perspectives

By Kobika Dilipkumar Ten years since the world agreed on the breakthrough Paris Agreement, world leaders, NGOs, activists, and more gathered in the sweltering heat of Belém for COP 30. Many hoped that this would be the year that global climate diplomacy shifts from promises to action, and two weeks of heated negotiations culminated in the Belém Package, comprising 29 decisions aimed at accelerating climate action. Despite being adopted by 195 countries, the Package has made

By Noah Williams The former Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, has been sentenced to death for crimes against humanity, the Bangladesh International Crimes Tribunal has ruled. In a statement read out by the court, Hasina was found guilty of “committing crimes against humanity by her order to use drones, helicopters and lethal weapons against civilians,” in a crackdown against student-led protests across Bangladesh last year. Hasina, who was forced to flee Bangladesh

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