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.

Long-Read

How Brexitism is eating conservatism

— Professor Chris Grey’s Brexit analysis – placing Truss’s ‘essay’ and Sunak’s many woes in the wider context of a ‘Brexitist’ capture of conservatism, and how that could lead to a re-alignment of the political right.

Scottish Politics

Nicola Sturgeon resignation: The unanswered questions for Scotland and the SNP she leaves behind

— What does the future hold for Scottish independence and the SNP after Nicola Sturgeon?

OPINION

The Conservatives are gunning for our human rights

— The Conservatives are threatening our human rights. We need to be prepared to fight back.

Long-Read

Three years of failure

— Professor Chris Grey’s latest Brexit analysis. Three years on, with public support declining, there were no celebrations last week – only lies, excuses, and the usual cries of ‘betrayal’. Nothing new, but as time passes, the failure of the Brexit project is simply inescapable.

OPINION

There’s no delusion like Tory self-delusion

— After 100 days of soul-searching, Liz Truss has decided there is only one person to blame for her woes: everyone else!

What The Experts Say

Cabinet reshuffle: Science experts react

— Science experts comment on the cabinet reshuffle and the creation of four new departments.

Climate Change

How climate change could fare in the UK’s new Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

— A departmental redesign is useful, but progress still depends on political will.

Brexit

Politicians weren’t confident discussing Brexit

— We should not only listen to what politicians say but also how they say it.

COMMENT

Sunak-linked hedge fund sees pandemic profits soar to £109m

— Has Rishi Sunak benefitted from Government contracts during the pandemic? A hedge fund, where the Prime Minister was a founding partner, has seen its profits more than double in a year.

Corruption

UK slides in corruption perception index after series of political scandals

— The UK is perceived to be more corrupt than it was following the 2009 expenses scandal that rocked parliament to its core. Hostile states are happy to watch the UK move away from core liberal democratic principles.

Analysis

A ‘stop Brexit’ sticker and suffragette colours: it’s really not clear what can get you kicked out of parliament

— Parliaments are already widely viewed as inaccessible, technocratic institutions that are several steps removed from public concerns and values. A lack of clarity as to what visitors can bring with them will only reinforce these perceptions.

OPINION

Brexit : Three years on, lies, deceit and delusion

— Brexiters don’t have any real Brexit benefits to boast of, so they have to make stuff up.

Long-Read

Untying Brexit’s toxic knots

— Professor Chris Grey’s latest Brexit analysis on David Lammy’s speech that was maybe the first time since Brexit that a major politician challenged its central, flawed assumptions. A small but welcome first step to realism.