In the first general election since the UK officially left the EU, both Labour and Conservative leaders were conspicuously mute about Brexit. There have been some vague aspirations to “seize its opportunities” or “make it work”, but otherwise, nothing. As prime minister, Keir Starmer will have to deal with it, particularly as more Britons now found the negatives of leaving the EU outweigh the positives. In a January survey, a majority supported rejoining. Brexit has never been less popular, and yet there remains a curious apathy about actually beginning to reverse it. All in all, rejoining see ..read more

Sir Keir Starmer will follow up election win with trip to Washington D.C. eff Moore/PA Images via Getty Images The new U.K. prime minister, Sir Keir Starmer, will have just a couple of days to settle into the job before facing his first test on the global stage. Having presided over a landslide victory for his party on July 4, 2024, Starmer will head to Washington, D.C., for a crucial NATO summit starting July 9. Days later he will host over 50 European leaders for the European Political Community meeting. Amid many global challenges, Starmer has an opportunity to show that the U.K. is back on ..read more

This is a historic moment in British politics. It’s a huge win for Labour. It’s a historic loss for the Conservatives. It also seems to have been the product of one of the lowest turnouts in history. Disaffection is rife. There is a strong sense that this was a vote against the Conservatives more than a vote for Labour. But for the Labour Party, a win is win, as they say. Exit polls suggest Labour will end up with 410 of the 650 seats in the new parliament, with the Tories predicted to claim just 131. The UK’s new prime minister will be Sir Keir Starmer. Knighted for his pre-parliamentary care ..read more

Twenty-five years ago, when new institutions of national government were created in Scotland and Wales, they reflected the widely held view that the Welsh and Scots should have more control over their economies, aspects of welfare provision and key public services. Yet at that time, hardly anyone thought devolution might be applied to England – despite it being the largest, wealthiest and most populated part of the UK. Today, things look rather different. The notion of English devolution has morphed from being of interest only to constitutional experts to being a preoccupation of Britain’s pol ..read more

Labour leader Keir Starmer's spending plans rely on economic growth. Rupert Rivett/Shutterstock In launching Labour’s manifesto, Keir Starmer sought to shed his party’s “tax and spend” image. Instead, Starmer pressed home that Labour’s core mission is to increase UK economic growth – the manifesto mentions the term more than 200 times. Some readers may recall Labour’s 1964 manifesto, whose theme tune was Let’s Go with Labour. Back then, growth was supposed to arrive via the “white heat of technology”. All governments want economic growth. Higher growth (measured as gross domestic product or GD ..read more

When British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced the UK general election outside 10 Downing Street in the pouring rain last month, the ignominy of the moment was compounded by the sound of a protester playing “Things Can Only Get Better” by D:Ream. The song had been adopted by Tony Blair’s “New Labour” as its anthem during the 1997 election, which Labour won in a landslide. It was Labour’s last win from opposition in a general election. The current Labour leader, Keir Starmer, is now looking to put an end to another extended period of Conservative Party rule in the July 4 election. Like Blair ..read more

British politics has, in recent years, been plagued by two competing forces when it comes to Europe. On one side, there is an understanding that the UK and the EU need to rub along, because of their proximity and importance to one another and because of their shared values and interests. On the other side, the UK’s relationship with Europe is not that interesting to most people – be they voters or politicians. The issues often seem distant and complex, it’s hard to work out who’s a winner or a loser, and it doesn’t seem to have anything to do with the metaphorical price of bread. Unfortunately ..read more

The UK export figures were driven by services – but there are ways the goods sector could catch up. Skorzewiak/Shutterstock UK business is beaming with pride with the recent news of the country’s emergence as the fourth largest exporter in the world based on the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development report. The UK jumped three places in 2022, surpassing France, the Netherlands and Japan. This pride is justified, as there have been many challenges along the way, especially in the wake of Brexit, when the UK found itself redefining its economic landscape. With the dust settling from ..read more

The health and wellbeing of primary school children declined between 2014 and 2022. 1st footage/Shutterstock The COVID pandemic affected several aspects of children’s health and wellbeing. The number of children referred to specialist mental health teams in England has soared by more than 50% in just three years, for example. But recent research from my colleagues and I reveals that problems such as these were increasing even before the pandemic. Our study explored changes in the health and wellbeing of 36,951 primary school children between 2014 and 2022. We analysed the data from anonymous a ..read more

Small independent businesses may pass on the cost of import checks to customers. Alena Veasey/Shutterstock New import checks on foods arriving from the EU could affect supplies at Britain’s local delis, high-street greengrocers or independent cafes. Worse, they could lead to shortages that affect the very viability of these businesses. So what are these new checks and what does it all mean for consumers in the UK? Three years ago, the UK departed the EU single market. This meant that the border checks applied to goods coming into the UK from other nations would also apply to goods from members ..read more