The emergence of The Independent Group of MPs (TIG) has brought a new thread to the Brexit weave with just five weeks to go until 29 March. Our clients have been asking if this represents a real shift in UK politics or a moment that will pass. To give something that resembles a coherent answer we need first to hit pause and look at the different elements at play.
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We live in a paradoxical age. UK politics remains in a state of constant turmoil, and even the most hopeful commentators recognise that the first quarter of this year will be challenging. The Foreign Secretary said this week that the “rules-based international system is under greater strain than for many decades”. President Trump continues to confound. And yet there has never been a better time to be alive: the world literacy rate is 85%, the number of girls in primary school is now 90%, people are healthier and wealthier than ever. Read more
20th November was Transgender Day of Remembrance, which marked the lives tragically lost to transphobic acts of violence. Every year, dozens of trans people are murdered because of who they are, and in the UK, 22 transgender lives have been lost since the beginning of 2018 and 45% of young trans people have attempted suicide.
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The Transport Knowledge Hub (TKH) is currently holding a series of events across the UK on the topic of how sustainable transport can unlock the benefits of new housing which has been attended by experts across the housing and transport sector, in addition to representatives from local and national government. Given the scale and challenge of the housing crisis, these events have been a timely intervention and generated insightful discussions about the importance of having a more integrated approach between housing and transport. Read more
Over the last four years the government has quietly and successfully delivered a four-year programme built around the UK’s turbulent relationship with continental Europe. Read more
In the political calendar, party conferences may feel like a lifetime ago. Over a month has passed since Westminster uprooted to Liverpool and Manchester respectively to hear from the highest echelons of our political parties about the future of the country. Read more
In the first of a series of debates on the Connect blog, Isabella Hunter-Fajardo makes the case for the House of Lords.
House of Laws: in defence of the Second Chamber
The wealth of experience in the Second Chamber is an asset to the UK’s legislative process. At Connect, we often track Bills, or even specific amendments and clauses for clients as they progress through Parliament. Seeing the depth and quality of debate during the respective stages of legislation in the Commons and Lords has given me an appreciation of the role the Upper House plays. Read more
After a week’s blanket coverage of his recent column in the Daily Telegraph, Boris Johnson has this week shifted his focus from burqas to building and to the government’s biggest domestic challenge: addressing the housing crisis. Perhaps he has taken note of another Conservative MP Chris Skidmore writing, this time in the Sunday Telegraph, that Conservatives must start talking about the bread and butter issues that matter to voters Read more
Increasing the supply of housing has been a stated aim of every government of recent times. When David Cameron was Prime Minister he set out an ambition to build a million homes by 2020. Theresa May’s stated target is to deliver 300,000 homes a year in this Parliament. There has been some divergence in policy between the two Conservative Prime Ministers – a shift away from a home-owning democracy and promoting Help-to-Buy towards a renewed focus on increasing the provision of affordability and a tougher position on the Buy-to-Let market. But the key theme is much the same – to build more homes. Read more
We are often asked by clients what the prospects are of a General Election taking place this year. Politics is becoming increasingly unpredictable these days and anything could happen, but we think it is about 70/30 that there will not be an election. Read more
