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Fri, 21 February 2025

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Editor's choice
Artful Dealing: How to deal with Donald Trump from No 10
Foreign affairs
By Katie Perrior
Artful Dealing: How to deal with Donald Trump from No 10
Theresa May's former press chief reflects on what we've learned about how to deal with Donald Trump
Alison McGovern: 'Employment is 1,000 per cent a progressive cause'
Communities
By Tali Fraser
Alison McGovern: "Employment is 1,000 per cent a progressive cause"
Vacancies are soaring but so are the numbers out of work – fixing that is at the heart of Labour’s ambition for growth. Alison McGovern’s plans for employment could prove key, writes Tali Fraser. Photography by Louise Haywood-Schiefer
Blue Labour v Reform: The Pro-Worker, Anti-Woke Plan To Beat Farage
Communities
Blue Labour v Reform: The Pro-Worker, Anti-Woke Plan To Beat Farage
Is Blue Labour the answer to Keir Starmer’s problems? Sienna Rodgers and Tom Scotson report on a new group of MPs and the re-emergence of a tradition that had been jettisoned
HM chief inspector of prisons: 'If someone were to get a gun into a prison, all bets are off'
Home affairs
By Sienna Rodgers
HM chief inspector of prisons: 'If someone were to get a gun into a prison, all bets are off'
Speaking to Sienna Rodgers, HM chief inspector of prisons Charlie Taylor details the many failures he has seen across the prison estate, including the ‘existential risk’ presented by phones, drugs and weapons entering via drones
Inside the problems plaguing the prison estate
Communities
By Tali Fraser
Inside the problems plaguing the prison estate
Unable to innovate or even buy basic materials, and struggling to keep staff while operating antiquated systems, prison governors are trapped in a failing system, reports Tali Fraser
AG Lord Hermer on international law: 'Bring it on, if that’s the fight people want to have'
Foreign affairs
By Sienna Rodgers
AG Lord Hermer on international law: 'Bring it on, if that’s the fight people want to have'
Sienna Rodgers talks to Lord Hermer about his friendship with the Prime Minister and focus on the rule of law since taking up the post of Attorney General
Youngest MP Calls For 'Voting Terminals' Around Parliament As Backbenchers Plan Modernisation Drive
Communities
Youngest MP Calls For 'Voting Terminals' Around Parliament As Backbenchers Plan Modernisation Drive
Labour MP Sam Carling has called for the Modernisation Committee to consider reform of Parliament's voting system to make MPs "more productive".
Baroness Smith of Llanfaes: 'I don’t believe Westminster will ever work for Wales'
Home affairs
By Sophie Church
Baroness Smith of Llanfaes: 'I don’t believe Westminster will ever work for Wales'
Baroness Smith of Llanfaes tells Sophie Church why she thinks Westminster will never work for Wales, and how politics is changing from being a ‘place for men’. Photography by Louise Haywood-Schiefer
Welsh Labour Worries It Could Be Voted Out Of Government For The First Time
Political parties
Welsh Labour Worries It Could Be Voted Out Of Government For The First Time
Here be dragons? With the introduction of ‘pure PR’ and the rise of Reform, the next Senedd election looks set to take Wales into uncharted territory, reports Sienna Rodgers
Anas Sarwar: 'I'm Not Willing To Wait For Someone Else To Fix Our Problems'
Energy
Anas Sarwar: "I'm Not Willing To Wait For Someone Else To Fix Our Problems"
Sienna Rodgers talks to Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar about the UK government’s ‘teething problems’, a bespoke immigration solution for Scotland and how to fight Reform
Freedom's free riders – the European countries that should spend more on defence
Foreign affairs
By Tim Leunig
Freedom's free riders – the European countries that should spend more on defence
Now US president-elect Donald Trump is making Europe pay for its own defence, Tim Leunig says countries like Switzerland and Ireland need to pick a side – and if they won’t join Nato, they should be made to help pay for it
Institutional memory – the Lord Lexden interview
Parliament
By Francis Elliott
Institutional memory – the Lord Lexden interview
For five decades, Lord Lexden has been at the heart of Conservative politics. The party’s official historian tells Francis Elliott what lessons Kemi Badenoch should learn from the past and why she should resist the siren call of Nigel Farage
The rise of AI 'porn': 'The levels of deepfake abuse now are just enormous'
Social affairs
By Sienna Rodgers
The rise of AI 'porn': 'The levels of deepfake abuse now are just enormous'
‘Deepfake porn’ is on the rise. Sienna Rodgers meets the women fighting to criminalise the creation of non-consensual intimate images
Baroness Cass: 'I don't have time for keyboard warriors in their basements'
Health
By Tali Fraser
Baroness Cass: 'I don't have time for keyboard warriors in their basements'
The Cass Review into NHS gender services for children opened up the national conversation on this controversial subject, and divided opinion. Its author, Baroness Cass, speaks to Tali Fraser about being newly introduced as a peer and how she responds to critics. Photography by Louise Haywood-Schiefer
SEND Help: How to reform our Special Educational Needs and Disabilities system
Education
By Matilda Martin
SEND Help: How to reform our Special Educational Needs and Disabilities system
“Lose, lose, lose.” That is how former Conservative education secretary Gillian Keegan described the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system in England, widely described as broken.
Kim Leadbeater On Assisted Dying: 'I Came Into Politics To Make A Difference'
Health
Kim Leadbeater On Assisted Dying: "I Came Into Politics To Make A Difference"
Sienna Rodgers talks to Labour MP Kim Leadbeater about why she chose assisted dying as the subject of her bill – and how she responds to its critics
Mary Kelly Foy and breast cancer: 'I’m alive. I should be feeling great because it’s gone'
Health
By Sienna Rodgers
Mary Kelly Foy and breast cancer: 'I’m alive. I should be feeling great because it’s gone'
Labour MP Mary Kelly Foy tells Sienna Rodgers about her recovery from breast cancer, the lack of support she has felt from some quarters, and why Parliament needs to modernise
New Labour MP Peter Lamb: 'I’m too fat to have sharp elbows'
Communities
By Sienna Rodgers
New Labour MP Peter Lamb: 'I’m too fat to have sharp elbows'
New Labour MP Peter Lamb talks to Sienna Rodgers about his fears over the Chagos deal, siding with the left on Gaza, and why all housing association properties should be nationalised
How reforms to UK surrogacy law could lead to a clash with campaigners
Health
By Sienna Rodgers and Sophie Church
How reforms to UK surrogacy law could lead to a clash with campaigners
As the government considers whether to overhaul UK surrogacy law, Sienna Rodgers and Sophie Church explore the ethical and practical questions around reform – and the political backlash that could follow
Layla Moran: 'We are basically at a standstill with social care'
Health
By Sophie Church
Layla Moran: 'We are basically at a standstill with social care'
In her first interview since becoming Health and Social Care Committee chair, Layla Moran tells Sophie Church why Labour’s ‘glaring omission’ in its budget on social care will sink the NHS further. Photography by Tom Pilston
Kim Leadbeater Says Her Assisted Dying Bill Will Have “Strictest Safeguards In The World”
Health
Kim Leadbeater Says Her Assisted Dying Bill Will Have “Strictest Safeguards In The World”
Labour MP Kim Leadbeater has promised that her bill to legalise assisted dying for terminally ill adults will have the “strictest protections and safeguards of any legislation anywhere in the world”, PoliticsHome can reveal.
What do we know about the 2024 cohort of MPs?
Parliament
By Richard Cracknell
What do we know about the 2024 cohort of MPs?
Richard Cracknell, Elections statistics specialist at the House of Commons Library, delves into the data to reveal some interesting facts about the class of 2024
New Labour MP vs MMA fighter: Grappling with ego
Communities
By Tali Fraser
New Labour MP vs MMA fighter: Grappling with ego
A new Labour MP is set to go up against a professional MMA fighter, all in the name of charity. Will Stone tells Tali Fraser about the battle ahead, and why he has a 20 per cent chance of coming out on top
How Morgan McSweeney Got His Big Break
Political parties
How Morgan McSweeney Got His Big Break
Now he’s Keir Starmer’s all-powerful chief of staff but 18 years ago he was an unproven novice. Francis Elliott reports on how Lambeth set Morgan McSweeney on the path to No 10
Peter Kyle: 'I don’t wake up thinking, 'Today is the day I’m going to speak to Elon Musk''
Communities
By Tali Fraser
Peter Kyle: 'I don’t wake up thinking, "Today is the day I’m going to speak to Elon Musk"'
Ministers are banking on the AI revolution to drive everything from NHS reform to economic growth. Peter Kyle tells Tali Fraser about his efforts to keep the ‘Ferrari’ on the road. Photography by Louise Haywood-Schiefer
Interview: Joe Fortune, the quietly powerful Co-operative Party general secretary
Economy
By Sienna Rodgers
Interview: Joe Fortune, the quietly powerful Co-operative Party general secretary
An actual giant of the labour movement? Sienna Rodgers speaks to the tall and quietly powerful Co-operative Party general secretary, Joe Fortune. Photography by Elio Zhang
A nuclear kettle of fish at Hinkley Point C
Environment
By Tali Fraser
A nuclear kettle of fish at Hinkley Point C
Is a trawler’s worth of fish getting in the way of our nuclear ambitions? Tali Fraser investigates something fishy going on around Hinkley Point C
Sarah Jones: 'The possibility of us being able to import carbon is incredibly exciting'
Energy
By Sienna Rodgers
Sarah Jones: 'The possibility of us being able to import carbon is incredibly exciting'
Energy minister Sarah Jones talks to Sienna Rodgers about the government’s commitment to carbon capture and storage, why the UK has struggled to attract investment, and the shake-up in No 10
“He still calls me ‘Miss’': The Josh Fenton-Glynn and Allison Gardner interview
Parliament
By Sophie Church
“He still calls me ‘Miss’": The Josh Fenton-Glynn and Allison Gardner interview
During the election, Josh Fenton-Glynn realised fellow Labour candidate Allison Gardner was his old science teacher. Now MPs, they speak to Sophie Church about their time at school and ambitions for Parliament
Tory MP Harriet Cross on how ultra marathons prepared her for Westminster
Energy
By Tali Fraser
Tory MP Harriet Cross on how ultra marathons prepared her for Westminster
Ultramarathon runner and new MP Harriet Cross talks to Tali Fraser about how the election postponed her engagement, fighting for oil and gas jobs in her constituency, and settling into her second life. Photography by Louise Haywood-Schiefer
What makes a good leader – according to Tory members
Political parties
By Tim Bale
What makes a good leader – according to Tory members
Tory members’ views on what makes a good leader differ in some crucial regards from those of the wider electorate, not least on the candidates’ honesty, finds Tim Bale
Rishi Sunak: Now is the time for the Conservative Party to come together
Political parties
By Rishi Sunak MP
Rishi Sunak: Now is the time for the Conservative Party to come together
This year has been a difficult one for the Conservative Party. We have had disappointing election results both nationally and locally. Too many good Conservatives have lost their seats. But I know that with our values and the determination of our members, we can win back the trust of the British people. We can and will deliver for our country once more.
Jonathan Ashworth: 'Nobody likes losing an election. It's a kick in the knackers'
Communities
By Tali Fraser
Jonathan Ashworth: 'Nobody likes losing an election. It's a kick in the knackers'
A key figure in Gordon Brown’s No 10, and a shadow cabinet minister under Keir Starmer’s Labour opposition, Jonathan Ashworth tells Tali Fraser about his plans as chief executive of influential think tank Labour Together.
Sharon Graham: 'I worry the Treasury has a hand in stopping some of the vision'
Economy
By Sienna Rodgers
Sharon Graham: 'I worry the Treasury has a hand in stopping some of the vision'
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham talks to Sienna Rodgers about her Celtic upbringing, the ongoing factional fight within her union, and why she blames the Treasury for a lack of vision in government
Change begins here – but it won’t happen overnight
Political parties
By Keir Starmer MP
Change begins here – but it won’t happen overnight
This will be a historic Labour Party Conference. For the first time in 15 years, we will come together as the governing party of this great nation.
Jonathan Reynolds: 'You don’t get the nice things unless you’ve got discipline'
Economy
By Sienna Rodgers
Jonathan Reynolds: 'You don’t get the nice things unless you’ve got discipline'
Business and Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds talks to Sienna Rodgers about how ‘nice things’ require fiscal discipline, finding the ‘balance’ on workers’ rights, and his opposition to assisted dying