Tag: Keir Starmer
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AI scandals, Trump theatrics and social media bans Welcome back after a small essay-related delay this week. British politics served up a curious mix of local embarrassment, international showmanship, and domestic debate that looks suspiciously as though we are collectively losing our minds. Trump Derangement Syndrome is real. TWOP is suffering acute symptoms. Here’s the…
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REVOLUTIONS, INVASIONS AND POTHOLES It is a salutary experience to sit down to write a review of UK politics at the end of a week in which Donald Trump threatened to intervene in Iran’s brutal protest crackdown, the United States faced domestic outrage over a fatal shooting by an ICE agent and the former President…
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Screens, Soldiers and Superpowers (in no particular order.) Australia’s world-first social media ban for under-16s On 10th December 2025, Australia’s Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act came into force, making it illegal for under-16s to hold accounts on major social platforms including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, X, Snapchat, YouTube unless the platforms can prove…
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UK Politics 2025, but for Young People (apparently.) Child benefit cap removal, VAT on private schools, voting at 16 and rejoining Erasmus+ suggest that Westminster might have noticed that the votes of a currently unenfranchised generation will vote in 2029 could be up for grabs for very little effort, or money. Christmas is not usually…
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ERASMUS RETURN, NHS STRIKES, UNION TENSIONS. The government agreed a deal for the UK to rejoin the EU’s Erasmus+ student exchange programme from the 2027/28 academic year. The UK’s will pay £570 million for that first year or involvement, almost double its pre-Brexit annual payments. A 30% “discount” was agreed for the first year. The…
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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 aftershocks from the Office for Budget Responsibility leak continue, alongside accusations that she oversold the…
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“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 as the “most sweeping reforms to tackle illegal migration in modern times.” Key changes, drawn…
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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. Labour’s polling trajectory continues downward: YouGov now places Labour as low as 17% in its…
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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 more as a test of governmental competence. For a prime minister who built much of…
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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 of governance, but more like a failing test of nerve. The China case collapse: Starmer’s…
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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 its “earned settlement” reforms. The proposal did not stir massive controversy at the time. The…
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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 its big anti-harassment law is still gathering dust. Add in grim inflation figures, a giant…