Gen Z was supposed to be a left-wing cohort. Zoomers, we were told, championed wokeness; they would “save us” from the rise of the alt-right and inequality; they were engaged, ready to disrupt old systems and oppressive regimes. But cracks have emerged in the image. The popularity of misogynistic influencers like Andrew Tate, the rise “tradwife” movement among under-30s, and the growing evidence that young people admire right-wing figures show that Gen Z’s politics are something more complicated.  Given this, it shouldn’t have come as a surprise that so many supposed Trump critics celebrated his bid to save TikTok last week. A Supreme Court ruling on 17 January mandated TikTok to sell to an American buyer or shut down in the US ...

Rachel Reeves styles herself a social democrat. The term once described those who sought to defend the interests of the working class, balancing individual freedom with an egalitarian and interventionist approach to the market economy. But today it really just means a centrist who believes in the value of public services. Reeves, like much of the Labour Party, doesn’t place great emphasis on egalitarianism and takes a mostly orthodox free-market approach to the economy. But Reeves now finds herself in a bind, one largely of her own making, as she seeks to reconcile her gradualist left principles with the unforgiving demands of the bond markets. And rather than seek to restructure how the country’s wealth is fundamentally produced and valued, Reeves’ ...

“Growth will be our single defining mission.” This was what Keir Starmer said in opposition. He was – and still is – right. Today’s speech by Rachel Reeves shows that the Chancellor is determined to turn the economy around after a decade of stagnation. But the UK’s challenge isn’t just more growth – it’s better growth.  Before the 2008 financial crisis – during the “great moderation” – the UK had an impressive growth record, catching up with its European neighbours. But the truth is, too often, even this growth (and it has got worse since) failed to deliver what we need from it. This is because the UK’s growth model has become increasingly focused on a small number of sectors – predominantly ...

During his early years as chancellor, George Osborne became known as “the submarine” for his habit of surfacing only for set-piece events (and retreating under water at the first sign of trouble). Gordon Brown, for similar reasons, was nicknamed “Macavity” after the cat “who wasn’t there”. After the past fortnight, there is little prospect of Rachel Reeves acquiring such a sobriquet. The Chancellor has been omnipresent: in China, at Davos, on Laura Kuenssberg’s sofa, addressing the PLP, and today delivering a speech in Oxfordshire. Throughout this tour, her message has echoed the opening line of the Spice Girls’ “Wannabe”: “I’ll tell you what I want, what I really, really want”. The answer, of course, is growth. The Chancellor’s new rhetoric is a ...

We can learn a lot from Kemi Badenoch by watching her at inquiries. For one thing, she’s good at them. While other high-profile political figures have fallen apart under the relentless questioning of the barristers tasked with uncovering the truth of government failures (Matt Hancock’s emotional breakdown at Module 2 of the Covid Inquiry in November 2023 springs to mind), Badenoch seems to view them as an opportunity. A few months ago, freshly appointed as leader of a party still grappling with a seismic electoral defeat, Badenoch used her time as a witness at the Post Office Inquiry to put forward her philosophy for how the government machine is broken. She blamed a civil service burdened by “too much vanilla” and a lack of ...

There has long been a debate about how a government can most usefully assist its economy. Is it about policy or is it about creating a sense of positivity?   The orthodox view is that what matters most is good policy. What constitutes good policy will, of course, be debated but there are areas where most economists will broadly agree – increase the opportunities to trade, provide businesses and investors with policy certainty and predictability, support strong institutions, including the rule of law, and ensure that the public finances are sustainable in the long run. Others will argue that a successful economy is more about psychology than policy detail. Make people feel confident and optimistic and the economy will look after itself. Raise ...

For some years now, education reformers in Scotland have looked towards the English state school system with something like envy. The academy model introduced by Tony Blair and further developed by Michael Gove has had a significantly positive impact on performance. The combination of school autonomy, supportive clusters and the focus on a knowledge-based curriculum have all helped England climb the international charts – it now comfortably outperforms the other nations of the UK. There is, therefore, puzzlement at the Labour government’s plan to rein in aspects of academy freedoms in its Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, specifically around pay and conditions, the curriculum and teacher qualification status. Tory critics of the bill may be overstating its likely impact, but Kemi Badenoch ...

Upon stepping into Parliament’s committee room six yesterday afternoon (22 January), I felt like I had travelled back in time. Otherwise, there is little to explain the anachronistic, ignorant questions put forward by members of the Women and Equalities Select Committee (WESC) and their bizarre choice of witnesses, who were ill-equipped to answer them. All it went to show is how so many politicians have failed to engage in the detail of the debate on how best to care for gender-distressed young people and how far we are, still, from settling it. The committee had chosen to hold a one-off session on the “Evidence base on the safety and effectiveness of puberty blockers”. This seemed strange given the recent four-year review into ...