My first Labour party conference was back in the early 1990s when as a campaigner for penal reform I was part of a group of free-thinking radicals and lawyers (including a young barrister called Keir Starmer). Our efforts to convince the party that community sentencing was a more effective response
The backlash against artificial intelligence is gathering force. Across America this summer, plans for giant data centres are running into cross-country, cross-party opposition from a coalition that now stretches from Bernie Sanders to Republican governors. Communities worry about power, water, jobs and what they see as yet another bargain where
Andy Burnham is the fifth occupant of Downing Street in ten years to be handed the keys by his party, rather than by the voters. The keys come with the red boxes, the flat above the shop, the podium with the crest on it. Three weeks in, the ambition is
Earlier this week, I took part in Scottish Labour’s first hustings of this leadership election. The room brought together members, CLP officers, trade unionists, parliamentarians, and affiliate members all of whom are the very lifeblood of our party. It is clear to me that the only way back for Scottish
Scottish Labour must prove it is ready to win and ready to govern There is no shortcut back to trust and we will not recover because voters decide it is our turn, or because the SNP have run out of road. Angry voters do not automatically become our support. Disappointment
In July I had the wonderful opportunity of attending Progress’ Political Weekend in Birmingham. Amidst a resounding political moment, it was wonderful to be among progressive friends, building depth and community in our small corner of the Labour Party. Political Weekend came at exactly the right instance to build that
Keir Starmer took Labour from its worst defeat in over seventy years to its second best election victory. This achievement alone should be enough to secure his legacy in Labour folklore. But there is more. Labour was not just electorally broken by 2019 – it was morally, institutionally and financially
With the arrival of Andy Burnham, the battle for the political heart of this country is back on – only he can take Reform on and win. That the ex-mayor of Manchester’s story and he’s selling it well. The prime minister-elect has also made it abundantly clear, especially in his
Keir Starmer deserves eternal praise for rescuing the Labour Party from the moral bankruptcy of the Corbyn years, winning a landslide victory less than two years ago, and for winning allies and increasing our international credibility. His stalwart support for Ukraine has helped that country stand up to the Putin
This blog is based on the foreword to our new paper The Future has 5G Foundations. Britain is searching for growth. We do not need to rehash here the problems which slow growth in both GDP and productivity have presented. How our wage growth trajectory has collapsed since the financial crisis.
