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UK politics

June 5, 2024

Political legacies and their ‘side-effects’ for political parties

Karl Pike A political legacy, either a politician’s or a project’s, can have significant side-effects for years to come, including for the political party that gave rise to the person or programme. In his new book, Getting Over New Labour, Karl Pike shows how the near-past affected Labour’s politicians after the New Labour period ended Read more

November 23, 2021

How second jobs change MPs’ behaviour in parliament

Simon Weschle The UK government is embroiled in a sleaze scandal after a Conservative Member of Parliament was found to have lobbied for a company in which he held a second job. Simon Weschle argues that these jobs have systematic consequences for how legislators behave in parliament — some problematic, some not Read more

July 7, 2021

Is Corbynism an ‘ism’? Or is it dead?

Andrew S. Roe-Crines According to one’s personal perspective, Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership either wrecked the Labour Party, or came close to saving it. But where does ‘Corbynism’ stand now under new leader Keir Starmer? Andrew S. Roe-Crines argues that it is entrenched in a longstanding historical debate about what Labour stands for Read more

June 23, 2021

Symbolism and substance in the UK government’s politics of levelling up

Will Jennings Prime Minister Boris Johnson is committed to a politics of ‘levelling up’ as the defining ambition of his government. Will Jennings, Lawrence McKay and Gerry Stoker argue that this may prove to be a long-lasting policy agenda, albeit one more of symbolism than substance Read more

June 17, 2021

How exit polls and their projections have changed television election nights in the UK

Stuart Wilks-Heeg BBC general election night programmes since the 1950s have become increasingly frontloaded with discussion of projected results. Stuart Wilks-Heeg and Peter Andersen explain how this shift has developed in tandem with exit polling, and consider the implications for how the politics of election night unfolds Read more

April 12, 2021

Disputes over the BBC’s relationship with the Union Flag risk upsetting a delicate equilibrium between ‘truth’ and ‘power’

Ruairidh Brown Too close an association between the BBC and the Union flag will damage the former’s claims to objectivity, writes Ruairidh Brown. It comes at a time when the impartiality of the service is increasingly challenged – at home and abroad Read more

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