populists on the left and right. There is no denying that parties that thrive on pitting the people against a perceived corrupt elite are rising and winning elections. For some time, the primary explanations of populism surging have

‘The only thing stopping Trump from monetising Greenland is that you can’t put it on a mug. Yet’ Donald Trump has never been a man who does things quietly, or particularly logically. Chaos is the policy. Disruption is the strategy. By the time he had set his sights on Greenland, most of the world had long stopped being surprised by what came out of his mouth; and yet, for the 56,000 people who live there, this particular fixation landed differently. At some point in 2019, Nuu

When four ex-cabinet ministers split from the Labour Party in 1981 to form the SDP, they did so with the intention of ‘breaking the mould’ of British politics. This Gang of Four believed the Labour Party was on an irrecoverable journey down the Hard Left flank of British Politics. Veteran left-winger Michael Foot had just been elected leader, the Trotskyite Militant Tendency had successfully infiltrated the party, and Tony Benn was circling, waiting to steal the Deputy Leader

Tony Blair’s unabashed tendency to offer his unsolicited opinion on the decline of the Labour party has unfortunately become a rather exhausting feature of British politics. Refusing to comply with his fate of exiting stage left and disappearing into irrelevancy, the former Prime Minister and Labour party leader has maintained an irritating desire to be heard. His latest intervention comes in the form of a rambling essay posted to the Tony Blair Institute’s so-called ‘insight

If one thing is a cardinal sin in British politics, perhaps it’s being boring. Plain, unassuming, uninspiring - all words that have been used to describe our current Prime Minister. Keir Starmer is just the latest to suffer from these epithets, which had also been levelled at predecessors such as Theresa May and Gordon Brown. As much as politicians aspire to situate themselves above the masses, relatability and likeability have undeniably become election winners. In attemptin

This month’s reset speech from the “boring” “managerial” “supine” “genocidaire” who hates irregular migrants and refugees while “bending over backwards for them” should have been cathartic. Here was our chance to make the maniacally boring Starmer beg for mercy. I just felt uncomfortable. Starmer looked like a man at his wit’s end. He seems ordinary, likeable, and emotionally stable. He says kind things like we should be nicer to Jewish folk, or that we needed to watch Adoles

It is becoming increasingly apparent that Keir Starmer’s dismal time in office is coming to an end. Following historic losses in this month’s local elections, more than 90 Labour MPs have publicly called for his resignation and four ministers have resigned thus far. Wes Streeting has resigned as Health Secretary. Andy Burnham is getting ready. As Greater Manchester Mayor, the longtime favourite to replace Starmer still needs to get approval to stand in Josh Simons’ Makerfield

Reform UK has been bolstered over the past few years by a media sullied by millionaires selling easy answers to the less politically focused populace. This malaise has been growing in the background for many years, however, with reports of Elon Musk considering funding Reform UK, it could be a saga reaching its climax. My gripe is not just with Reform over this campaign, but also with the left-wing parties of Your Party (Jeremy Corbyn’s new home), and The Green Party. Through

Last month I summarised how the Prime Minister’s lack of understanding of, and downright disinterest in, politics was leading him to continuously break its first golden rule: don’t make an enemy when you don’t have to. The Prime Minister has made a habit of making mountains out of a molehills, consistently overplaying his hand when disciplining his MPs, withdrawing the whip left right and center, and pushing droves of MPs out of the tent. But all that pushing achieves is an a

A terrible event took place on the 30th of April in Golders’ Green, London. A man tried to murder two people with a knife. The Metropolitan Police publicly stated the man had been charged with terrorism and attempted murder. Thankfully, all victims survived, and the culprit was taken into custody and also to hospital. The two victims were Jewish, although the man did not seem to have been charged with an aggravating factor (religious or racial). His case is not simple – he h

Since its posthumous publication in 1532, Niccolò Machiavelli’s The Prince has served as an incisive articulation of realism – the idea that power is gained through self-interest and competition. Written against the backdrop of the Italian Wars (1494 – 1559), The Prince was intended for the eyes of Lorenzo de Medici, the ruler of the Florentine Republic. Yet, Machiavelli’s insights remain robust, and, to this day, his magnum opus continues to provide a helpful framework for m

There can be no doubt that the Prime Minister is a very able man. Nor can there be any doubt that he is a very competent man. The Prime Minister conquered the legal profession to its highest attainable rank outside of politics. The Prime Minister entered politics for the right reasons. The Prime Minister climbed the ranks of his party to become its leader just five years after entering Parliament, a record in the Labour Party. Why then, given his glittering resume and clear a

Following in the footsteps of the Australian government, the UK government recently released its research briefing proposing a ban on social media for children. The report identifies the rationale behind such a ban, citing obvious harms such as exposure to child sexual abuse images, pornography, sexual content, cyberbullying, self-harm, and violent material. It is perhaps surprising that it is only in 2025 that we are beginning to see meaningful legislation that actually reg

Over the past few months, Westminster has been gripped by an all too familiar kind of speculation. It concerns the election that will decide this country’s next Prime Minister. An election that most voters will not participate in, a potential Labour leadership contest. Murmurings within the Parliamentary Labour Party suggest that should the party perform poorly in May’s local and regional elections, pressure on Keir Starmer will intensify. Anonymous briefings have become a lo

Perhaps the most renowned passage of Thomas Carlyle’s On Heroes, Hero-Worship & The Heroic in History opens with the decree that ‘a man’s religion is the chief fact with regard to him’, a proposition through which Carlyle elucidates how an individual’s true faith often lies outwith their professed church creed. Separate from the divine teachings of any sect, Carlyle instead argued that an individual’s true religious persuasion lies in the set of core beliefs which they hold

For the past six months, Westminster has been swirling with rumours that the Prime Minister’s days are numbered. Commentators have been split as to whether the Prime Minister would be challenged following the local elections in May, or before that, but they seem pretty certain that he will be challenged . The Prime Minister himself has appeared in the media stating that he will be Prime Minister by the end of 2026 . Critics both within the Labour Party and the media have pinn

Trigger Warning - mention of suicide & violence & sickening greed / minor spoiler alert “You know what it is,” says Ash. “It’s the free jazz. If that gets out…” In the concluding episode of Joseph Bullman's new docuseries Dirty Business , Ash speaks in hushed tones with James about the burglary of his home. In the midst of his disquieting investigation into Thames Water's conduct in the River Windrush, his lighthearted jest feels misplaced. It calls back to one of the opening

The increasing national instability that we currently see in the UK isn’t aided by constant leadership changes. Having said this, the competence of the Labour Party’s seventh prime minister is up for question, in view of the many failures in communications over the past 18 months of Labour in Downing Street. I am not a Labour hater; I’ve campaigned for them in the past, know many local Labour activists and feel that their local strategy is stronger than their work nationally.

Back from the brink, Keir Starmer clings on as Prime Minister. It was a tumultuous week when it became common knowledge that Starmer and his then chief of staff Morgan McSweeney were aware of ‘The Prince of Darkness’ Peter Mandelson's ongoing relationship with Jeffrey Epstein – this after his conviction, and after reports emerged alleging that Mandelson leaked sensitive information to the convicted paedophile, all of which Mandelson vehemently denies. After the resignation o

With Peter Mandelson once again slinking away from British government with his (apparently forked) tail between his legs, it gives pause for reflection on the dangers inherent in the fact that, at some level, politics comes down to the personal. Just like all news is local news somewhere in the world, the people at the heart of power behind the headlines, campaigns, and scandals of national or global significance, are people, driven by personal agency and motivations. For d