If Labour wins the next general election, the political and economic landscape of the Middle East will look rather different than when Tony Blair arrived in Downing Street in 1997. Although already faltering, much optimism still surrounded the Oslo peace process between Israel and the Palestinians. The reformist Mohammad Khatami
A key barometer for assessing Labour’s future electoral success is how it scores in areas where the Conservatives often do best, such as the economy or crime. Everyone expects that Labour will have greater support on health and education – and it’s essential for our political future this remains steadfastly
“We’ll now have a more pragmatic, proportionate, and realistic approach” Yesterday, in perhaps the most significant speech of his premiership, Rishi Sunak articulated his new net zero approach. Disguised as ‘realistic’ and ‘pragmatic’ it has instead added to confusion and uncertainty for businesses, investors and voters. Nobody is now sure
It was quite the return to Westminster after the summer recess. Record hospital waiting times, schools threatening to crumble around us and the Cinderella of public services – prisons – gave us a jail break. The escape in a chef’s uniform, under a catering van from HMP Wandsworth by Daniel
The 19th century French writer Victor Hugo wrote that “We see past time in a telescope and present time in a microscope. Hence the apparent enormities of the present.” We have so much more information at our fingertips today that it’s increasingly difficult to see the wood for the trees.
“The missing ingredient is hope,” commented The Observer’s Andrew Rawnsley recently while discussing Labour’s “recipe for power”. He may have a point. At least, there is a perception that hope is not front and centre in our recipe. Why is this and what do we do about it? No more
Labour’s five missions are national in scope, but success hinges on what happens locally. Britain’s challenges cannot be understood without the deep inequalities in prosperity and opportunity facing different parts of the country. Recent analysis from the Financial Times found that without London, the UK would be poorer per head
In a small corner of the Westminster bubble, certain figures on the Right of politics are waging a relentless campaign to ‘slash the tax burden’. Given the voracity of support from a Trussonomics aligned coterie, you could have been forgiven for thinking that there is a great swell of popular
The victory of the Labour Party at the next general election is by no means a ‘fait accompli’ but as it draws closer, and the party rides high in the polls, it is only rational to look ahead. Labour is currently grappling with how to be a progressive party in
In both a major speech to Chatham House and a pamphlet for the Fabians Shadow Foreign Secretary David Lammy set out his vision for foreign policy under a Labour Government. Summarised as ‘Britain Reconnected’ he set out a vision for a country that rejoins the international community as an influential
