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Articles by Peter Franklin
AfD is moving closer to power by softening EU stance
In Germany, the populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is getting serious about power. According to a report in Politico, party officials are planning to water down its promise to bring back the seutschmark, the German currency which was replaced by the euro in 2002. It’s a wise move: even voters who regret the decision to join the single currency recognize that leaving it would make Brexit look easy.
Peter Franklin: Kemi must tell the public what they don't want to hear
Is Kemi ready to tell us what we don’t want to hear? George Orwell defined liberty as “the right to tell people what they don’t want to hear.” On that basis, I’d define conservatism as the duty to tell people what they don’t want to hear — if, that is, they need to hear it. I’ll get on to what it is the nation needs to hear in a bit. But first I’m going to start with the Conservative Party.
Peter Franklin: It’s a long shot, but this is how Conservatives and Reform could still cooperate
If there was any doubt that the idea of a Tory-Reform pact is dead, then last week’s report from Lord Ashcroft Polls has driven a stake through its heart. A significant — and growing — share of the Conservative base is hostile to a deal with Farage. Furthermore, other pollsters are picking-up similar trends (as I explain here).
Peter Franklin: Is the new Shadow Cabinet serious enough to put debt reduction before tax cuts?
Peter Franklin is an Associate Editor of UnHerd. The 2024 Reform UK manifesto took the form of a £90 billion tax-cutting bonanza. The single biggest item — costing £50 billion — was a pledge to raise the income tax threshold to a mega-generous £20,000. But by this time last year Nigel Farage was having second thoughts. Given his party’s polling ratings, an alarming possibility presented itself: that he’d actually have to make good on his promises in government.
Peter Franklin: Political parties should welcome, not crush, internal dissent
Peter Franklin is an Associate Editor of UnHerd. When Tim Montgomerie was suspended by Reform UK last week I was shocked, but not surprised. Shocked, because this is a party that presents itself as the defender of free speech. Yet here it is suppressing a Reform-aligned commentator for commenting on Reform — which, by the way, is what he said he’d do when Nigel Farage recruited him. Certainly, it’s the sort of thing he did when he was a member of the Conservative Party.
Peter Franklin: If Burnham was serious about decentralising power he'd give it to an English parliament
Peter Franklin is an Associate Editor of UnHerd. Did you know that Andy Burnham owes it all to Oliver Letwin? In the early 2000s, the then Shadow Home Secretary was thinking about how to rehumanise the Conservative Party. The result of his deliberations was a series of speeches on the theme of the neighbourly society — still one of the best expositions of conservatism in the 21st century. A few years later, when David Cameron became leader, the neighbourly society was rebranded as the Big Society.
Peter Franklin: Don’t just enjoy Farage’s failures, learn from them
Peter Franklin is an Associate Editor of UnHerd. This time last year, Kemi Badenoch’s leadership of the Conservative Party was running out of road. Following Reform’s breakthrough in the 2025 local elections, the polls showed the Conservatives suffering a further, and potentially fatal, loss of support. Of course, what followed was the Great Kemi Vibe Shift — and the beginnings of a Tory comeback. Nevertheless, Nigel Farage persisted with his kill-the-Tories strategy.
Peter Franklin: Yes, there is a moral case against taxing wealth
Peter Franklin is an Associate Editor of UnHerd. Say what you like about the wealth tax advocate Gary Stevenson — and just about everyone has lately — but, at least, he’s been willing to face his adversaries. He interviewed some of them in his Channel 4 documentary, How to Get Filthy Rich with Gary Stevenson. I wish certain other high profile “activists” were as upfront and open to scrutiny. Nevertheless, it can’t be denied that Stevenson has come off worse from the experience.
Peter Franklin: One big decision Burnham may yet surprise us with brings bigger risks for the Conservatives
Peter Franklin is an Associate Editor of UnHerd. Andy Burnham is a lucky man. A decade ago, when he got bulldozered by Jeremy Corbyn, he could have sunk without trace like Owen Smith (remember him?). Instead, Burnham got to be the mayor of Greater Manchester — a serious political job, but far away from Westminster. Perhaps one day he’ll thank the Conservatives who created the role and reversed the suffocating centralisation of the Brown years.
Peter Franklin: Why, despite everything, I just can’t join Reform | Conservative Home
Peter Franklin is an Associate Editor of UnHerd. Whoever wins in Makerfield this week, the Conservative Party must accept a difficult reality: we’ve been superseded on the Right by Reform. The by-election result will only confirm what the polls and the local elections have already told us. So that being the case, why not face up to the situation and join Reform?
Peter Franklin: With Macron going - French politics has a terrible warning for British Conservatives
Peter Franklin is an Associate Editor of UnHerd. In France, the ruling party is desperately looking for a new leader — someone, anyone, who can stop the populist Right from taking power. The populist Left is also on the march again, squeezing the parties of the centre-Left. Meanwhile the main conservative party has fallen from its once-dominant status, vainly searching for a way back to the big time.
Peter Franklin: The Conservatives must not become a niche party for the old and rich
Peter Franklin is an Associate Editor of UnHerd. With all eyes on Labour and the Makerfield by-election, the state of the Conservative Party has been all but ignored by the mainstream media. That suits Kemi Badenoch, because this could have been a tricky time for her. I hate to bring it up, but earlier this month we suffered a net loss of 563 councillors and six councils – including Badenoch’s home turf of Essex.
Peter Franklin: How can we escape the suffocating similarity between the Conservative Party and Reform UK?
Peter Franklin is an Associate Editor of UnHerd. Last week, The Spectator hosted a debate between two Conservatives and two Reformers. Nick Timothy and Claire Coutinho were in the blue corner facing Danny Kruger and Matt Goodwin in the turquoise corner. An all-star cast — but it has to be said the drama was lacking. That’s not surprising really, because once you rule out the most combustible personality clashes — say, Kemi Badenoch versus Nigel Farage — where’s the beef?
Peter Franklin: It’s time to take Green voters seriously
Peter Franklin is an Associate Editor of UnHerd. One of my favourite poems is Waiting for the Barbarians by CP Cavafy. It’s about a decaying civilisation that’s obsessed by an external threat that, in the end, never comes. I’ve sometimes wondered whether my own fixation with the Green Party (for instance, here, here, here and here) falls under the same category. Well, I needn’t have worried. The barbarians have arrived. Let’s look at some recent polls.
Peter Franklin: Do conservatives belong in outer space?
Peter Franklin is an Associate Editor of UnHerd. The crew of Artemis II have travelled farther from home than any human beings in history. Indeed, it could be argued that Hansen have restarted history. After half a century of confinement, humanity has resumed its march to the stars. And who could fail to be moved by that? It’s an awe-inspiring achievement.
Peter Franklin: Farage’s plan to kill the Tories is reaching a dramatic conclusion
Peter Franklin is an Associate Editor of UnHerd. Just because you’re not paranoid, it doesn’t mean they’re not out to get you. And for the avoidance of doubt, Nigel Farage is out to get us. When he predicts the “extinction” of the Conservative Party, make no mistake: he’s looking forward to it. Indeed, he wants to be the asteroid that wipes us out like the dinosaurs he thinks we are. This isn’t just some personal grudge, it’s central to Reform UK’s political strategy.
Peter Franklin: Our shallow and simplistic debate over energy policy is a threat to national security
Peter Franklin is an Associate Editor of UnHerd. Can we have a grown-up conversation about energy please? Because right now, we’re not getting one. I’ll get on to the pro-green side of the debate in a bit, but let’s start with the anti-greens — seeing as they now control policy in both the Conservative Party and Reform UK.
Peter Franklin: Farage is right — we need to be ready for the possibility of a 2027 general election | Conservative Home
Peter Franklin is an Associate Editor of UnHerd. When Nigel Farage launched his “shadow cabinet” last week he made a remarkable prediction: “a general election is coming next year“. It’s not the first time he’s made that claim. Back in September he used his party conference speech to warn delegates to be ready for an early general election. And in a speech to a City of London audience in November, he prophesied that a financial crisis would force the government to the polls in 2027.
Peter Franklin: Does it matter if the Conservative Party becomes the Kemi Show?
Peter Franklin is an Associate Editor of UnHerd. No one has benefitted more from the release of the Epstein Files than Kemi Badenoch. Before the Mandelson scandal blew-up again, the political narrative was heading in the wrong direction for her. It wasn’t just the disruptive effect of the defections; it was also the botched response. Those uncalled for remarks about Suella Braverman’s mental health were quickly withdrawn and explained away as an isolated lapse of judgement.
Peter Franklin: What would be the best outcome of the Gorton and Denton by-election?
Peter Franklin is an Associate Editor of UnHerd. When Alan Clark died in 1999, his vacant seat became the subject of immediate, if unseemly, speculation. The big question was whether Michael Portillo — the highest profile casualty of the 1997 Tory defeat — would stand in the looming by-election and thus make an early return to Parliament. William Hague, who was the Conservative leader at the time, must have feared the worst.
Peter Franklin: Britain's next government may be a coalition - here's how the Tories can use that
Peter Franklin is an Associate Editor of UnHerd. 2025 was the year that multi-party politics became established across Britain. Since the summer, we’ve had five parties on double-figure poll ratings. As things stand, only Reform UK has a chance of winning a majority, but if the Conservative recovery under Kemi Badenoch continues, Nigel Farage could easily fall short. Both the 2010 and 2017 general elections produced hung parliaments – but neither of those were widely anticipated.
Jordan Bardella’s foreign policy plan is a guide for Europe
1 hour ago Caracas, Venezuela - January 04, 2026 On January 4, 2026, a demonstration of Nicolás Maduro's supporters took place in Caracas, following the events of the previous day, in which Maduro was captured by U.S. forces and taken to New York.
Peter Franklin: Is the Conservative Party prepared for a new Labour Prime Minister?
Peter Franklin is an Associate Editor of UnHerd. In 2025 Kemi Badenoch visibly grew into her role as leader of the opposition. But I hope she has hidden depths of adaptability and resilience — because, in 2026, she’s going to need them. The imminent danger is Reform. Nigel Farage knows that his party is losing momentum while his Conservative rivals are regaining it. So expect a major attempt to upset that dynamic in 2026 — and expect it soon.
Peter Franklin: The Conservatives should position themselves as the party of fairness
Peter Franklin is an Associate Editor of UnHerd. For the first time in a year Tory polling averages are on a clear upward trend. It’s early days, of course, and we’ve a long way left to go – but a degree of optimism is in order. So, do we stop fretting about the future direction of the party and just stick to the current strategy? Absolutely not. Having got nowhere for so long, we need to find out what we’re now getting right.
Peter Franklin: Time for a Conservative fight back against the Green Party
Peter Franklin is an Associate Editor of UnHerd. Last week we lost another two local by-elections (both to Reform). But this was balanced by two pieces of good news. Firstly, there was our win in Stranraer and the Rhins, which is on Dumfries and Galloway Council. Scottish local government elections use the Single Transferable Vote system — and transferred votes from the SNP candidate helped the Conservatives beat off a strong challenge from Reform.
Peter Franklin: Here's a plot twist - could tactical voting save the Conservative Party?
Peter Franklin is an Associate Editor of UnHerd. It’s now more than a month since party conference. That’s enough time to assess the impact of Kemi Badenoch’s speech — and the big announcements on energy policy, quitting the ECHR and scrapping stamp duty. So just how much of a difference has all of that made to our poll ratings? I’m tempted to refer to the popular statistician, Frances Adams.
Peter Franklin: A plan exists to save Britain from its growing debt crisis - but are we brave enough to do it?
Peter Franklin is an Associate Editor of UnHerd. When she was Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel would often remind her audiences that Europe accounts for 7 per cent of the world’s population, 25 per cent of its GDP and 50 per cent of its social spending. Those figures have altered somewhat over time, but the essential point still stands: European welfarism — the British version included — is a global outlier.
Peter Franklin: Ten reasons not to give up on the Conservative Party
Peter Franklin is an Associate Editor of UnHerd. After conference season, the cold hard light of day. For Labour: the realisation that the attack on Reform UK has backfired. For the Liberal Democrats: the sad deflation of the usual conference bounce. And for the Conservative Party, buoyed by that speech: the search for signs of lasting recovery. There’s encouragement to be had from the first few polls since conference. Find Out Now showed the Conservative vote share up by three points.
Peter Franklin: Johnson has a narrow path back to the party leadership - if he’s willing to take it
Peter Franklin is an Associate Editor of UnHerd. Andy Burnham isn’t the only blast from the past haunting his party conference. There’s another ghost beginning to take corporeal form and his name is Boris Johnson. To be fair to the former prime minister, he hasn’t said nearly as much as Burnham to undermine his current party leader – but then, he hasn’t had to: the polls speak for themselves.
Peter Franklin: Under Labour, the housing crisis goes from bad to worse
Peter Franklin is an Associate Editor of UnHerd. Angela Rayner wasn’t cut off in her prime, she made a lucky escape. I’m not alluding to the general state of the government she was part of, but her specific responsibility for delivering Labour’s promise to build 1.5 million new homes over the course of this parliament.
Peter Franklin: We need to talk about Nigel Farage’s successor
Peter Franklin is an Associate Editor of UnHerd. Last week, Reform UK scored 34 per cent in the latest Find Out Now opinion poll — more than Labour (18 per cent) and the Conservatives (15 per cent) put together. That bombshell was followed by another from BMG Research, which gave Reform a 35 percent vote share — a record high for Nigel Farage’s party. Furthermore, there’s an obvious reason for these numbers.
Peter Franklin: Hey Sugar! How an addiction to 'levers' leads to bad government
Peter Franklin is an Associate Editor of UnHerd. The Soft Drinks Industry Levy (SDIL) — also known as the sugar tax — was announced by George Osborne in 2016. Almost a decade later, Labour wants to “strengthen” it. If the consultation paper is any guide, those of us with a sweet tooth can look forward to some bitter pills in the upcoming budget. The standard rate of the tax — 18p per litre — has been frozen since 2018. Rachel Reeves is likely to unfreeze it. But that’s not all.
Peter Franklin: The effects of Corbyn's new party will be felt far beyond Labour
Peter Franklin is an Associate Editor of UnHerd. How big a deal is Jeremy Corbyn’s new party? The first thing to say is that it doesn’t exist yet, and consequently has no leader, no MPs, no councillors and no members. It doesn’t even have a name, so let’s just call it the Corbyn party (or Jezbollah, if you’re feeling mischievous). I doubt that many ConHome readers will be tempted to join, but if you do take leave of your senses there’s a website where you can register your interest.
Peter Franklin: The left-right split in the Conservative Party has been replaced by a new divide
Peter Franklin is an Associate Editor of UnHerd. Many people were surprised when Sir Jake Berry — former chairman of the Conservative Party — defected to Reform. Promoted under David Cameron and Theresa May, the then MP for Rossendale and Darwen was not a stereotypical Tory Rightwinger. Indeed, he was an outspoken advocate for public investment in the North. Puzzling, then, that he should jump ship ahead of the usual suspects.
Peter Franklin: How the tech wars of the next decade could reshape British politics
Peter Franklin is an Associate Editor of UnHerd. Do you ever get the feeling that politics is pointless? Don’t worry, I haven’t given in to despair — nor to nihilism, fatalism or idle indifference. Rather, what I’m alluding to is the belief that we’re on the brink of a technological revolution so profound as to render our current concerns irrelevant. Ever since the release of ChatGPT-4 it’s been clear that artificial intelligence (AI) has progressed to the point at which it will change our lives.
Peter Franklin: Only one thing can get Britain growing again - and you’re not going to like it
Peter Franklin is an Associate Editor of UnHerd. Labour’s been so busy dragging this country into moral bankruptcy that it’s easy to forget the party’s parallel record on the financial front. Indeed, the latest monthly growth figures – which showed a 0.3 per cent fall in GDP – were barely noticed. But what’s a little economic shrinkage between friends? Of course, averaged over time, the growth rate does matter.
Can students be saved from ChatGPT?
19 Examples Of The Mandela Effect That Will Have You Questioning Everything The human being is naturally drawn to mysteries and loves being the first to uncover what others miss. That’s what makes the Mandela Effect so …
Peter Franklin: Can Anglofuturism save the Conservative Party?
Peter Franklin is an Associate Editor of UnHerd. To write about the Conservative Party is to contemplate the void. Nevertheless, there are glimmers of hope. One of them is the intellectual revival of British conservatism. Admittedly, most of this happening outside the formal structures of our party (or Reform UK’s for that matter), but it’s been decades since we’ve had it so good. Take economics.
Peter Franklin: The outrageous electoral pact that could save the Conservative Party — and it’s not with Reform | Conservative Home
Poll after poll shows Conservative support on less than 20 per cent. Thanks to the cliff-edge effect in the electoral system, we’d lose most of the 121 seats we clung on to last year. In short, we’re on the brink of extinction as a major political party. Unless our ratings improve, our options for survival are limited. We could try to concentrate our support geographically. That’s how the Lib Dems managed to win 11 per cent of the seats last year with 12 per cent the votes.
Peter Franklin: How the system could yet conspire to freeze Farage out of power
Peter Franklin is an Associate Editor of UnHerd. Since the local elections we’ve had national opinion polls from More In Common, TechneUK, YouGov, BMG Research and Find Out Now. Respectively, they put the Reform UK vote share at 27, 28, 29, 32 and 33 per cent. In every case, that’s a lead over Labour – and an even bigger one over the third-placed Conservatives. Like the bookies, one can only conclude that Nigel Farage is heading for Downing Street.
Peter Franklin: Why the Badenoch-Jenrick rivalry is without precedent in recent Conservative history
Peter Franklin is an Associate Editor of UnHerd. Last week was a good one for Kemi Badenoch. But this week will be the worst of her political career (so far). Conservative poll ratings are half what they were in 2021, which is when the local seats up for election this Thursday were last contested. Barring a miracle, the party will lose hundreds of councillors and multiple councils. he impending disaster is mostly not of Badenoch’s making, but that won’t silence those who can’t wait to see her gone.
Peter Franklin: The local elections could make or break a Tory-Reform alliance
Peter Franklin is an Associate Editor of UnHerd. Mayday is the international radio distress call. It is, of course, derived from the French m’aidez, meaning “help me” – and has nothing to do with the calendar. That said, the Conservative Party is likely to find itself in considerable distress after the local elections on the 1st May. Given that our poll ratings have basically halved since we last fought these seats in 2021, it will be a miracle if we don’t lose hundreds of councillors.
Peter Franklin: Abundance - the big idea from two American liberals that British Tories should make their own
Peter Franklin is an Associate Editor of UnHerd. Like the British Tories, the American Democrats find themselves out of power and out of sorts. But in one way their recovery has got off to a much better start than our own. What any defeated political party desperately needs is fresh thinking. The Dems have received an infusion in the form of Abundance — a New York Times bestseller by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson.
Peter Franklin: The collapse in Conservative support among young voters will kill us sooner than we think
Peter Franklin is an Associate Editor of UnHerd. I have some upsetting news. There’s no way of sugar-coating this — so I’ll just come out with it. The Conservative Party is dead. In fact, it’s been dead for quite some while. An exaggeration, you say? Well, that depends on one’s perspective. Like all living things, a political movement needs a process of renewal. Fallen branches must replaced by green shoots, dried-up leaves by swelling buds. Interrupt that cycle and the end is only a matter of time.
Peter Franklin: Why a Trump-Putin axis does not make a case for the European Union
Peter Franklin is an Associate Editor of UnHerd. David Willetts has very politely taken me to task for an article in which I referred to the “Remoaner Left”. I do accept that many Remainers are neither moaners nor lefties. That said, the main force of the Remain movement, as embodied by the People’s Vote campaign, chose the path of conflict — attempting to overturn the biggest mandate in our history. We all know how that worked out for them.
Peter Franklin: Why has the Conservative Party turned against Net Zero?
Peter Franklin is an Associate Editor of UnHerd. When Reform UK announced its energy policy last week, I expected the chorus of boos from the Left. What did come as a surprise, however, was the massive thumbs down from the Right. Naturally, green-minded Tories — as represented by the Conservative Environment Network (CEN) — were among the critics. But so were some more sceptical voices, like Dan Hannan and Julian Jessop.
Peter Franklin: What can the Conservative Party do that Reform UK can’t? Our survival depends on finding an answer
Peter Franklin is an Associate Editor of UnHerd. In one form or another, the Tory tradition has survived across five centuries. So despite our current difficulties our continued existence is surely guaranteed, right? Except there were times when Toryism hung by a thread. In the 18th century, one could argue that it snapped altogether. Even by the loosely defined standards of the era, the Tory party ceased to have any organised existence by the 1760s.
Peter Franklin: If they entered an electoral pact, how might the Conservatives and Reform divide up the electoral map?
Peter Franklin is an Associate Editor of UnHerd. It’s happening in poll after poll now: Labour, the Conservatives and Reform UK all with a vote share of twenty-something percent. If this is the new pattern of British politics, then something’s got to give — specifically, the refusal of the two Right-of-centre parties to contemplate a pact.
Peter Franklin: Like their Canadian counterparts, our Tories must make populism unnecessary again
Peter Franklin is an Associate Editor of UnHerd. Populism has never been more popular. 2016 was the year of the Brexit vote and Donald Trump becoming President, but what has happened since is of greater significance. For instance, Trump’s first election victory was delivered by a quirk of the electoral college, but his second victory was the real deal.
Peter Franklin: Everything is terrible now - but Britain is uniquely positioned for change
Peter Franklin is an Associate Editor of UnHerd. Let’s face it, 2024 was a miserable year. It was a low point for the Conservative Party, of course — featuring the worst election campaign (and result) in our history. More importantly, though, it’s been a terrible time for our country. Economically, socially and culturally, we’re stuck.
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