The Cabinet Office: required reading for all students of government

  • 16 Dec 2016

Over the festive period, Reaction authors are writing in with their favourite books from 2016 that they feel would make perfect gifts for Christmas or ideal New Year reading. Publisher Iain Dale has a keen eye for a good book. His current ‘day job’ as a presenter of LBC mig...

In defence of Fiona Hill and Nick Timothy

  • 14 Dec 2016

First Nick Timothy and now Fiona Hill are having their role as Theresa May’s Joint Chiefs of Staff examined. Not surprisingly there is intense media interest in the two people who are the Prime Minister’s closest assistants and advisors. Their every move and action is scrutini...

The Supreme Court and British Values have had a good week

  • 8 Dec 2016

The UK will leave the EU. The UK’s membership of the European Union will stop. Article 50 will be invoked. The overwhelming vote of support for this to happen by MPs though not legally binding gave further very fair political wind to its invocation. Both of these things ...

Time to shrink the House of Lords and introduce radical reform

  • 8 Dec 2016

The House of Lords voted unanimously this week to reduce the number of members of the House Lords. This was victory for the still relatively new Lord Speaker – the former Cabinet Minister and MP Norman Fowler. From the start of his time on the Woolsack he has understood very c...

President Erdogan could well determine the future of Europe and Brexit

  • 7 Dec 2016

The focus across Europe is on the result of the Italian referendum on constitutional reform, and looking ahead to the Austrian, French and German general elections. The Italian poll is taking place against the backdrop of a deepening crisis in Italian banks and more of the ...

The Cabinet Secretary and the Cabinet Office at One Hundred

  • 30 Nov 2016

“The Cabinet Office, like many important British institutions that wield considerable power, is hardly known about outside. It is only the initiates who fully appreciate how powerful it is.” – Peter Hennessy This month marks one hundred years since the role of Secretary...

Philip Hammond’s first Autumn Statement: elegant, focussed and effective

  • 25 Nov 2016

Underlying the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement is the sobering fact that UK National Debt is heading for a record high – 90.2 per cent of GDP. He acknowledged this last Sunday on the Andrew Marr show when he described the level of UK National Debt as ‘eye watering’. The rising l...

European leaders need to adopt a friendlier tone, for all our sakes…

  • 20 Nov 2016

December 4 marks a key moment in this year of defining political events. Austria and Italy go to the polls. Austria is re-running its Presidential election and the far-right candidate looks close to clinching the victory that narrowly eluded him a few months ago. In Italy the ...

Nigel Farage should be given a peerage as swiftly as possible

  • 18 Nov 2016

Nigel Farage should be given a peerage as swiftly as possible. He has had a bigger effect, for better or for worse depending on your point of view, on the course of British politics and Britain's future direction than any politician since Ted Heath succeeded in taking the coun...

Following Trump’s election what next for politics?

  • 10 Nov 2016

Early in the morning on the day after the US election my eldest daughter came down the stairs as normal on her way to breakfast holding her teddy bear, Umpa Ted. ‘Who won,’ she asked and before I could respond she said, ‘it’s Trump isn’t it?’ She put Umpa Ted’s paws to his eye...