It’s been nearly fifteen years since Labour’s last election-winning leader left No 10. Since 2007, it’s fair to say that Sir Tony’s reputation has, to put it mildly, fallen. Whether it be the findings of the Chilcot Inquiry into the…
On December 31st 2021, the New Year’s Honours were announced. One name stuck out like a sore thumb, making his inclusion one of the most controversial in recent years. That being former Prime Minister Tony Blair, who was given a…
The Conservative Party have been in power in the UK for over a decade. Their first election triumph, after many years in opposition at the hands of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown’s New Labour, was secured following the economic catastrophe…
The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill 2021 is a very controversial piece of legislation. However, some of the bill’s proposals are long overdue, such as increased sentences for assaults on emergency workers and death by dangerous driving or careless…
It’s fascinating how quickly so much can change in politics. Two years ago, Boris Johnson led the Conservatives to their best general election result since Margaret Thatcher’s landslide in 1987 and left a Labour opposition in tatters with just 202…
There are many conclusions to draw following the recent Owen Paterson scandal. According to the British public, one obvious one is ‘Tory sleaze’ and it’s back worse than before. As such, there have been more stories in the press surrounding…
The current incarnation of the Conservative Party is filled with incredibly toxic people. Arguably one of the worst of Johnson’s cabinet is Dominic Raab. After his failure dealing with Afghanistan as Foreign Secretary, it was decided by Johnson that Raab…
Over the coming months, Backbench will be partnering with Torrin Wilkins, Director of Centre Think Tank for a series of comment pieces. In his column, Torrin will explore prominent policy issues – some of them related to the latest news…
Last month, the government voted in favour of increasing national insurance contributions by 1.25 percentage points. This led to the breaking of their manifesto commitment in 2019 of not increasing national insurance. The main criticism of this decision is that…
The suggestion of vaccine passports and COVID passes have enraged the anti-vaccine population across Britain. Many feel that these sorts of passes have the potential to infringe on their rights to medical confidentiality. Although, in the post-lockdown age they are…