perspectives

By Isabella Joseph ‘Ethical’ and ‘politics’ are two words that, when placed together, often feel oxymoronic – and President Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, has become the latest figure to reinforce that perception. In a leaked audio recording from October 14, Witkoff is heard, as many have argued, ‘coaching’ Yuri Ushakov, Putin's foreign policy adviser, on how to appeal to Trump regarding the Russia–Ukraine war and a potential peace deal between the nations. Treason? Ha

By Charlotte Roff On 20 November, the US and Russia’s proposal of a 28-point peace plan to end the war in Ukraine was leaked. This document comes at an important stage of the Russia-Ukraine War, as over one million have now been killed as a result of the conflict which will have lasted for four years as of February 2026. Subsequent diplomatic meetings and proposed plans have fostered some hope that President Trump is nearing a peace deal in Ukraine. However, the content of

By Charles Wawn Millions of people will be dragged into higher tax brackets for the rest of the decade as Rachel Reeves unveiled her second tax raising budget as Chancellor with a raft of new measures aimed principally at tackling the cost of living, reducing spending on debt interest and encouraging the Bank of England to reduce interest rates. The budget announced many measures – some new, others preexisting – aimed at easing living pressures in very tangible ways. These in

By Isabella Joseph From the moment he took office in 2007, Nicolas Sarkozy found himself to be the subject of palpable public dislike. A hatred so irrational, in fact, that those who heard his policies without his name attached to them, supported them. This public aversion to Sarkozy’s personality soon translated into political sabotage. French voters delivered a definitive, almost personal, act of democratic spite; the electoral outcome was a testament to voter anger that sa

The House of Lords has tabled, a record-breaking, 900 amendments to the proposed Assisted Dying Bill. Kim Leadbetter, MP, warned that some of the amendments looked designed to "try and stop the Bill passing through Parliament." Indeed, it seems that 579 amendments have been tabled by seven opponents, sparking a letter from 65 supportive peers, to their colleagues, urging them not to frustrate the will of the Commons. In this moment, where the Bill's future hangs in the balan

By Maryam Munshi President Trump takes yet another stride toward American authoritarianism through his deployment of National Guard troops in Democrat-led cities. As neither the military occupation of Los Angeles, nor that of Washington D.C., satisfied the administration’s crusade against  “lawlessness”  troops have now expanded into Memphis. With ongoing attempts to enter Chicago and Portland currently being disputed in court, we’re left wondering— who really is the “lawless

By Adrian Khodavardar  In the lead-up to the UK’s next general election, the spotlight has shifted from televised debates and print media to a newer political arena: short-form videos and algorithmic feeds. At the centre of this shift is Reform UK, led by Nigel Farage, using TikTok not as a side project but as a core component of its communication strategy. The question is whether TikTok has created a new populist pipeline for Reform UK or if it merely amplifies frustrations

Spencer Livermore, Baron Livermore. He currently serves as Financial Secretary to the Treasury since July 2024. Photo: HM Treasury/Flickr. Following on from the disastrous local elections in May 2021, Keir Starmer quietly appointed a backbench MP to a key party role. Given the turbulent shadow cabinet reshuffle concurrently underway, her appointment was not widely covered — but she had one task.  She had to save his leadership. Shabana Mahmood now, of course, is one of the La

The most recently signed peace deal does not mark a resolution to the Israeli-Palestine conflict. Not now, when Israel appears to have already broken it. Rather, such agreements serve as a temporary pause to a cycle of violence that has defined the past two years, offering at best a tentative roadmap toward broader regional peace.  Conflicts as deep-rooted rarely resolve on their own. In an ideal world, lasting peace would take the form of a two-state solution - with Israel a

Following two years of relentless conflict that has claimed the lives of more than 68,000 Gazans since October 2023, a ceasefire has finally been brokered between Israel and Hamas. At the heart of the agreement lies U.S. President Trump’s 20-point plan which promises to deliver a “strong, durable, and everlasting peace.” Although the world was quick to celebrate what seems to be the end of destruction across the region, its sustainability remains uncertain. Does this ceasef