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Great British Politics

Rockstars, big cash, and yogic flying: The story behind the Natural Law party

1994 was a different time. The world mourned Ayerton Senna and Kurt Kobain, Harry Poter was still three years away from publication, and John Major was Prime Minister. It is also the year of the ...

American Jewish Committee calls for action on QAnon conspiracy

American Jewish Committee (AJC), in a new position paper on QAnon, is urging government and civil society to strongly respond to the group's antisemitic pronouncements and conspiracy ...

British Embassy in Paraguay teams up with local brewery for charity beer

The British Embassy in Asuncion, Paraguay and local craft brewery “The Hop” collaborated to create a beer in aid of local charities. The Hop will donate the proceeds from sales of “El ...

Foreign Secretary claims international aid restructuring will provide better value

The Foreign Secretary has said that taxpayers will see more value from international aid spending following reforms to the independent body that scrutinises UK aid. Following the merger of the ...

Labour Deputy Leader Angela Rayner bashes government for social care failures

The UK's social care system is in crisis. Where COVID-19 has caused acute stresses on the system, under-funding and crippling structural problems have existed for years. Labour’s Deputy Leader ...

The rentrée of 2020: Decision time for EU foreign policy

Foreign policy never stops. But the summer of 2020 has been exceptionally busy, with a seemingly never-ending series of crises: in Lebanon, Belarus, Mali and the Eastern Mediterranean. At the ...

Nationwide US study exposes significant potential for voter fraud in 2020 election

An independent, nationwide analysis of voter rolls in 42 US states has identified thousands of probable deceased and duplicate registrants, as well as cases of individuals credited for voting more ...

Transport Secretary launches pothole repair audit

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has launched a new pothole repair audit in partnership with companies like Uber and Deliveroo. This audit is designed to better target improvements so that roads are ...

Why profitable oil companies are vital for the green energy revolution

It may seem counterintuitive, but the conventional wisdom in the environmental world is that profitable oil, gas and coal majors are good for decarbonisation - boosting R&D funding, and improving ...

Ed Davey beats Layla Moran to be next Lib Dem leader

Sir Ed Davey has won the Lib Dem leadership race, securing 63.5% of the vote to beat Oxford West and Abbindgon MP Layla Moran. Moran secured 36.5% of the vote. Davey had been acting leader ...

Social segregation in state schools widens Britain’s education inequality

If COVID-19 has achieved one thing, it has unmasked the yawning gaps in Britain’s education system. The variation of educational provision during lockdown was extremely mixed, with experts warning ...

New benefit allowance trialled for those isolating for COVID-19

People on low incomes who need to self-isolate and are unable to work from home in areas with high incidence of COVID-19 will benefit from a new payment scheme starting on Tuesday 1 September, the ...

Breaking the law over Brexit: how the UK is playing dirty in EU talks

The UK government seems to be doubling down on threats to leave the European Union without a deal unless the EU gives in on issues of state aid and fisheries. These two concerns are as important in ...

Blue v green hydrogen debate is delaying the transition to a sustainable future - Wintershall DEA CEO

Policy makers need to take a more realistic approach towards the economics and potential of blue hydrogen, produced from fossil fuels, as a key component of decarbonising energy, according ...

New poll shows Biden lead in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin

Today the AARP released a series of battleground state polls of likely voters in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, Montana, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. The ...

52 NHS Trusts forced to pay over £15 million in immigration skills charges for specialists since 2017

A recent freedom of information request has found that NHS trusts have had to pay extortionate fees through the immigration skills charge in order to fill vital specialist roles that have been left ...

Businesses urged to display QR codes ahead of the launch of the NHS COVID-19 app

Businesses across England and Wales like pubs, restaurants, hairdressers and cinemas are being urged to ensure they have NHS QR code posters visible on entry so customers who have downloaded ...

UK and Scottish government broker £100 million investment in Moray

A new agreement signed yesterday between the UK and Scottish governments, alongside regional partners, promises £100 million in new funding for the Scottish region of Moray. The UK and ...

UK trade officials start negotiations to join Trans-Pacific Partnership

The UK has taken a major step in the process of joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), the successor to the Trans-Pacific Partnership after the ...

For election administrators, death threats have become part of the job

Jared Dearing, the director of Kentucky’s Board of Elections, had little to do with Louisville, the state’s largest city, having only one polling place for the June 28 primary. It was a county ...

Air and noise pollution cause over 412,000 yearly deaths in Europe

A significant proportion of the burden of disease in Europe continues to be attributed to environmental pollution resulting from human activity, according to the EEA report ‘Healthy ...

Less than 7% of people who should be in quarantine contacted by Scottish contact tracers

New statistics included in the COVID-19 Statistical Report published yesterday by Public Health Scotland revealed only 6.8% of those required to quarantine in Scotland have been ...

A lack of strategy and accountability hampered government's initial COVID-19 response

The government’s initial response to the COVID-19 crisis was hampered by the absence of a long-term strategy, lack of clarity about who was responsible for what and its poor use of evidence, ...

Belarus: What role could Russia play in Alexander Lukashenko's future?

Mass protests, strikes and calls for Alexander Lukashenko to step down after a disputed election have raised the prospect that his long grip on power in Belarus may be coming to an end. But ...

New research exposes GDPR compliance issues amongst government departments

The results of a new comprehensive study, published today, by eCase - The Impact of GDPR in Central Government – find that half of central government’s Data Protection Officers ...

Evictions ban extended by four weeks

The government has today extended its ban on evictions for renters affected by COVID-19 by four weeks. This means that no legal evictions will have taken place for 6 months. Once this eviction ...

Brexit: As the deadline looms, why are negotiations stalling?

The UK left the EU on January 31 this year. Yet, the trading relationship between the two parties will not change until January 1 2021, when the transition period agreed by both sides expires. And ...

Record fall in the number of self employed people in the UK

The August 2020 report from the Office for National Statistics shows a record fall of self-employed people, according to research by Bambridge Accountants. This represents a 4.8% call in ...

Libya: A glimmer of hope

Since the 2011 Arab Spring, Libya – a country of 6.7 million inhabitants, potentially very rich with immense oil reserves – has been beset by violent conflicts between different factions and ...

Government to pause temporary release scheme for low risk prisoners

The temporary release of low risk prisoners, introduced to protect the NHS and reduce the virus’ impact on the prison populations, will be paused at the end of August. Introduced in April, the ...

Suspected violent criminals to be held for longer without trial under new law

People arrested for serious crimes can spend longer in custody as they await trial, under temporary legislation announced today. If passed by parliament, the period of time that offenders can be held ...

Public Health England to be replaced: New leadership structure in force from today

The government has formally announced the replacement of Public Health England (PHE) under the new National Institute for Health Protection (NIHP). The NIHP will bring together leadership teams ...

Betfair launches US Election Swingomiter in Washington, Country Durham

The English town of Washington, County Durham, is the ancestral home of the USA’s founding father and first President, George Washington. This sleepy North East town attracts hundreds of American ...

Exam results were a 'no-win' problem, but the UK and Scottish governments have lost hard

The COVID-19 crisis has had impacts across every aspect of public life in the UK and abroad. Perhaps the most long-lasting impact has been on young people, who have been forced to miss a huge chunk ...

New report suggests 'pension-style' model can fix the social care crisis

As the government prepares to unveil its long-awaited plan for social care, a new report by the Centre for Policy Studies - the leading centre-right think tank - supported by a number of high profile ...

Who is Kamala Harris, Joe Biden's pick for vice president?

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has announced Kamala Harris as his running mate for the 2020 election — the first woman of colour to appear on a major party ticket. On the 100th ...

Concerns raised over government's £2bn 'Kickstart' employment programme

Concerns have been raised about the government's Kickstart scheme, designed to deliver work places and job opportunities for young people in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. £2 billion of public ...

US states may be able to enact laws requiring electric vehicles

Recent U.S. Supreme Court precedent has opened the door for states to enact laws requiring all new cars sold in the state to be electric as of a certain date, according to a law journal ...

Government to review North Sea offshore oil and gas licensing as part of zero emissions strategy

The government today announced it will review its policy on the future UK offshore oil and gas licensing regime as part of the wider aim of achieving net zero emissions by 2050. Over half of the ...

Five local authorities to receive funding to pilot new nature recovery scheme

Cornwall, Buckinghamshire, Greater Manchester, Northumberland and Cumbria local authorities have been selected to pilot new 'Local Nature Recovery Strategies' (LNRS). They will share £1 ...

UK responds to OECD report on international regulatory cooperation

A new call for evidence has been launched on the UK’s international regulatory cooperation practices, in response to a review by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development ...

Asylum application rise as restrictions are lifted in the EU but remain at half of pre-COVID levels

Following the gradual relaxation of emergency measures in EU countries as well as Norway and Switzerland in June about half as many applications for international protection were lodged compared ...

New EU regulation introduced to ban emissions 'cheat' devices from car manufacturers

The EU Regulation on the approval and market surveillance of motor vehicles, adopted in May 2018, comes into effect today. The new EU regulation overhauls and improves the quality and ...

Asylum application rise as restrictions are lifted in the EU but remain at half of pre-COVID levels

Following the gradual relaxation of emergency measures in EU countries as well as Norway and Switzerland in June about half as many applications for international protection were lodged compared ...

Local Government Association calls for tougher sentences for attacks on fire crews

The Local Government Association (LGA) has called for tougher sentences to help tackle a “sickening” rise in attacks on fire crews. Earlier this year, the Home Secretary revealed initial ...

UK introduces new police powers to tackle state-backed interference

The government has introduced new powers, which come into effect today, for police to tackle state interference in the UK. These powers will allow specially trained police officers to stop, question, ...

Second lawsuit filed to ease Mississippi’s voting restrictions during COVID-19 pandemic

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today. A second lawsuit has been filed challenging Mississippi’s restrictive absentee voting requirements in advance of the Nov. 3 general ...

UK enters recession for the first time in 11 years, and faces the worst downturn in Europe

New Office for National Statistics figures released this morning show UK GDP plummeting by 20.4% in the second quarter of 2020 – the largest confirmed fall of any economy in Europe and the G7 ...

Ocean acidification causing coral 'osteoporosis' on iconic reefs

Scientists have long suspected that ocean acidification is affecting corals' ability to build their skeletons, but it has been challenging to isolate its effect from that of simultaneous warming ...

Labour calls for action on internet abuse, and launches new consultation

Labour has called on the government to prioritise the Online Harms Bill which was first promised more than a year ago. Since then, high profile examples have shown why the lack of regulation is ...

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