Why Westminster’s Walk-and-Talks Are Winning the Attention Economy
If you’ve scrolled through X recently, chances are you’ve seen it: a politician striding purposefully toward the camera…
Party time: What to expect from party conferences this year
As autumn approaches, attention is increasingly turning to conference season. In a fragmented electoral landscape, each of the parties will be looking to establish a sense of momentum. For Labour, that will include defending its first year in government and its vision for the next four, while others will want to establish themselves as the ‘real opposition’ in Westminster.
10 Year Health Plan – The communications challenges
The Government is expected to publish its 10 Year Health Plan tomorrow, with the latest announcements suggesting major changes to the way the NHS provides care.
Infrastructure meets intent, can communication keep up?
Last week, the Government set out A 10 Year Strategy for UK Infrastructure, with £725 billion earmarked for energy, transport, housing, and digital networks to improve national resilience. And the narrative is already evolving. At this week’s NATO Summit, the Government pledged to increase defence spending to 5% of GDP by 2035, including 1.5% dedicated to national security, cyber security, and tech infrastructure.
War over Welfare Cuts: The Power of the Labour Backbencher
“We have to get the reforms through, and I have been clear about that from start to finish”. Despite the Prime Minister’s recent comments on the Government’s commitment to cut the benefits bill by £5 billion, ministers are growing increasingly worried about opposition from their Labour colleagues, and yesterday the Labour Whip Vicky Foxcroft MP resigned over the matter.
The art of the ask: Navigating a lean Spending Review
Ahead of any Spending Review, jostling between departments and the Treasury is par for the course. The Treasury machine is wired and incentivised to control expenditure; departments, by contrast, want the power to spend.
Growing strength: can Labour align Defence and Security with the drive for growth?
The much-anticipated – and much-trailed – Strategic Defence Review (SDR) was finally launched on Monday, providing an outline for how the Government intends to approach an increasingly complicated and risky world.
Beyond one-size-fits-all: opportunities for primary care bodies to play a central role following the NHS 10 Year Plan
The NHS’s new 10 Year Plan is expected to signal a fundamental shift in how primary care is structured, delivered, and – crucially – understood by policymakers. The HSJ recently reported that the plan aims to move away from a “one-size-fits-all” model of primary care to a more segmented, locally responsive approach to care, focused on meeting patient need.
UK-EU Defence Partnership: A sign of repair and re-engagement?
The announcement of the new UK-EU Security and Defence Partnership yesterday signalled a significant moment for UK defence. The agreement formalises collaboration across a range of critical areas, including military training and mobility, cyber and space security, infrastructure resilience, and the fight against hybrid threats. The Government has been quick to point to it as an example, post Brexit, of how the UK and EU are repairing the relationship and finding new ways to work together in the face of shared security challenges.
Net Zero sweats under Reform’s stern gaze: Time for energy firms to engage with Farage?
Reform caused a major stir with a resounding victory in the local elections last week. Nigel Farage and his party, at a local level at least, are a protest vote no more.