Britain has extraordinary cultural intellectual property, but an oddly British tendency to regulate, apologise for or undersell it rather than fervently export it. Tear down the financial drawbridge. Set English football free.
The truth is that nothing in politics is inevitable. Nothing in politics is ever really settled. In the next few years, there must be a fight; a fight for the future of the country, and for Conservatives, a fight for ownership of the political right.
To take the fight to Labour, Badenoch and her top team must wholeheartedly embrace a political philosophy which encompasses individual liberty, fiscal responsibility, and self-reliance. Only by offering a radical and ambitious alternative that stands squarely on the side of aspirational households can the Conservatives contemplate converting a shift in the public mood into a genuine political comeback.
The country faces difficult problems and is increasingly polarised and fragmented. It cannot be governed by shallow soundbites or by the politics of victimhood and division. The British political media is far from perfect, but the accountability and scrutiny it brings is essential for anyone serious about leading the country.
Laila Cunningham is right to be nervous about the threat posed by the Tories finally finding a heavyweight candidate for City Hall at last. And not just because her media honeymoon will now be over. James Cleverly is the most experienced candidate for City Hall any party has fielded.
Cambridgeshire Guided Busway, a quirk in the county, and for some, a point of pride. However, it is a micro example of the sclerotic nature of our nation, the sluggishness of our growth, an unwillingness to build, and a resistance to making quick decisions.
LGBT+ Conservatives has taken a clear stance against the puberty blockers trial, organised social events and supported members on the campaign trail. Credit where it’s due. However, Kemi has shifted the party on sex and gender and not everyone has caught up. The direction is right; the loose ends simply need tying up.
Kemi Badenoch, by contrast, marked the ruling’s first anniversary by ordering Conservative-run councils to draw up plans which prohibit biological men from entering women’s facilities and pledging to compel every council in the country to do the same if elected.
London has become exceptionally good at generating economic activity. The harder question is whether enough of the people generating it can build a life here. That is the test I believe the next Mayor should set for our city.
Nigel Farage – thus answering my question – returns from Clacton politically stronger, and deserves credit, as a good populist, for reading his electorate correctly.
Whilst the Conservatives are still capable of attracting people who’ve actually run things, Reform is struggling to attract people who would not require a PR crisis-management team on speed dial the moment they were elected. In the City we are paid to notice these distinctions. Politics, for once, might usefully do the same.
My latest focus groups took place in Leeds, Halesowen and Solihull, where we heard from uncommitted voters about their views on the early weeks of Andy Burnham, and their hopes and hesitations about Labour’s main opponents.
The Online Safety Act was supposed to make technology companies more accountable. Its success should not be measured solely by what happens inside Silicon Valley boardrooms. It should also be measured by whether Britain has reduced the burden placed on the institutions left to deal with the consequences.