UK Poverty

How much income is needed to live well in the UK in 2023? At least £29,500 – much more than many households bring in

— The government should align benefit increases with inflation to provide certainty and enhance the safety net. Removing the two-child limit could lift a quarter of a million children out of poverty.

UK Legal System

Why the attorney general’s power to deal with contempt of court is a conflict of interest

— The Home Secretary, Suella Braverman, is facing potential accusations of contempt of court after making comments that may impact the fairness of an upcoming trial. A situation that underscores the conflict of interest issue when politicians can initiate such proceedings in England and Wales.

UK General Election

New Labour dominance in the 1990s is now weakening the Conservative voter pipeline

— A study on voting trends in Britain spanning 55 years reveals that growing older doesn’t directly lead to increased Conservative support. Instead, age appears to have a greater influence on Labour voting.

Climate Change

Storm Ciarán is breaking records and research suggests more severe weather in future

— Climate change is expected to lead to more frequent and severe storms, such as Storm Ciarán, emphasising the need for emission reduction and resilient infrastructure.

COVID-19 Inquiry

Dominic Cummings has exposed a hole at the heart of the British government – and a glaring problem with the way we choose prime ministers

— Giving evidence to the COVID inquiry, Boris Johnson’s former adviser exposed the dysfunction of an administration lacking in the expertise needed to manage a crisis.

Long-Read

Brexit has driven the Tory Party mad

— The influence of Brexit on the Conservative Party has bolstered populism and pushed the party further from moderate conservatism towards the influence of Nigel Farage, which is characterised by detachment from reality and ideological purity.

Brexit

Why Labour’s plan to ‘rewrite Brexit’ might not be as politically risky as it sounds

— Once upon a time, questioning the terms of Britain’s exit from the EU was effectively taboo. But times have changed, and the public might be more on board now than before.

Immigration

Labour’s immigration policy: Will focus on ‘security’ win an election?

— Labour’s immigration policy emphasises border security and targeting smuggling gangs, aiming to win back “red wall” voters concerned about immigration. Labour’s strategy can talk tough on security while not demonising migrants themselves, offering a nuanced position.

Food

No UK politician is calling for a meat tax – but maybe they should

— Misinformation is a challenge, but the success of the UK’s sugar tax suggests the feasibility of a tax on food. If implemented effectively, a meat tax could tackle health and environmental issues.

Food

The meat paradox: How your brain wrestles with the ethics of eating animals

— Psychologists have described a ‘meat paradox’ in the minds of meat-eating animal lovers.

HS2

What Rishi Sunak scrapping HS2 – and promising a new ‘Network North’ – means for the north of England

— Infrastructure development in Northern England has been increasingly muddled in recent years. Few will be convinced by Rishi Sunak’s new pledge to fix this.

Racism

Discrimination is the biggest career obstacle for women of colour in the NHS

— Black and minority ethnic women are the most likely of all NHS staff groups to experience discrimination from patients or colleagues. Systemic discrimination is the single biggest impediment to their career progression.

Long-Read

Brexit: Unsettled and still not settleable

— Brexit has failed to secure public support for its current form, with the latest opinion poll showing roughly half of the population would vote to rejoin the EU, and a clear majority thinks it was a mistake to leave the EU.

UK Politics

Political leaders need a grand narrative – Rishi Sunak’s is a story of decline

— The prime minister has acknowledged that a narrative of national decline is setting in – but he has been unable to disentangle himself from it.

Nagorno-Karabakh

Nagorno-Karabakh: The world should have seen this crisis coming – and it’s not over yet

— If Azerbaijan is not punished for its aggression against Nagorno-Karabakh, there’s every chance it will try to capture more Armenian territory.

Education

Too often learning ‘British history’ means learning ‘English history’

— If history is to be of any use to those who study it, it ought to help them understand the nature of the country and society they live in.