Too many voters in May voted on national politics and policy or couldn’t be bothered to vote because they didn’t know what councils can do or should be doing. Together we can keep Parliamentary and media pressure on councils so they help people, not pet causes.
The relationship between development and security is at the heart of promoting British interests abroad. Strategic engagement overseas is not an alternative to advancing Britain’s national interest – it is an essential part of it.
Representing constituents effectively, making the case for good policy and winning the arguments that matter are not things we should leave to chance. Politics is a craft, not just a calling, and serious candidates deserve the chance to learn it properly.
We need a skills system that values routes into work as highly as routes into education. The test of government is not how often ministers talk about opportunity. It is how many opportunities they help create.
Political pundits and even conservative ones, such as Jacob Rees-Mogg, believe they have found the remedy for the Conservative Party: working with Reform UK. From my political insight alone, I can assure you this remedy is more like fool’s gold.
What struck me most was the atmosphere. The Party has endured a difficult few years and nobody is under any illusions about the scale of the challenge. Yet there was a genuine sense of optimism in the room. People were not dwelling on the past; they were talking about the future.
Last month I surveyed 850 members of Reform UK, asking about their priorities for government, their attitudes to Britain, Conservative defectors, how they see prominent figures inside and outside the party, whether they trust elections, and how they think the civil service and the political establishment would react to a Reform victory.
If you run a business you will know the pain of not being heard by politicians, of the weight of the tax axe hanging over you. You will know the frustration of dealing with more red tape — all imposed by people who just don’t get it. The solution is for those of us who do ‘get it’ to step up.
Healey’s critique, that the plan is backloaded when the danger is front-loaded, that the Treasury has prioritised fiscal comfort over national security, and that the armed forces are being asked to operate with reduced readiness, is not a partisan argument. It is a strategic one
It is not simply the departure of a minister. It is a warning that, at a moment when Britain requires greater urgency, resilience and strategic direction, this government appears increasingly unable—or unwilling—to provide them.
China, India and the United States are exploiting their domestic energy advantages to support economic growth and industrial competitiveness. Britain should do the same.
Britain needs a force capable of mobilising, replenishing, absorbing losses, protecting the homeland, operating with NATO in Europe, and sustaining advanced cyber, space and undersea operations. Anything less is another declaratory review.
We don’t need to return to the Stone Age, but what might be called Paleo Policy: modern institutions designed with cognitive ergonomics in mind. If politicians understood the ancient brain they might not only suffer less inside the political machine, but design a better one for everyone else.
Laying the groundwork for any Labour attempt to ‘rejoin’ will require patience, discipline, strong communication and a lot of political skill – all of which have so far been scarce in this government. If, on the other hand, Labour decides to as a last-minute roll of the dice, these risks will bite much harder.
Despite policy disagreements, the Conservatives are fundamentally united by shared values – like one big family. Reform are like one big HMO – they don’t like each other and are united by grievance alone.