By Tony McNulty, Lecturer/Teaching Fellow, British Politics and Public Policy, Queen Mary University of London
This is not the UK’s first leadership transition in government, and it is unlikely to be the last. These events have, however, been rare until recently. In the 80 years since the end of the second world war, there have only been 18 prime ministers. The nineteenth, likely to be Andy Burnham, will become the seventh premier since 2010. So that makes 12 prime ministers over 65 years – and then seven in the last 16 years.
This is a problem, one that is compounded by the reasons for the departure. Six of the 12…
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By Simon Usherwood, Professor of Politics & International Studies, The Open University
Knut Roder, Associate Head of Institute of Law and Social Sciences, Sheffield Hallam University
Paula Surridge, Professor of Political Sociology, University of Bristol
Sara Hobolt, Sutherland Chair in European Institutions and Head of Department, London School of Economics and Political Science
In the years since the Brexit referendum, many have felt deceived or misled on what exactly they were voting for. New data reveals that 60% of British gen Z-ers want a new vote on rejoining the EU. We spoke to experts to find out what impact Brexit has actually had on Britain.
A lesson from the missing youth…
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By Amnesty International
Martha Karua, a Kenyan human rights lawyer who is part of the legal team for Uganda’s opposition politician Kizza Besigye, was on 22 June 2026, arbitrarily arrested and held in incommunicado detention at Entebbe International Airport before being forcefully deported. In response to these developments, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa Tigere […] The post Uganda: Authorities must investigate unlawful detention and deportation of Kenyan human rights lawyer appeared first on Amnesty International. ]]>
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By Dean Clay, Lecturer in History, University of Hull
Young shipping clerk Edmund Dene Morel was working as for the Liverpool firm Elder Dempster when he noticed what appeared to be a discrepancy in the figures. What Morel found in his investigation of that discrepancy would expose one of the most notorious systems of violence of the colonial era: the Congo Free State, ruled personally by King Leopold II of Belgium.
Leopold founded the Congo…
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By Prasad Nishtala, Reader, Life Sciences, University of Bath
For years, many people have taken calcium and vitamin D supplements to help keep their bones strong as they age. Walk into any pharmacy or supermarket and you’ll find shelves full of products promising to support bone health, prevent fractures and reduce the risk of falls.
Calcium is an important building block of bone, while vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium. If weak bones increase the risk of fractures, surely taking more calcium and vitamin D should help keep bones strong. But a
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By Emily Thrift, PhD Candidate and Doctoral Tutor in Ecology, University of Sussex
When colleagues and I found microplastics in hedgehog droppings, we wanted to know where they were coming from. One answer was surprisingly close to home: pet food.
The story began in 2021, when we collected 189 hedgehog faeces samples from residential gardens and rehabilitation centres across the UK. We found plastic in 19% of them. Despite being one of Britain’s best-loved wild animals, and now officially listed as “near…
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By Bruce Wolpe, Non-resident Senior Fellow, United States Study Centre, University of Sydney
The latest in the president’s long list of upgrades, renovations and new monuments has sent social media into a frenzy.
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By Laura O'Flanagan, PhD Candidate, School of English, Dublin City University
There are few films this year as ambitious as director Julian Schnabel’s In the Hand of Dante. Combining manuscript mystery, gangster thriller and spiritual odyssey, the film moves between medieval Italy and the 21st-century criminal underworld in pursuit of questions about creativity, faith, power and redemption.
This film is a big, gutsy gamble. Casting a heavily costumed Martin Scorsese in an acting role with overwrought philosophical dialogue was always going to be a risk. Your enjoyment of it…
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By Tom St Quinton, Senior Lecturer in Psychology, Leeds Beckett University
Research has found that when you manipulate people to doubt free will, bad things happen – including cheating and aggression. But does it hold up?
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By Ed Hawkins, Professor of Climate Science, University of Reading
Hayley J. Fowler, Professor of Climate Change Impacts, Newcastle University
The summer of 1976 was an extraordinary heatwave for its time. With 15 consecutive days of temperatures over 32°C, it was an unprecedented length for a UK heatwave, coming at the end of a year-long drought. This led to severe water shortages and frequent wildfires, followed by flash floods.
But the climate has substantially changed since 1976. Global temperatures have risen by about 1°C since then and summer 2025 was hotter than 1976 for the UK, with three shorter heatwaves rather than one long one.…
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