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Editor's choice
Virginia Crosbie: why I had to quit Boris Johnson's government
Political parties
By Virginia Crosbie MP
Virginia Crosbie: why I had to quit Boris Johnson's government
As ministers lined up to resign from Boris Johnson's government this week, Virginia Crosbie faced a difficult dilemma over whether or not she should stay in her post as a parliamentary private secretary in the Welsh Office. She explains her decision to step aside.
Where Are They Now? James Frith
Parliament
By Sienna Rodgers
Where Are They Now? James Frith
James Frith, Labour MP for Bury North 2017 – 2019
Lord Blunkett: Learning the lessons of the past to reform education
Education
By Lord Blunkett
Lord Blunkett: Learning the lessons of the past to reform education
If commissions were empowered to change the education system, we would certainly see some enormous improvements! In my very long time in politics, I have never known so many different groups forming commissions, of one kind or another, to review the education system.
The Nadhim Zahawi Interview: 'Teachers know the damage strikes will have on children'
Education
By John Johnston
The Nadhim Zahawi Interview: 'Teachers know the damage strikes will have on children'
Nadhim Zahawi faces an uphill battle to get the education system back on track post-Covid. He talks about his approach to recovery – and how he hopes it will boost his party’s fortunes. Photography by Michael Garnett.
Keeping it local: are home-grown MPs best?
Political parties
By Professor Philip Cowley
Keeping it local: are home-grown MPs best?
As recent by-elections have shown, constituency parties – and voters – prize a local candidate. Professor Philip Cowley examines whether a home-grown MP is always best
Times Education Commission: our education system needs radical reform to avoid falling behind
Education
By Rachel Sylvester
Times Education Commission: our education system needs radical reform to avoid falling behind
The world is changing at an astonishing rate. The way we shop, work, travel and bank has been transformed in the last decade but our schools have hardly changed in a hundred years. Instead of adapting to the 21st century, education remains stuck in the 20th, and in some ways the 19th, century. At the very moment when artificial intelligence is taking over many routine tasks, learning has become more robotic.
Yes, Prime Minister: How many PPSs does a premier need?
Parliament
By Professor Philip Cowley
Yes, Prime Minister: How many PPSs does a premier need?
Influencer or ‘bag-carrier’? Philip Cowley unpicks the unpaid job of the prime minister’s parliamentary private secretary
Mrs Crackenthorpe's diary – 4 July 2022 edition
Political parties
By Mrs Crackenthorpe
Mrs Crackenthorpe's diary – 4 July 2022 edition
Sumer is icumen in, as once they sang in the round; already we find ourselves tormented by British disappointment at Wimbledon and a Palace that’s far sweatier than it should be. In such foisty conditions, gossip has a tendency to breed at an exponential rate, so it’s fortunate your diarist has had her ear to the ground.
Boris Johnson 'Is Not Long For This World' According To Prime Minister's Biographer
Political parties
Boris Johnson "Is Not Long For This World" According To Prime Minister's Biographer
Leading historian and the biographer of a string of recent Prime Ministers Sir Anthony Seldon has predicted a less than prosperous trajectory for Boris Johnson's future in Number 10.

Countering the cost-of-living crisis – some quick fixes
Economy
By Lord Allen of Kensington
Countering the cost-of-living crisis – some quick fixes
The government needs to move fast to advert a catastrophic decline in the life chances and life expectancy of the poorest in our society. A decline that will take years to reverse and a decline that will see deep division and derision between the well-off and the poor.
Victims of sexual violence must not be deterred from seeking counselling
Home affairs
By Sarah Champion MP
Victims of sexual violence must not be deterred from seeking counselling
Reporting sexual violence to the police can be an utterly terrifying experience, and the process of going through the criminal justice system often re-traumatises many victims and survivors.
What Does It Mean That The Met Police Have Been Placed In ‘Special Measures’?
Home affairs
What Does It Mean That The Met Police Have Been Placed In ‘Special Measures’?
The police watchdog Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) has announced they will place Britain’s largest police force – the Metropolitan Police – into special measures following a string of high-profile incidents and “systemic” failings.
Restoration and Renewal must deliver value for money as well as fulfilling Parliament's needs
Parliament
By Charles Walker MP
Restoration and Renewal must deliver value for money as well as fulfilling Parliament's needs
The Palace of Westminster sits at the heart of a UNESCO world heritage site and is a global symbol of our parliamentary democracy.
We must reset the balance of power between Parliament and the government
Parliament
By Lord Hodgson and Lord McLoughlin
We must reset the balance of power between Parliament and the government
In November 2021, the Lords Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform Committee (DPRRC) and the Lords Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee (SLSC), working in close collaboration, issued a stark warning – that, for years now, power has been shifting away from Parliament towards the executive and it is now a matter of urgency that the shift should stop and the balance be re-set.
MPs Call For Stronger UK Abortion Rights After Historic US Abortion Bans
Health
MPs Call For Stronger UK Abortion Rights After Historic US Abortion Bans
Several MPs have called on the UK government to strengthen domestic rights to abortion care following the United States' historic decision to overturn a ruling protecting the right to abortion.
Counties need the same attention as cities for levelling up to succeed
Economy
By Ben Bradley MP
Counties need the same attention as cities for levelling up to succeed
If we are to be successful in levelling up the country, putting powers in the hands of local communities coupled with ambitious levels of investment for those places, will go a long way to delivering this aim.
Former Party Chair Lord Baker on 'the Strange Death of Conservative England'
Political parties
By Lord Baker of Dorking
Former Party Chair Lord Baker on 'the Strange Death of Conservative England'
Former Conservative Party Chairman and cabinet minister Lord Baker questions whether the party's MPs will remain loyal to Boris Johnson following the disastrous recent by-election results.
Seismic US Abortion Ban Renews Calls To Get Northern Ireland Services Up And Running
Social affairs
Seismic US Abortion Ban Renews Calls To Get Northern Ireland Services Up And Running
The decision by the US Supreme Court to reverse that country’s legal right to abortion has renewed focus on the lack of abortion provision in Northern Ireland where women still cannot access services locally, despite a law passed more than two years ago.
Boris Johnson Is Wrong To Blame Double By-Election Loss On Midterm Blues, Say Pollsters
Political parties
Boris Johnson Is Wrong To Blame Double By-Election Loss On Midterm Blues, Say Pollsters
Several pollsters have dismissed Boris Johnson’s claim that his party’s double by-election loss was a normal part of the electoral cycle, and have suggested that the Prime Minister’s character was a driving force behind the losses.
The Rundown: Rail Strikes Signal Summer Of Discontent
Transport
The Rundown: Rail Strikes Signal Summer Of Discontent
Transport select committee chair Huw Merriman joins PoliticsHome reporters Alain Tolhurst, Eleanor Langford and Noa Hoffman to discuss this week’s national rail strikes, public sector pay, RMT union boss Mick Lynch’s cult hero status and what impact a double by-election defeat may have on Boris Johnson’s leadership.
After Ukraine, Britain’s defence plans need a reboot
Defence
By Lord Coaker
After Ukraine, Britain’s defence plans need a reboot
There are key moments in history when everything changes. The geopolitical landscape is forged by these moments – the signing of the Treaty of Versailles, the Cuban missile crisis, the fall of the Berlin Wall, or 9/11.
Why can't BEIS and the Treasury get on?
Environment
By Tom Sasse
Why can't BEIS and the Treasury get on?
At the heart of the government’s problems with the cost-of-living crisis is a rupture between the two departments charged with managing the economy. Is it just down to the personalities, or is there something deeper going on? Tom Sasse reports.
When it comes to child refugees, the government must move faster
Foreign affairs
By Margaret Ferrier MP
When it comes to child refugees, the government must move faster
In April I was contacted by Kate, a constituent who, with her husband, had been matched with two young Ukrainians under the Homes for Ukraine Scheme. Fifteen-year-old Nataliia and her aunt Millena had fled Kyiv some weeks earlier.
Why Boris Johnson Flipped From Promising A “High Wage Economy” To Urging Pay Restraint
Economy
Why Boris Johnson Flipped From Promising A “High Wage Economy” To Urging Pay Restraint
Boris Johnson pledged to create “a high-wage, high-skill economy” at Conservative Party conference just eight months ago, but now that unions are asking for higher pay, the Prime Minister is urging restraint.
Refugee Week marked in Parliament with exhibition featuring portraits of refugee women
Books & culture
By Sienna Rodgers
Refugee Week marked in Parliament with exhibition featuring portraits of refugee women
Refugee Week is being celebrated in Parliament with a special artistic exhibition of portraits featuring refugee women from around the world.
Labour Front Benchers Banned From Joining Picket Lines Amid Rail Strikes
Political parties
Labour Front Benchers Banned From Joining Picket Lines Amid Rail Strikes
Exclusive: Labour front benchers have been told by the party leadership that they are banned from picket lines this week amid rail strikes organised by the Rail, Maritime and Transport workers' union.
Commons Agrees To Erase Data On MPs' Attendance After Pressure From Ministers
Political parties
Commons Agrees To Erase Data On MPs' Attendance After Pressure From Ministers
The House of Commons has agreed to erase the data allowing people to find out when MPs enter and leave Parliament following a backlash to a Freedom of Information Request by ministers.
Committee Corridor: Tom Tugendhat on Ukraine, Afghanistan and failures of leadership
Defence
By Sienna Rodgers
Committee Corridor: Tom Tugendhat on Ukraine, Afghanistan and failures of leadership
Conservative MP, former soldier and foreign affairs specialist Tom Tugendhat is the host of a new podcast about Commons committees. He talks to Sienna Rodgers about the war in Ukraine, Afghanistan and failures of leadership
Hague the Older: from precocious teenager to Conservative leader and beyond
Political parties
By Sienna Rodgers
Hague the Older: from precocious teenager to Conservative leader and beyond
To mark the 25th anniversary of his election as Conservative leader, Lord Hague tells Sienna Rodgers about his youthful gamble, current Tory dissatisfaction with Boris Johnson and why he has left politics
The Rundown: By-Election Races Tighten Despite Tories’ Tough Week
Political parties
The Rundown: By-Election Races Tighten Despite Tories’ Tough Week
Labour shadow minister Stephanie Peacock and Liberal Democrat MP Sarah Olney join PoliticsHome's Alain Tolhurst and Adam Payne to look ahead to the double by-election next Thursday and reflect on another hectic week in Westminster.
Lib Dems Say Rwanda Relocation Policy Is Putting Off Tory Voters In Tiverton And Honiton
Political parties
Lib Dems Say Rwanda Relocation Policy Is Putting Off Tory Voters In Tiverton And Honiton
The government’s plan to forcibly relocate asylum seekers to Rwanda is putting off natural Tory voters in Tiverton and Honiton, according to the Liberal Democrats who are hoping to win the seat in a by-election next week.
From maternity rights to terminal illness support: The House guide to 2022 Private Members' Bills
Parliament
By Sienna Rodgers
From maternity rights to terminal illness support: The House guide to 2022 Private Members' Bills
Out of 460 MPs who entered the Private Members' Bill ballot in May, a total of 20 were drawn – allowing these parliamentarians to introduce their chosen bills to the House of Commons today.
Home Office Will Do “Whatever Is Necessary' To Ensure Rwanda Deportation Flights Go Ahead
Home affairs
Home Office Will Do “Whatever Is Necessary" To Ensure Rwanda Deportation Flights Go Ahead
A Home Office minister has said the government will do “whatever is necessary” to deter appeals by asylum seekers due to be removed to Rwanda that could cause further delays to the first deportation flight.
Out of office – how the pandemic has changed the face of British high streets
Coronavirus
By Chaminda Jayanetti
Out of office – how the pandemic has changed the face of British high streets
Exclusive analysis by The House reveals how the pandemic has accelerated a leap in office vacancies in London and the Home Counties. What impact will the trend have on our high streets – and the future of work?
My dealings with parliament's complaints service reveal a flawed process
Parliament
By Anonymous Staffer
My dealings with parliament's complaints service reveal a flawed process
In December 2021, I concluded a process through the Independent Complaints and Grievances Service (ICGS) against a former employer.
Boris Johnson Has “Bought Himself 12 Months” After Tories Sleepwalked Into A Confidence Vote
Political parties
Boris Johnson Has “Bought Himself 12 Months” After Tories Sleepwalked Into A Confidence Vote
It was widely expected in the wake of the long Jubilee bank holiday weekend that enough letters of no confidence in Boris Johnson would have been submitted to trigger a vote on his leadership.