Arguably Newsletter

Today on Arguably, I explain how to reform England’s broken university funding model. To read it now, become a paid subscriber or sign up for a seven-day free trial. (James Jiao/Shutterstock) Political opinion changes gradually and then suddenly. Back in the early 2020s, I would routinely point out how England’s student loan system had become a form of stealth taxation – with graduates on modest salaries paying marginal rates above 50% – but the issue went almost unnoticed at Westminster.

In 1972, one of Michael Heseltine’s first tasks at the Department of the Environment was to help create England’s new metropolitan counties. Six were created in 1974, including Greater Manchester, Merseyside and Tyne and Wear. How did Heseltine decide where to draw the boundaries of these new local authorities? By his own account, he hired a plane, took a map with him and sketched the lines from the air.

Vantage data centre complex in Ludwigsfelde, Germany (Magicmaik123/Shutterstock) They don’t create many jobs. They guzzle electricity and use water. They are ugly, noisy and take up space. So why would anyone, least of all progressives, care about building data centres? I am going to try to make a progressive case for them, while also acknowledging their limitations and arguing against some of the policies that AI companies are pushing for.

FIFA president, Gianni Infantino (Wikimedia Commons) “Show me the incentive and I’ll show you the outcome.” – Charlie Munger Donald Trump had barely been ushered away from the middle of Spain’s World Cup celebrations before reports emerged that FIFA president Gianni Infantino wanted to sell a stake in the future of the tournament. This plan has thankfully now been abandoned after a response that was about as positive as Barcelona fans were when Luis Figo signed for Real Madrid.

Today on Arguably, I write on why London needs a far more radical devolution deal. To read it now, become a paid subscriber or sign up for a seven-day free trial. (Sven Hansche/Shutterstock) If London were a country its GDP would be larger than Sweden’s. Its mayor has the largest personal mandate of any politician in the UK and the third-largest in Europe.

Today on Arguably, the former Justice Secretary, David Gauke, who led the 2025 Sentencing Review, reveals how prisons could run out of space by November if the reforms he devised are abandoned. (Carol Tyers/Shutterstock) No one should underestimate how politically difficult prisons and sentencing policy can be. Any politician who is perceived as being soft on the punishment of serious offenders is in deep trouble.

(Mykhalio Pavlenko/Shutterstock) I’m not alone in having served in Keir Starmer’s government and regretted watching our progressive agenda disappear. Working for Labour in opposition, I helped prepare an ambitious anti-corruption agenda for the then shadow foreign secretary, David Lammy, to take into office. The idea was simple. For a Labour government to succeed, every department had to show people at home how it was fighting for them.

Today on Arguably, Martha outlines how Andy Burnham can put AI at the heart of his industrial strategy. To read it now, become a paid subscriber or sign up for a seven-day free trial. (Rawf8/Shutterstock) Andy Burnham has opened his premiership with a flurry of politically astute cost-of-living measures: the removal of VAT from electricity bills, a £2 cap on bus fares and a 20% cut in business rates for English pubs, clubs and music venues.

Today on Arguably, Aveek Bhattacharya, strategy fellow at Coefficient Giving and former chief economist of the Social Market Foundation, sets out how Andy Burnham can meet his pledge to end rough sleeping. Rough sleepers in the City of London (Acabashi/Wikimedia Commons) To be a successful Prime Minister, Andy Burnham needs to improve upon his predecessor in numerous ways, but two of the most pressing are delivering quick, tangible results and proving that he has authentic principles and values.

Today on Arguably, Ian Dunt, the author of books including How Westminster Works … and Why It Doesn’t and Centrism: The Story of an Idea, puts the case for optimism about Andy Burnham’s premiership. (JSvideos/Shutterstock) Hope and joy do not come easily to progressives. Maybe it’s the disposition. Maybe it’s the timeline. Maybe it’s our long history of emotional and intellectual disappointment. Whatever it is, we seem to live in a state of permanent discontent.