Free Speech

Will the BBC regret suspending Gary Lineker?

— Former BBC Director General believes the BBC’s suspension of Gary Lineker from hosting Match of the Day is a grave mistake and will be seen as an act of government pressure.

Refugee Rights

Illegal immigration bill does more than ‘push the boundaries’ of international law

— The UK government is introducing a bill to deter small boat migration and remove those who arrive illegally. It violates international law, overriding domestic laws, the Refugee Convention and Human Rights Law.

OPINION

Feeling special

— Rishi Sunak’s triumphant attitude regarding his successful Brexit deal for Northern Ireland with the EU may come back to haunt him. Will the PM’s smugness come back to bite him in the end?

UK Politics

Boris Johnson no longer has the political capital to get away with giving his dad a knighthood

— Boris Johnson holds a different view to many on what constitutes acceptable and appropriate standards in public life. He repeatedly calculates that voters don’t care about his rule-breaking. But that is not necessarily true.

Journalism

Oakeshott and Hancock: Betraying a confidential source damages journalism and is a threat to public health

— Journalism and public health are threatened by the betrayal of confidential sources. It erodes trust in journalism, which will have implications for future public health reporting and reporting in general.

Good Law Project

Government finally publishes missing £248m ventilator contracts and reveals it hired a firm to destroy unused equipment

— The Cabinet Office have finally published the remaining COVID Ventilator Challenge contracts – and the waste is shocking.

COMMENT

‘Dear Rishi’ – The code words of British politics

— Britain’s political landscape is full of coded language, where words and phrases mean something entirely different to the public than to those in power. They carefully craft their language with purpose, speaking in a way that will be understood, not necessarily heard.

PartyGate

Good Law Project cannot appeal “Partygate” injustice

— Good Law Project can’t appeal in the case of Partygate discrepancies involving the Metropolitan Police and Boris Johnson, highlighting the need for equality under the law.

Brexit

Windsor Framework: British public’s lack of interest in Brexit’s final piece

— How much interest is there among the British public for the historic Brexit deal on Northern Ireland and the EU Single Market?

OPINION

Escaping the vicious circle

— With the SNP leadership race in full swing, whoever emerges victorious must unite all independence supporters and make a compelling case for independence to win over undecideds.

Brexit

Rishi Sunak’s Brexit deal: How the Stormont brake could block new EU laws from Northern Ireland

— After years of negotiations, the EU and UK have finally agreed on a “Windsor Framework” to reduce trade barriers between Northern Ireland, Britain and the EU. But beware! There are strings attached, including a “Stormont Brake” for the NI Assembly to pull whenever they don’t like EU rules.

COMMENT

Brexit Britain: Grow-your-own-salad country vs start-up nation

— What’s a sustainable ambition for Brexit Britain? Not to become a start-up nation but to grow your own salad.

Environment

The Government is still “considering” how to improve its Net Zero Strategy with just a month to go

— The High Court has ordered Ministers to update their plan and demonstrate how policies will achieve Net Zero climate targets by March 2023. Despite this, the Government is only “considering the next steps”.

Long-Read

The battle for Britain’s post-Brexit polity

— Professor Chris Grey on the ongoing battle between rapprochement and repetition in UK-EU relations, what reactions to Ditchley reveal and why re-joiners should avoid their own ‘betrayal’ narrative.

UK Politics

Northern Ireland protocol: Why Tory backbenchers are rebelling over Rishi Sunak’s revised Brexit deal

— Members of Rishi Sunak’s own party could disrupt his biggest policy move yet.

COVID-19 Rules

Met gets put on notice: Good Law Project challenges Matt Hancock investigation refusal

— Good Law Project has issued a warning to the Metropolitan Police, challenging their reluctance to investigate Matt Hancock in the apparent breaches of the coronavirus regulations by the former Health Secretary.