No, that's probably Andrew Britton. Ministers are named by titles, like the Financial Secretary at the top

That suggests there is time for a leftward pivot and a hung parliament (with Lib Dem support?) before it all goes up in smoke...

He's right - terrific stuff. 'You cannot “live within the lie” of mutual benefit through integration when integration becomes the source of your subordination.'

It's a pleasure to contribute to Renewal's special issue on Labour in power (though unfortunately it's behind a paywall)

Yes

I wonder if part of the problem is that a labour market strategy developed in a pre-2015 context (EU membership, lower NMW, lower corporate tax rates) is being applied in a very different economic environment

I think this partly stems from the ways in which the Corbyn-era Labour Party cultivated a coalition of stakeholders with spending proposals and other policy initiatives. After 2020 much of the spending went, but the party had to keep its stakeholders on side.

The snag is that effective social democratic opposition tends to involve an urgent, moralistic politics of mobilisation.

This is a great opportunity to join the Churchill College community for a term and carry out research on our wonderful C20th history collections. Apply now for 2026/27!

📝 Don't miss this article from the current issue of #BJPIR - Volume 27, Issue 4 (November 2025)

'Why do parties (not) support Universal Basic Income? The case of the UK Liberal Democrats' by @pjsloman.bsky.social

🔗 buff.ly/roRneC3

@polstudiesassoc.bsky.social

The Baldwin option of an early election (after the budget, before tax rises take effect) deserves more consideration than it's getting. It would be mad, of course, but once Labour's credibility on tax pledges is lost, it will be very hard to regain.

Oh, absolutely. And I thought we'd lose the Series 4-0 or 4-1. Just frustrating that three of the four defeats were so close

Killed by the solo homers. On to next year...

Can't see us winning this now

Just about, but not sure I can face extra innings!

Watching from Canberra. So much tension!

Thanks... it was quite a marathon!

Now Yamamoto up in the pen...

Pretty close, I think. It was nice to see Clayton Kershaw come in for an out

Both of these bullpens have taken a fair bit of stick, but they are doing well tonight...

Chris Huhne?

Yes, it's a nice word!

Not at all - it was a good question. I think there was an element of path dependency: Labour promised not to raise the broad-based taxes on working people under Miliband and Corbyn, and doubled down on that in 2021-2, so it was hard to pivot after they moved far ahead in the polls

I can't think of other similarities, but the big ones are important! There are interesting questions about how we think about electoral 'mandates' and how politicians read the context they are governing in.

Thanks - I stumbled across both pieces!

John Maynard Keynes on Universal Basic Income John Maynard Keynes has not normally been seen as a basic income supporter, but two letters written by Keynes during the Second World War suggest that he had thought seriously about the idea and was a...

I've published a new (short) article on 'John Maynard Keynes and Universal Basic Income', which might be of interest to those working on these debates: www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi...

‘Our policy stands’: PM downplays Treasury advice on doubling tax rate for superannuation over $3m Albanese reiterates policy despite reports his government was reconsidering changes to address criticisms of taxing ‘unrealised gains’

Close watchers of political language and the links between British Labour and the ALP might note that Albanese was saying 'our policy stands' about a tax change last week, just days before his government revised it: www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

Yes, that's very true. I'm just struck by the extent to which Labour is psychologically beholden to people who didn't actually vote for it

It's interesting that 2024 Labour and LD voters have virtually identical views here - which suggests that relatively few of the ex-Labour Leavers Starmer has targeted since 2020 actually voted for the party

On the Conservatives' £47bn of spending cuts, this feels like a very early stage in the Parliament to be setting out specifics, but I suppose the point is to allow Badenoch and Stride to oppose the tax rises coming in the November budget.