By Stephen Dowse It would not be an exaggeration to say that Reform UK has been the ghost haunting Keir Starmer’s premiership and, unfortunately for Labour, that ghost materialised during the recent 2026 English local elections, with Reform UK winning over 1450 council seats while Labour lost over 1200 council seats. It’s very easy to assume that the people who are voting for Reform UK are disillusioned Conservative Party voters and right-wing political activists; however, th

By Jack Keen This evening, I find myself reflecting on the last few prime ministers. It is easy to point to different failures or different weaknesses in personality and political fibre. But fundamentally, moderate world leaders have failed to do one thing. Communicate. Communication in the new era of modern technology is vital to our politics. No matter how good your policies are, perceptions can be different. Politicians look to other politicians for inspiration on this. Of

Starmer visits HMS Prince of Wales in April 2025. Image: Flickr/No.10 It is often said in politics that the first actions a Prime Minister takes are the most significant— a criticism that the current PM is probably familiar with. But this is quite literal. Indeed once all the clapping, shaking hands with the Cabinet Secretary and warm smiles are done, the Prime Minister does a very specific thing. They sit down, and writes four identical letters. Known as letters of last res