No spin. No waffle. Just politics.
Politics is all around us. From the price of a bus ticket to decisions on climate change, education and defence. For many people, especially young people, politics can feel distant, confusing, irrelevant and boring. This blog is here to help change that because the more we’re involved, the better it will be.
COMING SOON
We always aim to bring you clear, engaging and balanced insights into the ever-changing landscape of British politics.
Now, we are taking that one step further with a brand new series:
Future Front Bench, a Q&A series dedicated to the people aspiring to lead British politics in the years to come.
Each instalment will feature an interview with a rising political voice, from young MPs and candidates to campaigners and future policymakers, discussing their journeys, ideas, and visions for the UK’s future.
We will explore what motivates them, what challenges they have faced, and what changes they hope to see in Westminster and beyond.
Our goal is simple: to give readers a closer, more personal look at the next generation of political leaders, those who may one day sit on the front benches themselves. The first interview is on its way.
THE BLOG
- Budget ’25
TWOP’S FIRST BUDGET. An awful lot of commentary and very little substance. Rache decided to raise taxes on working families to pay for increases in welfare while hoping future growth can reduce the sting in the future tax tail. [NB:… Read more: Budget ’25 - We cross over to Geneva now…
… for the vote of the European Jury. Here we have it: “WHOLE OF THE SENTIENT WORLD CALLING (VIA JOHANNESBURG): NULL POINTS FOR VLADIMIR’S DONNY’S 28-POINT “PEACE” PROPOSAL.” Geneva became the centre of strategic gravity on Ukraine this week, as… Read more: We cross over to Geneva now… - The Week in UK Politics #32
“IT’S IMMIGRATION, STUPID!” Shabana Mahmood unveiled major reforms of the UK’s asylum policy (through media appearances rather than a statement in the House, no doubt to the Speaker’s exasperation.) The Home Office described the narrative of the weekend’s television clips… Read more: The Week in UK Politics #32 - The Week in UK Politics #31
BRITAIN: BROKEN AND BORED.The coincidence of quite so many indicators of the Island Nation, the Seat of Empire, the Mother of Parliaments, keeling over and capsizing beneath the waves o’er which we used to rule, is “a little troubling.” Balls… Read more: The Week in UK Politics #31 - UK Youth Parliament 2025
The UK Youth Parliament sat in the House of Commons. We’ve identified the stars of tomorrow so you don’t have to. - The Week in UK Politics #30
THE POLITICAL KNIVES ARE BEING SHARPENED OFFSTAGE. There are significant leaderrship jitters on both sides of the aisle and although action is not widely expected until after the local elections in May, clever conspiracists strike before their intentions become clear.… Read more: The Week in UK Politics #30 - Scotland the Dour
McCHAOS.A university-visiting trip to Scotland afforded me the opportunity to take a quick look at the Scottish political landscape. My view will be dismissed as that of an ignorant Sassenach, but Scottish politics seems to be recovering from a major… Read more: Scotland the Dour - The Week in UK Politics #29
PLAID ROMPED HOME IN CAERPHILLY confirming that political gravity is running away from the traditional Westminster parties. Plaid Cymru stormed to victory with 47% of the vote, Reform UK came second on 36% while Labour collapsed to just 11%. This… Read more: The Week in UK Politics #29 - NOPE
FOREIGN POLICY.Readers paying close attention may have noted that TWOP has assigned 0minutes to covering the important foreign policy issues of Ukraine and Gaza recently. This is not because they are not important: Ukraine must be enabled to win and… Read more: NOPE - The Week in UK Politics #28
COMPETENCE ANYONE? Last week’s dominant headache was the collapse of the high-profile Chinese espionage case. Pressure landed on the CPS to explain itself; intelligence figures publicly signalled frustration and the story is now being treated less as legal process and… Read more: The Week in UK Politics #28 - The Week in UK Politics #27
FROM SPIES TO SPENDING CUTS As Keir Starmer wrestles with a security scandal and Rachel Reeves preaches fiscal restraint, the government’s “steady hands” narrative shows early wobbles. It has been another week when Westminster felt less like the sober seat… Read more: The Week in UK Politics #27 - The Week in UK Politics #26
SHRINKING SPACE FOR DIALOGUE, REDUCING PERSONAL LIBERTIES, NO MONEY ANYWHERE. “Repeat protest” curbs really do start to threaten freedom of expression Newish Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood extemporised new plans to curb “repeat protests” after nearly 500 arrests at more pro-Palestinian… Read more: The Week in UK Politics #26 - Listening so you don’t have to
BADENOCH.Neverwhere by (Neil Gaiman) Kemi Badenoch, dreaming of a land where anyone might care what the Conservatives might come up with anytime soon. Even as an enthusiastic A-level History student I found Kemi kicking off with 1780s Manchester a little… Read more: Listening so you don’t have to - Listening so you don’t have to – STARMER
PRIDE AND PREJUDICE by (Jane Austen) Keir Starmer, aged 10 The Prime Minister’s claim to love this country while he presides over a party and government that muzzles opponents and random eccentrics rings hollow. As he pays to give away… Read more: Listening so you don’t have to – STARMER - The Week in UK Politics #25 – Indefinite Leave to Remain
LABOUR PULLS THE EMERGENCY CORD In their Immigration White Paper “Restoring Control over the Immigration System” published in May 2025, the Labour government proposed extending the qualifying period for “Indefinite Leave to Remain” (ILR) from 5 years to 10 under… Read more: The Week in UK Politics #25 – Indefinite Leave to Remain - The Week in UK Politics #24
THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE BAREFACED Nigel Farage waved his calculator around promising billions in “savings” from ripping up the UK’s “Right to Remain” while Keir Starmer tried to look statesmanlike by recognising Palestine. Meanwhile, HMG quietly admitted that… Read more: The Week in UK Politics #24 - The Week in UK Politics #23
SITCOM WITHOUT LAUGHTER REEL Another week in British politics, another episode of a long-running tragicomedy known as “Government.” The show that nobody asked for, with the scripts that just keep getting worse, and yet, like all truly wretched TV soaps,… Read more: The Week in UK Politics #23 - The Week in UK Politics #22
RAYNER’S DECKCHAIRS The first week back at Westminster turned out to be eventful. Writing three days after Angela Rayner’s resignation on Friday and 48 hours after the closing (and rather wobbly) rendition of the National Anthem at REFORM’s Birmingham conference… Read more: The Week in UK Politics #22 - The Week in UK Politics #21
TERM BEGINS: Constitutional Reform First Past the Post Few subjects in British politics arouse as much debate as the electoral system itself. The UK’s First Past the Post (FPTP) system, in which the candidate with the most votes in each… Read more: The Week in UK Politics #21 - The Week in UK Politics #20 – Recess #5
ASYLUM.Immigration is significantly less important to younger UK voters than their elders. It does not even feature amongst younger peoples’ “Top 5” issues (discussed this in a previous post on UK Youth Issues in June, sorry.) However, when conflated with… Read more: The Week in UK Politics #20 – Recess #5
Quiz #1
What happened to the UK’s industrial electricity prices?
They are insanely, uncompetitively expensive.
Any ideas why? QUIZNIGHT #1