Lord Adonis: I’m a political animal Andrew Adonis talks Westminster past, present and future to Christine Murray The Institute for Government is housed in an original Nash Grade I listed building overlooking St James’ Park. It isn’t hard to imagine that these calm and elegant surroundings would be a welcome break for any politician who [...]
For Progress New Labour’s ‘investment and reform’ of schools was turning the tide on social mobility A recent spate of studies provide big lessons for Labour’s future. In particular: don’t trash Labour’s record, but learn from past success and adopt the same radical New Labour mindset in addressing the challenges ahead, especially the challenge of [...]
“Roy Jenkins as transformational minister” Mr Speaker’s lectures on great 20th century parliamentarians, 25 October 2011 Watch other lectures in the series on the BBC Democracy Live page Mr Speaker, It is a privilege to be speaking not only in your presence but also in the presence of Dame Jennifer Jenkins, who [...]
Originally published in The Independent Andrew Adonis offers to make a cup of tea or coffee in his swanky offices just off Piccadilly Circus. It is, perhaps, a sign of the changed times since he had ministerial flunkies to perform that task for him. Not a bit of it, he argues. “I used to do [...]
For the New Statesman Few ministers – even prime ministers – make much difference. Even where they preside positively, few worthwhile reforms can be attributed to them personally. Michael Heseltine is a case apart. Council house sales. Docklands. The Thames Gateway. High Speed 1. The Jubilee Line and the Docklands Light Railway. The O2 Arena [...]
Times article on high-speed rail and Heathrow The Conservative conference is being targeted by anti-high-speed rail protesters from the Chilterns, battling it out with the leaders of the host city of Manchester who are passionately pro-HS2. It was the same at the Labour and Lib Dem conferences. For the golden rule of high-speed rail is [...]
For Progress We must not oppose high-speed rail for opposition’s sake. High Speed Two is Labour’s scheme in origin and conception. Our battle with the Tories should not be on the existing HS2 proposal, but on taking the line right through from London to Manchester and Leeds as a single project rather than stopping at Birmingham [...]
For the New Statesman He knew he was right The striking thing about this defensive biography of Nick Clegg is how much of it is spent debating whether he is a Conservative. The author, a Liberal Democrat activist, likes his leader a great deal. “Idealism in politics is at stake through the person of Nick [...]
For the Huffington Post Universities across England will today find out how much they will be allowed to charge students to study for degree courses. There is no getting away from the fact that fees approaching £9,000 a year will be off-putting to teenagers from poorer families. And this against a background where even now [...]
My interview with Rail Open publication – Free publishing – More andrew adonis Photo: Jon Curnow