Opinion

When Margaret Thatcher launched her assault on Britain’s industrial towns in the 80s suspicions that the country’s coal output may be on the decline were already there for all to see. Much of continental Europe had started to wind down their operations and the view from the Conservative benches was that the UK must follow suite. The problem was that they had nothing to put in its place, and so the benefits culture that still exists today was created. With...

Brexit chaos continues to engulf Westminster. David Davis and Boris Johnson have resigned, along with a number of minor Conservative figures. The long awaited Brexiteer rebellion may finally have begun. And it could be fatal for the Tory Party. It's hard to underestimate the trouble the Conservative Party is in right now. In the abnormal political atmosphere, two senior cabinet ministers jumping ship is not enough to trigger a leadership challenge. But this should not re-assure Theresa May or her...

"In politics, there are Realists and there are Romantics", William Hague wrote in the Telegraph today. His words echo those printed in a Guardian editorial last week before the Chequers outcome unravelled, pointing to the collection of rudderless populists that have been left in charge of running the country for the past two years. Since the EU referendum several high-profile political campaigners and anti-EU political parties have disappeared into the ether as attempts to deliver their ill-conceived plan are tabled. David Cameron,...

Boris Johnson walks away from Theresa May's government with his head held high today after been given the freedom to decide his own destiny. The outspoken politician has survived numerous sackable offences during his tenure on the front bench and is yet another Brexiter to walk away from a mess they created. Owen Jones noted on Twitter shortly after the announcement that "the fact Boris Johnson resigned rather than being sacked for his rampant disloyalty and his repeated outrageous comments shows...

On the face of it, 70 years ago, the National Health Service was a crazy proposition. An insane concept by which people were suddenly given a service for free that those who could afford it had previously paid a small fortune for. Its proposal was greeted with the same scepticism that someone might receive now for suggesting we should all be entitled to free petrol, free beer, or a free haircut. There had to be a catch. But this is...

In the beginning there were seven. The North, The Iron Islands, The Vale, The Westerlands, The Stormlands, The Reach, and Dorne, all fiercely protecting their corner of Westeros and all pedalling a claim to the Iron Throne in a game that has become renowned on television sets world-wide. It is a synopsis that has become widely linked to political happenings in the real world since it first aired in 2011. The divisions between the proud north and the governing south...

Cast members from the award winning TV series The Handmaid's Tale are raising awareness about violence against women and girls by joining forces with women's rights group Equality Now to share real-life stories that eerily reflect plotlines from the show. In a two-minute film, cast members including Joseph Fiennes, Samira Wiley, Madeline Brewer and Ann Dowd, and lead production crew share the words of women and girls describing personal experiences of rape, sex trafficking and female genital mutilation. "This is not...

By Robert Seiler It's official: nuclear is back in Wales. After weeks of discussions over the risks of investing in large-scale energy projects, the British government proposed to become an equal investment partner in the new Wylfa Newydd nuclear plant. Under a tripartite financing structure, London is going to take a £16 billion stake in the plant, signalling that it has learned its lessons from past failures. Both in Wales and further east in Europe, a public stake plays a critical...

Conservative MPs are set to meet at Chequers this Friday to discuss crucial Brexit details. According to Robert Peston Theresa May is planning to deliver a soft Brexit in order to maintain access to the customs union. This includes a rehash of the new customs partnership, continuing with European standards and law and offering preferential rights to EU citizens to live and work in the UK. It sets the groundwork for a future commercial arrangement with the EU that "is not as deep...