Social and Public Policy
Graham Box and Kenneth Chambaere, authors of 'Assisted Dying', argue that while reintroducing the previous assisted dying bill may be politically practical, Westminster should instead learn from Jersey’s more consultative and flexible model to create safer, more widely supported legislation.…Read more
Lee Gregory suggests that the next Labour leader should reject the false choice between welfare and defence by arguing that reducing poverty is an essential investment in national security, economic strength, and long-term prosperity.…Read more
Sandra Duffy argues that the EHRC’s new guidance, following the 2025 Supreme Court ruling, effectively excludes trans people from equal participation in public life by restricting access to gendered spaces and forcing segregation, which the author says undermines their rights, dignity, and safety.…Read more
Lee Gregory, Eleanor Formby and Peter Matthews discuss how Scotland's rights-based social security system has improved the experiences of many LGBTQ+ claimants, while persistent discrimination and weakening political support continue to undermine genuine equality.…Read more
Joanna Mack, author of 'Impoverished', argues that tackling poverty in the UK requires bold, long-term reforms that combine fairer incomes, lower costs for essential goods, stronger public services, and a more universal welfare system rather than relying mainly on means-tested benefits.…Read more
Ahead of the ninth anniversary of Grenfell, Steve Tombs examines how the Grenfell disaster will test whether UK corporate manslaughter law can finally hold large organisations accountable for avoidable deaths, despite a long history of limited prosecutions and systemic barriers to corporate criminal liability.…Read more
Drawing on research for 'Cracking the Class Code', Lee Elliot Major and Anne-Marie Sim argue that success in elite workplaces is shaped not only by talent and hard work but also by hidden class-based cultural norms that influence who is seen as credible, authentic and deserving of advancement.…Read more
Clare Bambra, Julia Lynch and Katherine Smith, authors of 'Getting Better', argue that declining healthy life expectancy and widening health inequalities in the UK are the result of political and economic choices, such as austerity, weak regulation and inequality, meaning they can be reversed through sustained policy action on welfare, public services and social conditions if there is political will.…Read more
In this episode of the podcast, George Miller speaks to Madeleine Sumption, author of 'What is Immigration Policy for?'. They discuss why there is no single ‘right’ level of immigration, how the same evidence can lead to such different conclusions, and why attempts to control migration numbers so often fail.…Read more
Tom Bewick, author of 'Skills Policy in Britain and the Future of Work', argues that Britain’s long-running skills crisis reflects a recurring pattern of under investment, social inequality, and an over relianc on market-led, voluntary training systems that have repeatedly failed to keep pace with economic change.…Read more