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.
The least we can do is learn the right lesson from his death: public servants must never become so afraid of accusations that they stop seeing what is right in front of them. No ideology, theory or institutional fear should ever obscure that fact.
A land value tax simply amounts to theft and it must be opposed by everyone with the slightest regard for private property.
A modern justice system must treat all forms of extremism with equal resolve, supporting deradicalisation and rehabilitation wherever possible, while acting decisively where risk remains.
If we want government to work better, we must ask it to do less. Making the state more efficient is not enough; we must also reduce the range of responsibilities it assumes.
Euro 2028 might well create its own political ramifications. Assuming this current administration remains in power, [insert name of Labour Prime Minister in 2028] will doubtless be factoring the Euros into the timing of the next general election.
You can’t achieve renewal with faces associated with the past. The next election will not be won through nostalgia for previous Conservative governments or cautious opposition alone but by convincing the country that the party once again possesses confidence, clarity and ambition.
Even in law enforcement and the criminal justice system – where officers and prosecutors and judges have a high degree of autonomy for obvious reasons – there must be accountability. Public authorities cannot be used to advance political agendas without consent.
International recruitment has a role to play – but as a complement to domestic workforce development, not a substitute for it. The breathing space that international recruitment provided has not been used to build a domestic alternative. The window in which that can be built is narrowing.
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