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.

Brexit

Number 10 admits Brexit affects processing at Dover but blames chaotic queues on mysterious ways

— The UK government has admitted that the new Brexit processes contributed to the chaotic travel queues at Dover, despite Home Secretary Suella Braverman denying that Brexit played a role in the delays.

Voter Suppression

Voter ID: A solution in search of a problem?

— The UK government is facing criticism for proposing mandatory photo ID for voting despite no proven cases of in-person voter impersonation in 2022, alienating 2 million people who just want to cast a ballot.

OPINION

Hostages of English nationalism

— On the impact of Westminster’s English nationalism on the political discourse in Scotland and how Scotland is being held hostage by the dominance of the English nationalist ideology in UK politics.

Dark Money

Follow the money: Donations to Tories via Carlton Club raise questions of dark money influencing politics

— A company controlled by a wealthy donor, believed to be a major funder of the far right in Germany, has donated another £50,000 to the Carlton Club – which has, in turn, given £1.3m to the Conservative Party.

COMMENT

Rishi Sunak’s Goldilocks migration strategy: ‘Stop the boats’ and ‘start the legal’ passage

— Rishi Sunak is trying to please both moderate and hard-lined rebels within his party regarding UK migration policies. The UK needs ‘safe and legal’ routes for both economic migrants and persecuted people so they don’t have to risk taking boats. It’s time for humane migration policies in the UK.

UK Politics

Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, Theresa May (and soon Nicola Sturgeon): the strange backbench lives of former national leaders

— Former national leaders Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, and Theresa May have all stepped back from power, but remain active in their respective backbenches.

UK Politics

The £10k-a-day blunder: How MPs were duped by a fake firm

— Senior MPs agreed to work for a fictitious South Korean firm for £10,000 a day. Despite their actions being within proper conduct, receiving payment from a foreign entity could result in significant ethical and legal concerns for them.

COVID-19

COVID pandemic: Three years on, and nobody wants to talk about it (and why we should)

— The world has mentally moved on from the pandemic, but the ramifications are still widespread. And there’s a lot we can learn.

PartyGate

Boris Johnson’s evidence to MPs’ partygate investigation: The key points of disagreement explained

— Before the Committee of Privileges, Boris Johnson argued the Downing Street events were needed to boost morale and that the rules were too hard to maintain, insisting that the gatherings with wine were essential work meetings.

PartyGate

Will Boris Johnson be grounded? The Privileges Committee decides

— The Privileges Committee will rule on whether former PM Boris Johnson misled Parliament in May. If guilty, it can impose punishments from written apologies to salary deduction and suspension, triggering a recall petition and a by-election.

PartyGate

Boris Johnson to face MPs over partygate – but what is ‘misleading parliament’ and why is it so serious?

— Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson is facing questions from MPs about allegations of misleading Parliament. Misleading Parliament is an offence that could carry serious consequences.

Brexit

Windsor framework: Why Rishi Sunak was able to secure the Brexit deal that others couldn’t

— The Windsor Framework marks a positive turning point for EU-UK relations. It amends the text and provisions of the Northern Ireland protocol without changing the fundamentals of the 2019 withdrawal agreement.

UK Politics

The real cancel culture is Tory cancel culture

— The Tories are using cancel culture as a tool to silence dissenting voices and stifle democracy. They are placing laws, curbing free press and cancelling initiatives & services to further their own interests.