This is taken from my opening speech to the Progress annual conference on 12th May Approaching mid-term, a significant political shift is taking place in Labour’s direction. Partly this is mid-term coalition blues. But something more fundamental is happening. The Tories promised their economic plan would deliver growth and jobs. Two years on it [...]
From the Guardian This morning the committee of MPs and peers who have been studying the government’s draft bill for reform of the House of Lords publishes its report. After an unprecedented 30 meetings, hours of evidence-taking and comprehensive deliberation, the speculation and misrepresentation will be over. On some points of detail, the committee was [...]
From the Evening Standard London would not be hosting the Olympics in 100 days had we not invested in its transport system. With the mayoral campaign dominated by the row over whether we have to choose between investment or cutting fares, Londoners should recall who is really responsible for the current improvements: Ken Livingstone. Boris [...]
Originally published in the New Statesman The party will get back into government by having a better plan for the future, not by opposing changes that are working well. Free schools are Labour’s invention. They were a crucial part of our drive to promote equality of opportunity and social mobility, particularly in disadvantaged communities with [...]
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 [...]
For the New Statesman Steve Richards explores and goes some way towards capturing the extraordinary complexity of Gordon Brown, a complexity underappreciated because – as Richards emphasises at the outset of his new book – most journalists who wrote about Blair and Brown were every bit as partisan as their subjects, and propagated the [...]