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 and others related to his…
What do Israel, the USA and several member states of the EU all have in common? Mass vaccination campaigns which are being rolled out to 12-17 year old’s with millions already being jabbed. Just a matter of days ago, the JCVI (Joint Committee on Vaccination…
They may have been in power for eleven years and yield the party’s biggest parliamentary majority since Margret Thatcher’s days as leader, but the Conservative Party under Boris Johnson is far from indestructible. A delicate balance of factors is holding their support together, a balance…
The government has recently pledged to increase some NHS staff’s wages by 3%. The decision took place after facing widespread criticism earlier in the year for pursuing a pitiful pay rise of 1%. The government hoped that the new proposal would be satisfactory, but once…
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 and others related to his…
Importance of universities Science and higher education are some of the UK’s strong points. Higher education earned the UK £10.71 billion in exports and, according to the Nature Index, the UK ranks fourth worldwide in terms of research output. This country has produced some of…
The UK’s decision to cut the foreign aid budget is a symptom of a declining “global Britain”. Currently, the UK spends 0.7% of its budget on foreign aid, which is in line with the recommended percentage proposed by the UN target established in the 1970s.…
Though the US has long been considered the world’s leading power and a pillar of Western democracy, some now acknowledge a so-called ‘European pillar’ in the form of the European Union. Yet, the notion of a potential third pillar distinct from either the US or…
Dominic Cummings is a name most in Britain are familiar with. The architect of the Vote Leave campaign and dubbed notoriously by David Cameron as a ‘career psychopath’, Cummings is an unorthodox political operative who has strong views on how the UK political system should function. Speaking…
As a second generation immigrant to England, I have had a host of positive experiences when it comes to feeling welcomed and comfortable. I live in London, it’s nice to feel that I am part of a hugely diverse community. It often seems to me…
It has only been five years since Jo Cox, Labour MP for Batley and Spen, was murdered by a man who held ‘far-right views’ in the village of Birstall, where she was due to hold a constituency surgery. Cox herself was a staunch Remainer from…
The Police, Crimes, Sentencing and Courts Bill passed its Third Reading and is now in the House of Lords. It’s a grisly piece of legislation that threatens the right to protest, criminalises homelessness, and risks the viability of the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller way of…
With all Covid restrictions set to be lifted on 19th July, the Backbench wanted to explore what this might mean for society – in terms of the economy, public health and in terms of the wider political ramifications of this decision. Read on for some…
The power of education should be obvious. In developing countries, getting all children, especially girls, into primary and secondary education is a key category for a country’s social progress. Yet, where education has long been universally available, it is too easily taken for granted. Indeed, I was…
The result of the recent by-election in Chesham & Amersham has renewed speculation over a so-called “progressive alliance” – the idea that by co-operating, Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the Greens can beat the Tories in an election. There are numerous holes in this idea,…
Like much of life, economic theory is not black and white. In an age of uncertainty, people are understandably looking for clarity. This desire for certainty does not always fit well with academic theory. Broadly, whatever your view on a subject, you will be able…
Politics is a funny thing. One day, the Conservative Party winning Hartlepool symbolises Boris Johnson’s continued erosion of Labour support and suggests the Tories will reign supreme for decades to come; weeks later, the Labour victory in Batley and Spen is touted as the beginning…
The UK’s new Health Secretary Sajid Javid has stated on several occasions that he likes the book The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand, telling The Spectator in 2018 he identifies with the book’s protagonist Howard Roak. This, and his calls to end all COVID-19 restrictions on…
In his first MAGA campaign-style rally since leaving the White House, Donald Trump vented his election grievances and touted his baseless claims of voter fraud in front of thousands of red-hat-wearing supporters in Ohio over last weekend. The rally was built as a “revenge tour”…
Social media as a way to spread information hardly favours political nuance and complexity, and the rise of the “story” feature on Instagram is no different. Similar to the tweet and the hashtag which came before it, the “Instagram infographic” has become the latest format…