Illegal Migration Bill

Illegal migration bill: Can the government ignore the European Court of Human Rights?

— The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that interim measures are legally binding under international law.

Brexit

Britain’s Brexit degradation

— The British government is becoming more realistic about Brexit, evident in the Windsor Framework and Integrated Review. Brexit remains central yet marginal, adversely impacting the UK but no longer a major political issue.

X (Formerly Known As Twitter)

Twitter’s verification system now eligible for far-right organizations

— Under Elon Musk, Twitter has verified far-right group Britain First giving it a gold tick while its leader got a blue tick. Is Twitter promoting extreme content?

UK Politics

Behind the mess: A tragicomedy of power struggles in Downing Street

— A new book provides a behind-the-scenes look at the chaos and downfall of Boris Johnson’s premiership, including how the former PM’s indecisiveness and knack for pointing fingers led to his downfall, and how Dominic Cummings and Carrie Johnson influenced decision-making in Downing Street.

UK Politics

Dominic Raab is right that the government has set a ‘dangerous precedent’ – but not for the reasons he thinks

— A report found the deputy PM to have been abrasive and intimidating to civil servants who have waited months for action to be taken. Dominic Raab’s case leaves current and future victims of ministerial bullying unsure if their grievances will be taken seriously.

Resignation Letter

Dominic Raab throws his toys out of Sunak’s sandbox after being accused of bullying

— Dominic Raab has resigned from Rishi Sunak’s government and criticized the “flawed” findings against him in the bullying investigation in his resignation letter. Rishi Sunak responded to Raab’s resignation with a letter expressing “great sadness” at his departure.

Investigation

Tory MPs accept £20,000 from director of climate science denial group

— Leader of the Commons Penny Mordaunt is among those to have received funds from a firm owned by a former chair of the Global Warming Policy Foundation.

UK Politics

Can Jeremy Corbyn go it alone in Islington North? What the evidence tells us

— The evidence suggests that while Jeremy Corbyn has a strong personal vote, Islington North is changing demographically and politically, which may make it more difficult for him to win without the support of the Labour Party.

UK Politics

Labour to be “party of business” and “most interventionist government in a generation,” says Shadow Minister

— To clarify Labour’s economic agenda to the public, its Shadow Business Secretary explains the technical policy changes: the party advocates for a more active state and greater economic freedom for working people, with Keir Starmer aiming to achieve the highest sustained growth in the G7.

UK Politics

‘Cracking down’ on antisocial behaviour is a classic pre-election strategy – But this government owes young people better

— After a pandemic and over a decade of public spending cuts, young people need investment, not punishment.

COMMENT

Racism and the ugliness of Britain’s increasingly diverse politics

— Baroness Warsi condemned Home Secretary Suella Braverman for using extreme and divisive language about British Pakistani men, cautioning that this could fan the flames of racism and invite attacks. Warsi recommends that one should be more cautious with words, especially if highly trained in law.

Voter ID

Voter ID: Conservative MPs gave weak justification for law that could stop people voting

— The UK government has changed the law, requiring people in England to show ID when voting. The opposition claims the move is an attempt by the Tories to sway future elections by preventing certain demographics from voting, particularly those unlikely to vote Conservatives.

UK Politics

Labour’s attack ads on Rishi Sunak: Gutter politics or smart election campaigning?

— Beyond the ethical questions raised by an ad suggesting the prime minister doesn’t believe in sending sex offenders to prison is the matter of whether such negative campaigning even works.

UK Politics

The UK’s unworkable immigration plans allow the government to blame others for its failure

— The illegal migration bill is performative politics that allows the Conservatives to blame opponents ahead of a key election.

Dark Money

Russian roulette? Tories are still accepting donations from Russia-associated donors

— The Good Law Project has uncovered that the Conservative Party has continued to accept large donations from individuals and companies associated with Russia since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine in February 2022.

UK Politics

Keir Starmer: Four lessons from History for an opposition trying to be the ‘government-in-waiting’

— Keir Starmer is a man on five missions, but he will need to learn from his predecessors to lead Labour back to power after over a decade out of it.