THE ARCHIVE
- “You know, at some point, size will win, generally”
Size certainly counts Donald, but does not necessarily always win.Britain, June 1941: alone, but unbowed. Transcript of Donald Trump interview with Dasha Burns, Washington DC, 8th December 2025 - The Week in UK Politics #35
REEVES CLINGS ON SHAKILY, Lammy shatters ancient constitutional protections casually, Badenoch shows signs of life superficially – the political climate feels very fragile. Rachel Reeves remains in post, although with less authority than Downing Street would like to project. The… Read more: The Week in UK Politics #35 - Non sequiturs of our time
“IT WAS INEVITABLE that we would always have to raise revenue so there’s no “misleading” there.” Keir Starmer. Enough said. Because if you are going to have to raise revenue there’s no reason why you would have to be honest… Read more: Non sequiturs of our time - The Week in UK Politics #34
BUDGET PANTOMIME: “SHE’S BENEATH YOU!” TWOP put together a quick take on the totally useless Budget on Wednesday evening. Although it was TWOP’s first Budget, the measures announced were so anti-climactic that it seemed hard to justify giving the announcement… Read more: The Week in UK Politics #34 - 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 - The Week in UK Politics #33
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 DONNY’S 28-POINT “PEACE” PROPOSAL.” Geneva became the centre of strategic gravity on… Read more: The Week in UK Politics #33 - 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 (Tories)
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 (Tories) - Listening so you don’t have to (Labour)
PRIDE AND PREJUDICE by 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 historic and… Read more: Listening so you don’t have to (Labour) - The Week in UK Politics #25
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 - 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 LAUGH 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 - Game Theory: Russia’s Ukraine War
In a moment of irritation with current Russian “negotiations” so transparently designed only to delay, while extracting maximum concessions from the Great Dealmaker, I thought that it might be useful to “game” the outcomes of the conflict. You never know…… Read more: Game Theory: Russia’s Ukraine War - The Week in UK Politics #19 – Recess #4 (Ukraine Edition)
During this vacation season it is hard to avoid taking a look at Russia’s Ukrainian War. It really is vicariously embarrassing. Last week Vlad scored an absurdly predictable win. Putin took up DJT’s invitation to rejoin the “normal” world with… Read more: The Week in UK Politics #19 – Recess #4 (Ukraine Edition) - The Week in UK Politics #18 – Recess #3
Britain Can’t Make Its Mind Up. Don’t let your indecision/Take you from behind/Trust your inner vision/Don’t let others change your mind. Classic 1981 Summer fluff with exceptionally poor lip-synching from Bucks Fizz riffs on 50 years of UK indecisiveness. - The Week in UK Politics #17 – Recess #2
MERITOCRACY VS POSITIVE DISCRIMINATION – The tension between meritocracy and positive discrimination has shaped numerous debates in British politics since the mid-20th century, focusing on how to ensure fair access and optimal outcomes in education, employment and the conduct of… Read more: The Week in UK Politics #17 – Recess #2 - The Week in UK Politics #16 – Recess #1
SOFT LAUNCH It is traditional for governments to slip out news of their most depressing failures in the dying moments of Parliamentary “term” in the hope that MPs and journos alike are keener to hit the fleshpots of the Mediterranean… Read more: The Week in UK Politics #16 – Recess #1 - The Week in UK Politics #15
END OF TERM ENNUI The spigot of daily UK “news” wound down this week as Parliament headed towards recess (Commons – 22nd July, Lords – 24th July.) “The Grid” is, it seems, an effective news management system: about 75% of… Read more: The Week in UK Politics #15 - UK 16 Year Olds Will Get Vote
16/17 YEAR OLDS WILL BE ABLE TO VOTE at the next General Election. This will be implemented by the introduction of a new Elections and Democracy Bill which will be piloted by Angela Rayner and Rushanara Ali. Secondary legislation will… Read more: UK 16 Year Olds Will Get Vote - The Week in UK Politics #14
STORMCLOUDS GATHER Hot on the heels of last week’s Welfare Reform climb-down and the forewarning of incipient rebellion gathering amongst Labour backbenchers over Education policy changes involving SEND, comes an underwhelmed reaction to the announcement of the Anglo-French “One In,… Read more: The Week in UK Politics #14 - The Week in UK Politics #13 (lucky for some)
U-TURN IF YOU WANT TO… It turns out that watching slow-motion car crashes is not so much fun. Following the reinstatement of pensioners’ winter fuel payment just a month ago, “justified” by HMG’s sudden discovery that the economic catastrophe that… Read more: The Week in UK Politics #13 (lucky for some) - The Week in UK Politics #12
NEWS VS POLITICS Harold Macmillan was a wise old bird. His reply to a question about what he feared most: “Events, dear boy, events” neatly encapsulates how easy it is for politics to be knocked off course by news. Some… Read more: The Week in UK Politics #12 - The Week in UK Politics #11
DYING HERE, BOMBING THERE Suicide Assistance Enabled On Friday the Commons voted by 314 votes to 291 to pass Kim Leadbeater’s private member’s bill to legalise medical assistance for suicide for people with fatal illnesses judged likely to have less… Read more: The Week in UK Politics #11 - The Week in UK Politics #10
ISRAEL AND IRAN GO TO WAR Israel’s sudden commencement of war against Iran on Thursday night dwarfed the significance of the winter fuel allowance reinstatement and the spending review in the UK. Israel launched Operation Rising Lion in an attempt… Read more: The Week in UK Politics #10 - The Week in UK Politics #9
REFORM SHENANIGANS Zia Yusuf stepped down as Chairman of Reform on Thursday evening and then seems to have had a bit of a moment and announced on Saturday that he would instead take up a new role heading the DOGE-lite… Read more: The Week in UK Politics #9 - Youth Issues
Younger UK voters aged 18-24 report their five biggest political issues as: – Economy – Crime – Housing – Environment – Education according to the YouGov weekly tracker survey that has been running since 2011. Although younger UK citizens share… Read more: Youth Issues - The Week in UK Politics #8
O CANADA! King Charles popped over to one of his other gaffs for a whirlwind 48-hour tour. He met First Nation representatives and heard some impressive drums, inspected various groups of Mounties, went to a community festival, laid a wreath… Read more: The Week in UK Politics #8 - The Week in UK Politics #7
POST-BREXIT “RESET” On 19th May Keir Starmer hosted Ursula von der Leyen and Antonio Costa (he’s the EU Council President) for a “Reset Summit” at Lancaster House in London. Negotiations were reported to have gone down to the wire, but… Read more: The Week in UK Politics #7 - The Week in UK Politics #6
IMMIGRATION, ASSISTED DYING, BENEFIT CUTS (+ THE CHAGOS, UNIVERSITIES) It’s been one of those weeks in UK politics where the leakers and the sneakers conspire together to “warm the pot” on some issues that will boil over in the coming… Read more: The Week in UK Politics #6 - Turkish Psychodrama
No prizes at all for commentators who thought that Russia’s commitment to peace negotiations was only a ruse to keep the Donald talking and delay any real discussions of peace terms. Under huge American pressure, Zelensky called Putin’s bluff and… Read more: Turkish Psychodrama - The Week in UK Politics #5
UK-US TRADE DEAL + UK IMMIGRATION “RESET” – A “game-changing” US-UK trade deal and a “significant” UK immigration reset, or an enormous confection of nothingness? US-UK Trade: worse than it was, better than it might have been. On 8th May… Read more: The Week in UK Politics #5 - The Week in UK Politics #4
REFORM RISES, RIVALS FALL – If you thought UK politics was just Labour vs. the Tories forever think again. Reform UK, led by the ever-controversial Nigel Farage, pulled off a political upset this week that’s got everyone talking. In the local… Read more: The Week in UK Politics #4 - The Week in UK Politics #3
BIG SHIFTS, BAD VIBES Britons feel like crap. This may result in some electoral desperation at the local and mayoral elections next week. Reform UK are capitalising on the sense of despair at “Broken Britain” and the apparent inability of… Read more: The Week in UK Politics #3 - The Birmingham Bin Strike
A CRISIS OF WASTE, WAGES, AND INEQUALITY. Since 11th March 2025 Birmingham has been grappling with a significant refuse collection crisis. A strike by bin workers, represented by the Unite union, has led to over 20,000 tonnes of uncollected waste… Read more: The Birmingham Bin Strike - The Week in UK Politics #2
AN EASTER ROUND-UP OF UK POLITICS. Climate change, gender identity, industrial policy and local government finances are leavened by one of the most ridiculous political corruption scandals of recent years. Climate Policy Clash: Miliband v Farage UK Energy Secretary Ed… Read more: The Week in UK Politics #2 - What Trump’s Tariffs Mean for the UK
SHOCKWAVES In a move that has sent more than ripples through the global economy, US President Donald Trump imposed significant tariffs on just about all US imports, with a “baseline” 10% tax on imports from even nations in “trade balance”… Read more: What Trump’s Tariffs Mean for the UK - The Week in UK Politics #1
TWOP IS LAUNCHED! Welcome to the first of my weekly political roundups! Every week I will try to break down the biggest UK political stories in a simple and easy to understand way. NHS Waiting Times Still a Major Concern… Read more: The Week in UK Politics #1