Spotlight, the New Statesman‘s policy section, covers UK public policy for the people who make it and the business leaders it affects. This year, as Westminster and Whitehall geared up for an election in the not-too-distant future, we reported on the key issues in net zero, healthcare and economic growth policy. Here are some of our best features and interviews from 2023.
“On the outside looking in”: Labour’s shadow Cop
By Megan Kenyon
As we head into an election year, could Labour use Cop28 to its advantage? Megan Kenyon talked to experts and Labour insiders as the shadow cabinet prepared for the UN climate summit in the UAE.
Pledge tracker: Rishi Sunak misses key targets
By Harry Clarke-Ezzidio
Ever since Rishi Sunak announced his five pledges in January 2023, Harry Clarke-Ezzidio has been tracking his progress. The overall verdict? Sunak failed across most of his own indicators.
How the civil service prepares for transitions of power
By Samir Jeraj and Harry Clarke-Ezzidio
With an election looming, Samir Jeraj and Harry Clarke-Ezzidio reported on how the UK’s most senior civil servants get ready for all eventualities.
Exclusive poll: Tory councillors deliver dire verdict on the Sunak government
By Jonny Ball
Spotlight polled councillors across England to healthcare policy, net zero, council bankruptcies, and the election prospects of Labour and the Conservatives. (We also started a council bankruptcy tracker, to help monitor those section 114 notices).
Jonathan Reynolds: “Labour governments shouldn’t be judged by how much they spend”
By Alona Ferber
The shadow business and trade secretary spoke to Alona Ferber about Rishi Sunak’s net zero U-turn, schmoozing the private sector, and how Labour plans to transform the economy.
Rosena Allin-Khan: “This is Tory Britain, where we examine patients in cupboards”
By Sarah Dawood
The former shadow mental health secretary is a medical doctor who still does shifts in A&E. Sarah Dawood spoke to her about her double life as a clinician and politician, and Labour’s plans to fix the NHS.
Exclusive: Hundreds faced jail over unpaid council tax since 2010
By Harry Clarke-Ezzidio
New data revealed how councils have been taking action against people in debt – many of whom can’t afford to pay. Harry Clarke-Ezzidio looked into the numbers and the impacts of this shocking trend.
Right or left? How we solve the cost-of-living crisis
By Jonny Ball
Crippling inflation and the living standards squeeze are forcing politics and policy towards a crossroads. Jonny Ball looked at some of the emerging solutions, on the right and left.
The 12 per cent: will the uptake in private healthcare help or hinder the NHS?
By Zoë Grünewald
One in eight Britons are now paying for health services due to long waiting lists. Zoë Grünewald asked experts and insiders what this could mean for free care.
“The people who have the power lack diversity”
By Sarah Dawood
We need a wider cohort of policymakers to make society fairer, Felicia Odamtten, founder of the Black Economists Network, told Sarah Dawood.
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