Stephen Bush

Wednesday, 4 February, 2026

Tuesday, 3 February, 2026

Inside Politics

Mandelson row hits Starmer already at rock bottom

Morgan McSweeney could be forced out over misjudgment, raising stakes for PM’s survival

Tuesday, 3 February, 2026

AI and jobs

UBI fans must remember a job is about more than the money

The value of work often gets left out of discussions about AI

Monday, 2 February, 2026

Inside Politics

The bigger problem with Labour’s botched business rates U-turn

Tax reform demands choices about ‘special treatment’ that politicians have long avoided

Thursday, 29 January, 2026

Inside Politics

Why the Tories should move back to the centre

Kemi Badenoch should stop presenting the party as anti-system and instead champion its centrist achievements

Wednesday, 28 January, 2026

Inside Politics

The case for Labour’s policing overhaul — and the big risks

Breaking down the good, the bad and the unclear in the government’s new white paper

Tuesday, 27 January, 2026

Inside Politics

Tories should be glad Braverman has gone to Reform

But Kemi Badenoch refuses opportunity to argue that Reform opposes many of her party’s finest achievements

Tuesday, 27 January, 2026

Politics

Carney, Trump and the power of a good speech

Leaders don’t need to write every word themselves, but they do need to make sure it clearly represents their vision

Monday, 26 January, 2026

Inside Politics

Diminished Starmer at the limit of his powers

Andy Burnham veto leaves government where it started — with a weakened PM struggling to push controversial policy through parliament

Friday, 23 January, 2026

Political Fix podcast35 min listen

When the ‘special relationship’ isn’t so special

Is Starmer’s approach to Trump now in tatters?

Friday, 23 January, 2026

Inside Politics

Odds are stacked against Andy Burnham in No 10

Selection seems unlikely and there’s no guarantee that Greater Manchester mayor would appeal more than Keir Starmer

Thursday, 22 January, 2026

Inside Politics

Trump’s Davos rant should alarm Starmer

It remains unclear how PM and European leaders can keep Trump on track, let alone stop him from aggressive acts

Wednesday, 21 January, 2026

Inside Politics

Westminster ‘riding it out’ is not a strategy for UK-US relations

London needs to seek deep trade and security alliances with other democratically minded middle powers

Tuesday, 20 January, 2026

Inside Politics

Britain is underprepared for this crisis

Keir Starmer needs to make clear the stakes over Greenland

Tuesday, 20 January, 2026

Ageing Populations

Intergenerational strife is a losing political strategy

The lure of pensioner-bashing doesn’t take real life into consideration

Monday, 19 January, 2026

Inside Politics

Defence policy falters when given the wrong prompt

If the UK can no longer soothe the US with its pledges, it should refocus on what spending targets are actually for

Friday, 16 January, 2026

Political Fix podcast35 min listen

Disloyalty and defection: the Tory-Reform psychodrama

Robert Jenrick's accelerated leap to Team Farage. Plus, Labour's U-turns fuel cabinet discontent.

Friday, 16 January, 2026

Inside Politics

Tories are squandering chance to show why they are not Reform

Party must set itself apart because anyone who wants to vote for the populist right is well-served by Farage

Thursday, 15 January, 2026

Instant InsightUK politics

Jenrick’s sacking is both threat and opportunity for Badenoch

The surprise departure deprives Farage of some Westminster theatre and gives the Tories a chance to reclaim ground

Thursday, 15 January, 2026

Inside Politics

Labour’s muddled thinking on police reform

New policy devised in response to latest scandal shows insufficient planning by party while in opposition

Wednesday, 14 January, 2026

Inside Politics

Digital ID should aim to win public support, not force it

Keir Starmer irked his MPs last year by framing move as means to tackle illegal working

Tuesday, 13 January, 2026

Artificial intelligence

AI cannot take responsibility for human faults

As Grok shows, decisions have consequences and someone needs to be able to answer for them

Tuesday, 13 January, 2026

Inside Politics

Nadhim Zahawi joining Reform shrinks the Farage ‘fear’ factor

Defection helps rightwing party by making it less scary and more viable in era of bloc-based politics

Monday, 12 January, 2026

Inside Politics

Labour’s electoral strategy debates are a distraction from governing

More useful discussions right now might be the UK’s defence commitments and what that means for taxes

Friday, 9 January, 2026

Inside Politics

No, Reform hasn’t peaked

Still, the Conservative Party could recover some support by leveraging its pro-business instincts and intellectual offer