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August 18, 2026, 01:34 PM - 6 min read
This byelection was less about political choices than the expression of a public mood – democracy as a register of feelings rather than the “who gets what, when and how”.
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August 14, 2026, 02:16 PM - 6 min read
Hope, far from being mere rhetoric, can be a powerful force in politics. Whether Burnham’s tour of the UK, and the announcements made along the way, will be enough to inspire such hope remains to be seen.
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August 11, 2026, 12:06 PM - 6 min read
Can the new PM make a success out of Starmer’s failure on prisoners? After a blitz of small wins, Burnham is finding that like his predecessor, there is only so much he can control on the big calls.
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August 7, 2026, 01:26 PM - 6 min read
The history of British democracy is not only a history of winners. It is also the history of the losers, loners and long-shots whose campaigns reveal what voters find funny, what they find unacceptable, and what they are, in the end, prepared to take seriously. A man in a bin costume standing against the man who forced this election is a small but revealing window into the shifting boundaries of British politics.
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August 3, 2026, 01:00 PM - 5 min read
A diverse cabinet can still pursue policies that many minority communities oppose. Inclusion at the top no longer guarantees substantive representation below. That is the defining political challenge of Britain’s “post-first” era. The politics of representation have moved beyond celebrating symbolic milestones. The politics of the “first” have given way to the politics of governing. The central question is no longer who gets into the room, but what they do once they are there.
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July 7, 2026, 12:46 PM - 5 min read
It is widely expected that Burnham will become prime minister through an internal Labour party manoeuvre rather than a general election. But this would reinforce the same uncomfortable point. The UK accepts major political transitions without the electorate ever casting a vote. Once again, the public may simply be expected to accommodate the outcome.
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June 24, 2026, 12:31 PM - 6 min read
The period since 2010 has been shaky. The UK system that was famed for having the stability of government at its core suddenly started shedding prime ministers like winter coats in the height of summer. Only one, David Cameron, left voluntarily after defeat in the Brexit referendum. Sunak lost an election, while the rest were dispatched either because of scandal or party politics.
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June 23, 2026, 03:31 PM - 6 min read
His resignation speech revealed him as an honest leader who attempted to serve his country with seriousness and a desire to enhance the common good. Starmer has always been clear that it would take ten years to turn Britain round. His tragedy is that he got only two.
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June 8, 2026, 04:00 PM - 9 min read
At a time when the British are about to commemorate ten years of the vote in favour of Brexit, feelings of regret, bitterness and betrayal prevail among the public. These sentiments fuel immense anger against political elites, resulting in a loss of confidence in both traditional parties and an unprecedented rise for the far-right party Reform UK, led by Nigel Farage.
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May 14, 2026, 03:18 PM - 6 min read
The modern process is simpler but still presents challenges to anyone tempted to climb the greasy pole. The Conservative process can be neatly separated into two phases: removing the current leader and then electing a new one. For Labour it is different, and depends crucially on what a sitting leader decides to do – resign or stand up to the challenge.
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