The latest edition of the email newsletter for my podcast, Political Fictions, is out and you can also read it in full below. But if you'd like to get future editions emailed direct to you as soon as they are published, sign up now: Get the books As well as covering some books in the podcast, we also mention others in the newsletter's bonus content. You can browse all the books mentioned and get them for yourself via my Bookshop.org page (affiliate link). State of Play, episode 1 [IMG: Montage of the main actors in State of Play] We're heading ...
There's been a lot of noise recently about applying international law. What exactly does this mean? Statutes on human rights were formalised as international law following the atrocities committed during the Holocaust in which at least twelve million were killed, six million of them Jews. But over the years these laws have seemingly been applied indiscriminately with Western powers left off the hook time and again. Questions around British and American actions in places like Iraq linger, but in recent years the heat has been turned up. Israel, traditional ally to many Western powers, has been the subject of case ...
Six principal authority council by-elections this week and all back to being on a Thursday. One thing remains the same with by-elections though, a steady flow of Liberal Democrat gains – with this week's gain once again coming on Highland Council: [IMG: Julie Calder by election image 2026] Wick & East Caithness (Highland) Council By-Election Result [1st Prefs]: [IMG: 🔶] LDM: 50.4% (+20.6) [IMG: 🙋] Ind: 23.6% (New) [IMG: 🎗] SNP: 14.0% (-11.3) [IMG: âž¡] RFM: 9.4% (New) [IMG: 🌳] CON: 2.6% (-12.5)No Inds (-12.8, -10.5) as previous.Liberal Democrat 'Gain' from Independent – Stage 1.Changes w/ 2022. — Election Maps ...
In his conference speech this week, Andy Burnham made a brave political decision to reform the triple lock on the state pension. The reformed triple lock will increase the state pension by either inflation or 2.5% every year. If there is sustained growth in average wages over several years - enough to outpace the inflation and 2.5% locks - then the pension will rise to match that wage growth. This ensures that every year the state pension will be protected, or increase, in real terms, and it retains its value relative to wages. This is a sensible reform; similar proposals ...
Since September 3, Uber and Wayve have been operating a small number of self-driving cars in London. Passengers can travel in electric Ford Mustang Mach-Es equipped with Wayve's AI driving system. For now, these are supervised autonomous journeys: a trained, TfL-licensed private-hire driver remains in the vehicle to monitor the system and intervene if necessary — which, incidentally, seems to defeat the point of a driverless vehicle. The initial service operates across the capital, excluding airports, and is being expanded gradually. The UK government forecasts a self-driving market worth up to £42 billion, creating up to 38,000 jobs by 2035. ...
"Burnham's speech was, in some ways, an exercise in calling the electorate's bluff. 'I have given you what you often say is missing from politics,' Burnham concluded. "Honesty, ideas and a clear direction for the country we all love.' The message was thus: You say you want change and are sick of politicians who dodge difficult decisions and offer little beyond managerialism. So here are some difficult decisions — will you back me?"Zoe Grunewald was in Liverpool for Andy Burnham's speech. Chris Grey looks at the the speech's effect on the Brexit debate: "In personal life, we rarely regard terrible ...
The Mirror reports that the Liberal Democrat MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, Tom Gordon has clashed with his own party leader in defence of Andy Burnham's plans to overhaul the pensions triple lock to fund a National Care Service. The paper says that Tom Gordon said he thought Sir Ed Davey had "missed the point" and that it was "for the birds" that the state pension trip lock helps millennials: Lib Dem leader Sir Ed earlier today said changing the triple lock would mean millennials, those aged 30 to 45, would have a "very poor pension" when they retire. In ...
The Shrewsbury river campaigners Up Sewage Creek have released a 10-minute film about the River Severn and their work to protect it: We Are Severn. Shropshire Live says: The film, which has been produced by award winning Shropshire arts organisation MediaActive Projects, is a collaboration between local people and creative practitioners designed to raise awareness about the state of the Severn. It features video footage, animation, and interviews with local river campaigners talking about the Severn and why it is so important to Shrewsbury. Up Sewage Creek won't allow the video to be embedded on other sites - good luck ...
Becoming very knowledgeable about a niche subject is worrying, because you find much that has been published about it is wrong. And then it become more worrying, because you suspect this is true of every subject if only you knew. One of my niches of expertise is the death of Dennis O'Neill in 1945. He had been fostered by a couple on a farm in the Stiperstones (that's why I first came across the case) and the trial of his killers shared the front pages with news of the last days of the war in Europe. Now I've come across ...
After commending the slugs of Stretford, the judges gave our Headline of the Day Award to The Scotsman. Our picture shows Great Bernera in the Outer Hebrides, where the cafe in the island cafe dog snub row is to be found.
(Image: The Guardian) I was 18 years old when I opened a bank account with the Royal Bank of Scotland. It was my first experience of aggressive salesmanship. I thought all I was doing was taking in some pieces of identification, confirming some information and opening a bank account. But no. I had a half-hour appointment with an advisor who was keen to offer me pretty much every other product the bank had available. Inevitably the conversation came round to the subject of pensions. He asked me whether I had thought about pensions. I'd just turned 18 years old a ...
The triple lock was introduced in 2010 by David Cameron's Coalition Government when Steve Webb (Lib Dem) was Minister of Pensions, to restore the erosion which had taken place since the earnings link was replaced with a prices' link in the 1980s. To replace the triple lock with a prices' link or 2.5%, as was proposed today, will reverse the progress of the last sixteen years. Clearly it has been proposed to save money, as it was in the 1980s, which means a reducing state pension at the very time Government should have been looking to increase it to reduce ...
A Labour Prime Minister has announced a commission on electoral reform. Where have we heard this one before? For those who remember, or, like me, are interested in political history, you would know that Andy Burnham isn't the first Labour leader to announce the creation of a commission on electoral reform; that accolade belongs to Tony Blair. Time for a quick crash course: as part of their 1997 election manifesto, New Labour committed to holding a referendum on an alternative voting system to First Past the Post. After entering office, Blair asked Lord Jenkins to head a commission on electoral ...
On the cusp of sixty, having witnessed so many speeches of unconvincing emotion - Thatcher: the tragic King's Cross fire, Blair: "I love this party, it was losing I hated", or various Lib Dem leaders over the years lecturing Liberal Assembly or the early Lib Dem conferences that we weren't "serious about power" – it would be churlish not to recognise the raw power and daring delivery of Burnham's speech about care. Having been both a politician and a worker in the care sector, I for one appreciated the PM's direct apology to camera that the former profession had let ...
Here's the tally of seats changing hands in principal authority council by-elections held between the May 2026 and the May 2027 local elections: Con Lab Lib Dem Green Reform SNP Plaid Ind/ Other Net Con [15] +1 (+1/0) +1 (+3/-2) -1 (+2/-3) -6 (+3/-9) -1 (0/-1) – +2 (+3/-1) -4 Lab -1 (0/-1) [13] -1 (0/-1) -1 (+3/-4) -4 (+4/-8) +1 (+1/0) – 0 (+1/-1) -6 Lib Dem -1 (+2/-3) +1 (+1/0) [17] +1 (+1/0) +2 (+2/0) -1 (0/-1) – +3 (+3/0) +5 Grn +1 (+3/-2) +1 (+4/-3) -1 (0/-1) [7] – +1 (+1/0) – – +2 Ref +6 (+9/-3) ...
For too many young people, the transition from education into employment is becoming harder. Employers face rising costs and are understandably cautious about taking on additional staff. Young people without extensive experience then find themselves trapped in the familiar catch-22: they need experience to get a job, but they need someone to give them a job to gain that experience. In Watford, Three Rivers and Hertsmere, the Liberal Democrats are trying to do something different to solve this problem whilst simultaneously supporting local economic growth. That is why we are calling on the Government to establish a pilot "Special Economic ...
For a Liberal, Andy Burnham's commitment to work closer with EU. possibly by rejoining the single market or even the EU itself, his support of proportional representation and his pledge to bring in free social care is like catnip. However, we should not put all our hopes on the contents of one speech and numerous press briefings without some detail. For a start, what form of proportional representation is being proposed? What is the timescale and will there have to be another plebiscite before we can proceed? Just another commission, no real commitment. And what exactly is being proposed regarding ...