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josh.politics.co.uk
Josh Self
@josh.politics.co.uk
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Editor of Politics.co.uk ✍️

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Josh Self @josh.politics.co.uk · Dec 21
“
In the moments of stillness between his calamities, Sunak found little time for actual governing.”

Long-read on the demise of Rishi Sunak's govt, which one former Conservative MP has described to me as 'so good it almost invokes PTSD' 👀
www.politics.co.uk/year-in-revi...
Year-in-Review: How the sun finally set on Rishi Sunak
Rishi Sunak wasn’t merely “bad” at politics — he was mind-bendingly, excruciatingly, captivatingly hopeless at it.
www.politics.co.uk
Reposted by Josh Self
politics.co.uk
“Britain helped build the Global Fund because we understood that a healthier world makes for a safer world. This truth has not changed”, writes Dr Saliha Mahmood Ahmed

🗣️ UK government must back the Global Fund at critical time
www.politics.co.uk/comment/2025...
UK government must back the Global Fund at critical time - Politics.co.uk
In public health, complacency is the most dangerous pathogen of all. It creeps in quietly, just as progress starts to look permanent. We think a threat has been contained, a disease defeated, and we t...
www.politics.co.uk
November 11, 2025 at 8:07 AM
josh.politics.co.uk
Miriam Cates continues to slow roll her defection to Reform UK
November 3, 2025 at 1:55 PM
josh.politics.co.uk
Nigel Farage asks Enoch Powell for his support ahead of the 1994 Eastleigh by-election

From this 2014 Telegraph article - www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politic...
November 3, 2025 at 12:57 PM
Reposted by Josh Self
politics.co.uk
“Britain can once again set the global standard and prove that great science and the welfare of animals are not mutually exclusive”, writes Conservative MP Dame Caroline Dinenage

🗣️ The future of science is animal-free – Britain must not be left behind
www.politics.co.uk/mp-comment/2...
Caroline Dinenage: ‘The future of science is animal-free – Britain must not be left behind’ - Politics.co.uk
Last week, the Home Office published its annual statistics detailing the number of scientific experiments involving animals which took place in 2024. As a longtime advocate of animal welfare, it is di...
www.politics.co.uk
October 28, 2025 at 9:56 AM
Reposted by Josh Self
politics.co.uk
“Politics once moved at the pace of persuasion. A leader would make a case, tour the country, take questions, debate opponents – and then wait weeks or months to see whether the argument had landed.

“That rhythm is gone”, writes ex-No 10 special adviser Mario Creatura
Starmer is governed by polls, not principles – voters can sense it - Politics.co.uk
Politics once moved at the pace of persuasion. A leader would make a case, tour the country, take questions, debate opponents – and then wait weeks or months to see whether the argument had landed. Th...
www.politics.co.uk
October 23, 2025 at 7:13 AM
Reposted by Josh Self
politics.co.uk
“It’s official. The Conservative Party leadership has joined the ranks of climate deniers, in a race to the bottom with Nigel Farage and Donald Trump”, writes Labour MP Olivia Blake

🗣️ Why cross-party leadership on climate policy is essential
www.politics.co.uk/mp-comment/2...
Olivia Blake: 'Why cross-party leadership on climate policy is essential' - Politics.co.uk
It’s official. The Conservative Party leadership has joined the ranks of climate deniers, in a race to the bottom with Nigel Farage and Donald Trump to see whose head can sink deepest into the sand. K...
www.politics.co.uk
October 17, 2025 at 8:59 AM
Reposted by Josh Self
politics.co.uk
“Rewarding failure tells the public that accountability is optional, and that consequences are negotiable”, write Lord Clement-Jones and Lord Arbuthnot

🗣️ Fujitsu must be barred from new government contracts
www.politics.co.uk/comment/2025...
Justice delayed is justice denied: Fujitsu must be barred from new government contracts - Politics.co.uk
In a week when the UK government responds to the Horizon inquiry report recommendations, it is important to take stock of where we are. The Post Office Horizon scandal destroyed lives. Over 1,000 sub-...
www.politics.co.uk
October 13, 2025 at 7:58 AM
Reposted by Josh Self
josh.politics.co.uk
Starmer and Badenoch repel their pretenders – for now

It’s been a poor conference season for those who would be king. Some observations on the political landscape ahead of parliament's return next week

Latest long-read for @politics.co.uk 👇
www.politics.co.uk/week-in-revi...
Week-in-Review: Starmer and Badenoch repel their pretenders – for now - Politics.co.uk
It took the power of Andy Burnham’s example to tame Robert Jenrick. Expectations heading into the Conservative Party’s annual conference suggested the shadow justice secretary would continue to strut ...
www.politics.co.uk
October 11, 2025 at 9:04 AM
josh.politics.co.uk
“It’s been a poor conference season for those who would be king.”
www.politics.co.uk/week-in-revi...
Week-in-Review: Starmer and Badenoch repel their pretenders – for now - Politics.co.uk
It took the power of Andy Burnham’s example to tame Robert Jenrick. Expectations heading into the Conservative Party’s annual conference suggested the shadow justice secretary would continue to strut ...
www.politics.co.uk
October 11, 2025 at 3:49 PM
Reposted by Josh Self
lordbonkers.bsky.social
"Jenrick’s own podium contribution was seriously underpowered – echoing his sermon at the Conservative Party’s 2024 fête. (The shadow justice secretary’s rise has been powered by a canny social media strategy; it’s noteworthy that he has not risen to the set-piece opportunities afforded to him)."
October 11, 2025 at 11:45 AM
josh.politics.co.uk
Starmer and Badenoch repel their pretenders – for now

It’s been a poor conference season for those who would be king. Some observations on the political landscape ahead of parliament's return next week

Latest long-read for @politics.co.uk 👇
www.politics.co.uk/week-in-revi...
Week-in-Review: Starmer and Badenoch repel their pretenders – for now - Politics.co.uk
It took the power of Andy Burnham’s example to tame Robert Jenrick. Expectations heading into the Conservative Party’s annual conference suggested the shadow justice secretary would continue to strut ...
www.politics.co.uk
October 11, 2025 at 9:04 AM
josh.politics.co.uk
Not seeing the strategic sense in this line. Phillipson is likely to lose, she will know that, so what’s with the hostility? It just reads like No 10 rounding on Powell, who will be invited to return fire. It’s not just the contest at stake here, but the kind of deputy leader Powell will be
October 10, 2025 at 4:27 PM
Reposted by Josh Self
politics.co.uk
“Obama’s London speech was a welcome reminder of politics’ oldest truth – people need stories. Starmer has one, of patriotic renewal after national decline, about fairness after years of drift”, writes @plmr.co.uk CEO @kevincraig.co.uk
www.politics.co.uk/comment/2025...
Obama in London: Have Starmer and Labour already shown they were listening? - Politics.co.uk
They say never meet your heroes, but I have to disagree. Last week in London I met president Barack Obama. He radiated charisma, charm and patience to all the many people he encountered. I especially ...
www.politics.co.uk
October 6, 2025 at 8:08 AM
josh.politics.co.uk
“Starmer’s story about Britain’s moral character, and threats to it, should not relegate concerns about its material condition.”
www.politics.co.uk/week-in-revi...
Week-in-Review: The calling of Keir Starmer - Politics.co.uk
“Now, the Tories – do you remember them?” Keir Starmer had spoken for a full 50 minutes before acknowledging the existence of Labour’s historic rival. The line was met with laughter – a fleeting momen...
www.politics.co.uk
October 5, 2025 at 7:14 PM
josh.politics.co.uk
“Political narratives matter, especially in a fractured and highly competitive political landscape, because they dictate the battles a party picks.

“Managed conflicts are a means by which parties project their values to voters.”
www.politics.co.uk/week-in-revi...
Week-in-Review: The calling of Keir Starmer - Politics.co.uk
“Now, the Tories – do you remember them?” Keir Starmer had spoken for a full 50 minutes before acknowledging the existence of Labour’s historic rival. The line was met with laughter – a fleeting momen...
www.politics.co.uk
October 5, 2025 at 4:34 PM
josh.politics.co.uk
“Starmer positioned Labour as Reform’s antithesis and antidote. He defined the nature of the populist threat, and presented a theory to explain its moral failings. In other words: Starmer told a story.”
www.politics.co.uk/week-in-revi...
Week-in-Review: The calling of Keir Starmer - Politics.co.uk
“Now, the Tories – do you remember them?” Keir Starmer had spoken for a full 50 minutes before acknowledging the existence of Labour’s historic rival. The line was met with laughter – a fleeting momen...
www.politics.co.uk
October 5, 2025 at 1:49 PM
josh.politics.co.uk
“Starmer’s conference address was an analysis of the political landscape, its recent redevelopment, its faultlines – and a statement of where Labour under his leadership would stand within it.”
www.politics.co.uk/week-in-revi...
Week-in-Review: The calling of Keir Starmer - Politics.co.uk
“Now, the Tories – do you remember them?” Keir Starmer had spoken for a full 50 minutes before acknowledging the existence of Labour’s historic rival. The line was met with laughter – a fleeting momen...
www.politics.co.uk
October 5, 2025 at 10:21 AM
josh.politics.co.uk
The calling of Keir Starmer

‘Pledges’, ‘milestones’, ‘first steps’, ‘missions’, ‘foundations’ and ‘phases’ are no substitute for singular purpose. Starmer’s conference speech was a reminder of the power of narrative

Latest long-read for @politics.co.uk 👇
www.politics.co.uk/week-in-revi...
Week-in-Review: The calling of Keir Starmer - Politics.co.uk
“Now, the Tories – do you remember them?” Keir Starmer had spoken for a full 50 minutes before acknowledging the existence of Labour’s historic rival. The line was met with laughter – a fleeting momen...
www.politics.co.uk
October 4, 2025 at 11:05 AM
Reposted by Josh Self
josh.politics.co.uk
On Starmer's popular front strategy – the opportunities and risks (from my newsletter: www.politics.co.uk/subscribe/)
The rhetoric signals an emerging strategy: Starmer is seeking to cast himself as the leader of a progressive resistance to the rising tide of populist grievance. The strategy is defined by its objective: to ensure progressives who fear the prospect of a prime minister Farage flock to Labour in the coming months and years. On top of this, it seeks to stigmatise Reform – thus unnerving the party’s unsettled political coalition and preventing the further diminution of Labour’s traditional support base. The strategy defines Starmer’s tactics. It helps explain, for instance, the more aggressive stances Labour have adopted this conference: notably, the condemnation of Reform policy as ‘racist’ and even suggesting that Farage, the arbiter of party sentiment and policy, is too. Wes Streeting all but labelled Farage ‘racist’ on his broadcast round this morning. There are political opportunities with this strategy: it isn’t an unreasonable assumption that a progressive bloc could form as a consequence of its negative view of Farage and Reform. There is precedent too: Joe Biden beat Donald Trump by appealing to the “soul” of the US nation in the 2020 presidential election — a message Starmer will directly evoke today. French president Emmanuel Macron has bested Marine Le Pen twice on these terms. It isn’t altogether distinct from the approach adopted by Canadian prime minister Mark Carney against his country’s Trump-sympathising Conservatives earlier this year. But there are risks. Plenty of them. Can Starmer authentically style himself as the leader of a British popular front? Will progressives really rally to Labour’s cause when arguably better ideological fits, in the form of Zack Polanski’s Greens or the Corbyn-Sultana project, exist? Meanwhile, will stigmatising Farage catch his voters in the crossfire? Can Starmer effectively differentiate his target audience, the Reform-curious electorate, from the Reform leadership? Farage will try his utmost to muddy these waters
September 30, 2025 at 12:50 PM
josh.politics.co.uk
Starmer: “The Tories, do you remember them conference?” The Conservative Party gets its first mention
September 30, 2025 at 2:07 PM
Reposted by Josh Self
josh.politics.co.uk
Expect a 'no time for novices'-esque message from Starmer tomorrow. That was Brown's retort to an upstart David Cameron, which had the happy consequence of catching David Miliband in the crossfire

PM probably won't go for inexperience (not a big enough distinction between him, Burnham and Farage)…
September 29, 2025 at 11:23 AM
josh.politics.co.uk
Already seen quite a lot of this so far
josh.politics.co.uk Josh Self @josh.politics.co.uk · Sep 29
Expect a 'no time for novices'-esque message from Starmer tomorrow. That was Brown's retort to an upstart David Cameron, which had the happy consequence of catching David Miliband in the crossfire

PM probably won't go for inexperience (not a big enough distinction between him, Burnham and Farage)…
September 30, 2025 at 1:44 PM
josh.politics.co.uk
Bridget Phillipson is the first cabinet minister to receive a shoutout in Starmer’s conference speech. Definitely not the No 10 candidate…
September 30, 2025 at 1:35 PM
josh.politics.co.uk
On Starmer's popular front strategy – the opportunities and risks (from my newsletter: www.politics.co.uk/subscribe/)
The rhetoric signals an emerging strategy: Starmer is seeking to cast himself as the leader of a progressive resistance to the rising tide of populist grievance. The strategy is defined by its objective: to ensure progressives who fear the prospect of a prime minister Farage flock to Labour in the coming months and years. On top of this, it seeks to stigmatise Reform – thus unnerving the party’s unsettled political coalition and preventing the further diminution of Labour’s traditional support base. The strategy defines Starmer’s tactics. It helps explain, for instance, the more aggressive stances Labour have adopted this conference: notably, the condemnation of Reform policy as ‘racist’ and even suggesting that Farage, the arbiter of party sentiment and policy, is too. Wes Streeting all but labelled Farage ‘racist’ on his broadcast round this morning. There are political opportunities with this strategy: it isn’t an unreasonable assumption that a progressive bloc could form as a consequence of its negative view of Farage and Reform. There is precedent too: Joe Biden beat Donald Trump by appealing to the “soul” of the US nation in the 2020 presidential election — a message Starmer will directly evoke today. French president Emmanuel Macron has bested Marine Le Pen twice on these terms. It isn’t altogether distinct from the approach adopted by Canadian prime minister Mark Carney against his country’s Trump-sympathising Conservatives earlier this year. But there are risks. Plenty of them. Can Starmer authentically style himself as the leader of a British popular front? Will progressives really rally to Labour’s cause when arguably better ideological fits, in the form of Zack Polanski’s Greens or the Corbyn-Sultana project, exist? Meanwhile, will stigmatising Farage catch his voters in the crossfire? Can Starmer effectively differentiate his target audience, the Reform-curious electorate, from the Reform leadership? Farage will try his utmost to muddy these waters
September 30, 2025 at 12:50 PM
josh.politics.co.uk
@richardburgon.bsky.social tells @moreincommonuk.bsky.social fringe it’s “politically inevitable” that Keir Starmer “will no longer be prime minister” if the polls hold up to and into the May 2026 Holyrood, Senedd and local elections
September 29, 2025 at 5:07 PM