Comment

Ryan Henson: How to improve opportunities for white working-class boys – and get more on the Tory benches too

Research shows that investment in the early years of a child’s life is the most effective way to improve his or her long-term life chances.

Chris Whitehouse: The BBC needs to welcome and respond to scrutiny

Its reputation and market share has taken a buffeting recently, but its position is recoverable.

Roy Galley: Failing to invest in good religious education now will cost us later

The subject is vital for equipping young people to navigate the modern world and respect different cultures.

Jack Lopresti: What we should do now to help the Kurds – and why

Let’s remember that they bravely fought extremism for themselves, and to help keep our streets safe too. It’s reasonable to ask if Iraq is becoming a failed state.

Andrew Selous: Government needs to go further to curb junk food advertising to children

Enforcing a pre-watershed ban is an important step towards the sort of cultural change we need for a healthier population.

Brandon Lewis: As we meet for our Spring Forum, far-left intimidation is on the rise. But we will not be silenced.

Free speech is fundamental to a free country. So we must all make sure that Conservative voices are heard – even where they may not always be welcome.

Rory Geoghegan: A plan to free vulnerable women from a life of crime

Many women’s lives could be transformed by the right approach – this issue must not be neglected or forgotten amid bigger and more newsworthy events.

Martin Parsons: Casey’s proposals were an attack on religious freedom. Javid was right to bin them.

The Green Paper isn’t perfect, but the Communities Secretary is right to reject oaths of office and an excessively broad definition of ‘extremism’.

Which taxes should Tories cut? 3) Julian Jessop: Reduce sin taxes and property taxes to give the economy a fillip

The final article in our series argues that while the primary focus should be deficit reduction, there may yet be room to make life a bit easier, particularly for the poorest.

Mohammed Amin: The Conservatives are losing ground again on BME representation

Last year’s general election saw Labour decisively re-open a lead which we had worked hard to reduce in 2010 and 2015.

Which taxes should Tories cut? 2) Andrew Lilico: Reduce stamp duty to free up the housing market

The second piece in our series on reducing taxes also argues that in the longer term we should seek to return to a two-rate Income Tax system.

Monima O’Connor: Wales’s blanket ban on electronic animal collars was poorly thought-through – England should not copy it

The ban is underpinned by a failure to understand essential differences between two distinct types of device. Pets and people suffer as a result.