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The Conversation

Politics + Society

Keir Starmer pointing while giving a speech

Keir Starmer’s party conference speech – what he said and what it meant

Ben O'Loughlin, Royal Holloway University of London

Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves turning away as a member of the public speaks to them.

Evidence tells us voters might be convinced to accept short-term pain for long-term gain – but it will be a hard sell

Matthew Barnfield, Queen Mary University of London

Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves laughing together.

Labour is meeting for its first conference in government for over a decade – but will the faithful still be in the mood for a party?

Jonathan Tonge, University of Liverpool

Models of people sitting on stacks of coins.

Know your place: what happened to class in British politics – a new podcast series from The Conversation Documentaries

Laura Hood, The Conversation

Keir and Victoria Sarmer at a racecourse.

Do the Starmers’ expensive donated clothes matter? Yes and no

Sam Power, University of Bristol

Britain is finally abolishing hereditary peers from the House of Lords – a constitutional expert on the historical reforms that built up to this moment

Meg Russell, UCL

A view of the inside of the House of Lords chamber.
Starmer expresses interest in Italy’s migration approach – how different is it from the Rwanda plan?

Chiara Graziani, Bocconi University

Starmer expresses interest in Italy’s migration approach – how different is it from the Rwanda plan?
Sad girl hugs knees sitting on sofa

Getting shorter and going hungrier: how children in the UK live today

Danny Dorling, University of Oxford

How a doubling of sentence lengths helped pack England’s prisons to the rafters

Jessica Gallagher, Birmingham City University

The 'go to jail' square on a Monopoly board
AfD: how Germany’s constitution was designed with the threat of extremism in mind

Simon Green, Aston University

A lampost with an AfD election poster on it in front of a building featuring statues of gods.
Online news consumption has surpassed television – but broadcasters are still the most widely trusted

Stephen Cushion, Cardiff University

Online news consumption has surpassed television – but broadcasters are still the most widely trusted
What the Spectator takeover means for the UK’s right-wing media and politics

Ivor Gaber, University of Sussex

A magazine stand from 2015 with an edition of the Spectator among other titles

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Hand holding pink and white flip phone

Should you give your child a ‘dumb’ phone? They aren’t the answer to fears over kids’ social media use

Andy Phippen, Bournemouth University

Families of victims of violent assault have double the risk of anxiety – new study

Elizabeth Cook, City, University of London and Sally McManus, City, University of London

Close up of a woman grasping her daughter's hand in support while the two are seated side by side on a couch
What makes an Italian? An olympic gold medal and a vandalised mural reopen debate about race and citizenship

Victoria Donnaloja, University of Essex

A grafitti mural of Paola Egonu playing volleyball.
A female care worker wearing a face mask, looking through the glass of a window that is reflecting a sunset

Why are so many of England’s care workers migrants?

Majella Kilkey, University of Sheffield

Wide view of Grenfell tower in flames

What the Grenfell report gets wrong – structural racism is evident in access to safe social housing

Nick Clare, University of Nottingham; Nigel de Noronha, University of Manchester, and Shaun French, University of Nottingham

Grenfell was not a state ‘failure’ – it was institutional violence

Victoria Cooper, The Open University and David Whyte, Queen Mary University of London

View from behind of a woman in a headscarf looking at a wall of photos of victims
Grenfell inquiry: how the privatisation of building safety testing led to this tragedy

Shane Ewen, Leeds Beckett University

Grenfell Tower covered in a banner that reads 'Grenfell, forever in our hearts'
Prison is a disaster for women – here’s what would work instead

April Smith, University of Portsmouth

View in shadow of a woman comforting her friend
Young Black people are disproportionately likely to be strip-searched – one of many ways the justice system treats them as a threat

Shantey Francis, Nottingham Trent University

Crowd holding signs including one saying 'no to racist police'
Should you get a pet nup? How the law deals with your fur baby if you break up with your partner

Rachel Heah, Lancaster University

A golden retriever sits between a young couple in a disagreement on a couch. The people are sitting with their arms crossed, facing opposite directions, the dog is looking into the camera
Not gay enough: the hidden culture of exclusion within Britain’s LGBQT+ nightlife scene

Janina Smietanka, University of Plymouth

People dancing inside a club
Keir Starmer’s ‘productivity theatre’ and the need for a recognisable Labour brand

Christopher Pich, University of Nottingham

Keir starmer looking at CCTV screens.
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Most read this week

1.
Why has there been a sharp rise in health-related benefits claims in Britain but not in similar countries? Expert Q&A

Ben Geiger, King's College London

Why has there been a sharp rise in health-related benefits claims in Britain but not in similar countries? Expert Q&A
2.
Britain is finally abolishing hereditary peers from the House of Lords – a constitutional expert on the historical reforms that built up to this moment

Meg Russell, UCL

Britain is finally abolishing hereditary peers from the House of Lords – a constitutional expert on the historical reforms that built up to this moment
3.
Getting shorter and going hungrier: how children in the UK live today

Danny Dorling, University of Oxford

Getting shorter and going hungrier: how children in the UK live today
4.
Hamas and Hezbollah: how they are different and why they might cooperate against Israel

Julie M. Norman, UCL

Hamas and Hezbollah: how they are different and why they might cooperate against Israel
5.
Do the Starmers’ expensive donated clothes matter? Yes and no

Sam Power, University of Bristol

Do the Starmers’ expensive donated clothes matter? Yes and no
6.
What makes an Italian? An olympic gold medal and a vandalised mural reopen debate about race and citizenship

Victoria Donnaloja, University of Essex

What makes an Italian? An olympic gold medal and a vandalised mural reopen debate about race and citizenship

Cities

A police officer walking towards a large green camping tent in a public park

While some cities clear homeless encampments, others are granting a ‘right to shelter’

Tiger Hills, University of Oxford

Blackpool: why seaside towns in England are struggling – and what they’re doing about it

Heather Brown, Lancaster University; Amelia Simpson, Lancaster University, and Reuben Larbi, Lancaster University

Grey skies over a beach.
How second world war bomb rubble was used to make 135 football pitches in east London

Jonathan Gardner, The University of Edinburgh

An overhead view of a large urban playing field.
Gurdwaras, mosques, temples and churches: how faith groups are reviving England’s old cinemas

Kate Jordan, University of Westminster

A large cinema building with a poster on the front.
When a skatepark becomes a sacred space

Paul O'Connor, University of Exeter

A painted mural in a skatepark.

Editors' picks

Many asylum seekers are persecuted for what they believe in – but what about those who don’t believe?

Lucy Potter, University of Sheffield

Overhead view of a large crowd of Muslim men gathering in a square for prayer, kneeling side by side in rows
Knife crime has increased in England and Wales over the last decade – here’s how the next government can prevent it

Toby Davies, University of Leeds and Graham Farrell, University of Leeds

A gloved hand holding a sharp knife behind the user's back
Three steps to talking to a loved one at risk of being radicalised into rioting

Anthony English, The Open University

A man lying face down on the pavement being pinned down and handcuffed by riot police.
When to give your child their first mobile phone – and how to keep them safe

Andy Phippen, Bournemouth University

Girl in bed looking at mobile phone

Women

Increasing numbers of sexual offences on public transport recorded – but many experiences are still normalised and go unreported

Jennifer Grant, University of Portsmouth

Woman looking at smartphone on train
Angela Rayner’s green suit: why is it so difficult for women in power to dress ‘correctly’?

Ashley Morgan, Cardiff Metropolitan University

Angela Rayner walking in a turquoise suit
Violence against women isn’t the only national emergency – we must also tackle the misogyny that’s causing it

Lisa Sugiura, University of Portsmouth

Silhouettes of two men walking in a subway underground
What being a teenage girl in 1960s Britain was really like

Penny Tinkler, University of Manchester

An archival black and white photograph of young people dancing in the street.