• In Focus

    Reforming the law on donations to political parties

    The Labour Party pledged to strengthen the rules around donations to political parties in its manifesto. The government subsequently published a “strategy for modern and secure elections” in July 2025. An independent review into countering foreign financial influence and interference in UK politics is currently examining the issue and is expected to report by the end of March 2026. The review’s recommendations are expected to inform a future elections bill.

  • In Focus

    ‘Better prisons, less crime’: Lords Justice and Home Affairs Committee report

    In July 2025, the House of Lords Justice and Home Affairs Committee published its report ‘Better prisons, less crime’ following an inquiry into prison culture which focused on governance, leadership and staffing. The committee found that “prisons are currently operating in a state of crisis” and made recommendations aimed at addressing issues it had identified. The government accepted the majority of these recommendations and said that many were already a work in progress.

  • In Focus

    Countering extremism: UK strategy

    The government’s current approach to tackling extremism focuses on using the Prevent programme to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism. There have been calls for the government to develop a separate counter-extremism strategy. Under both current and previous government there have been several reviews of the UK’s counter-extremism policies. The government has not committed to introducing a new strategy but has said it is considering advice on improving its approach.

  • In Focus

    Private members’ bills and the Parliament Acts

    It has been suggested that the Parliament Acts could be used to pass the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill if it does not complete all its House of Lords stages before the end of the 2024–26 parliamentary session. This briefing considers how the Parliament Acts apply to private members’ bills.

  • In Focus

    Public Order Act 2023 (Interference with Use or Operation of Key National Infrastructure) Regulations 2025

    New government regulations would designate UK life sciences facilities as key national infrastructure, extending police powers to act against protest activity at such facilities. The government argues the changes are necessary to protect these sites from ongoing disruptive activity, much of which is directed against the use of animals in scientific research. Campaigners have criticised the plans as an infringement on the right to protest and unnecessary legislative overreach.

  • In Focus

    Superintelligent AI: Should its development be stopped?

    Artificial superintelligence (ASI) is a hypothetical future form of AI with cognitive functions and highly developed thinking skills more advanced than any human. While some have claimed it might be possible “in a few thousand days”, others are more sceptical about its development. Concerns have been raised that ASI presents an existential threat to humanity and its creation should be prevented or more strictly regulated.

  • In Focus

    UK development policy: Soft power and global influence

    Recent UK governments have emphasised collaborative partnership approaches to development assistance. However, concerns have been raised that the current level of development aid spending, below the statutory target, is impacting the UK’s potential for international influence. While the UK ranks highly in most ‘soft power’ lists, the USA tends to rank higher and other states are showing rising influence. The government has launched a Soft Power Council to identify and drive opportunities.

  • In Focus

    UK-EU relations: Proposals for customs union and connections with the EU single market

    The government is negotiating an EU ‘reset’ involving an animal and plant health agreement, the UK joining the EU’s electricity market and linking up emissions trading systems. The Liberal Democrats are calling for a bespoke UK-EU customs union, but the Conservatives and Reform UK argue against measures they believe would undermine UK sovereignty. This briefing examines proposals for a customs union and the implications of closer connections with the EU single market.

  • In Focus

    Holocaust Memorial Day 2026

    The UK will mark Holocaust Memorial Day on 27 January 2026. The Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, a charity established and supported by the UK government, will organise and facilitate events and activities nationwide to commemorate the 6 million Jewish men, women and children murdered during the Holocaust, the victims of other acts of Nazi persecution, and where persecution led in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur.

  • In Focus

    Hospitality and retail sectors: Impact of government policy

    In recent years, both the hospitality and retail sectors have experienced a number of challenges, particularly in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. The government has announced various policies which have affected these sectors, most recently in the 2025 budget. This briefing provides an overview of both the retail and hospitality sectors, recent government policy that has impacted them and industry reaction to the government’s measures.

  • In Focus

    Preventing mass atrocities

    The UK has a duty to punish and help prevent atrocity crimes like genocide from occurring globally. Successive UK governments have used various mechanisms to help prevent mass atrocities. However, concerns have been raised in recent years about the prevalence of incidents of large-scale violence continuing to occur around the world. This has led some parliamentarians and external stakeholders to call on the government to do more to prevent atrocities.

  • In Focus

    Official development assistance: Humanitarian impacts of reductions in UK overseas aid

    Legislation passed in 2015 created a statutory duty for the UK to spend 0.7% of gross national income (GNI) on official development assistance (ODA), though it also permitted lower spending in certain circumstances. In February 2025 the Labour government announced ODA spend would fall to 0.3% of GNI by 2027. Humanitarian organisations have criticised the decision and called for ODA spend to revert to the 0.7% statutory target.

  • In Focus

    Potential future risks from autonomous AI systems

    Some experts argue that future autonomous AI systems may be able to evade human oversight and control. The likelihood and potential impacts of such “loss of control” incidents are debated as the trajectory of future AI advancement is uncertain. To address this risk, the UK has adopted non-statutory principles to guide responsible development and use but currently lacks AI-specific regulations or legislation.

  • In Focus

    Environmental improvement plan 2025

    The government published a revised environmental improvement plan in December 2025, containing updated targets and government commitments for improving the environment. These plans and targets are required under the Environment Act 2021. The government hopes the new plan will improve clarity on the actions to be taken to improve the environment. However, some have argued it does not go far enough to recognise the urgency of the situation.

  • In Focus

    Including societal and economic benefits in vaccine health technology assessments

    To gain approval for use in the NHS, vaccines must undergo health technology assessments that are based primarily on clinical outcomes and costs to the healthcare sector. Some argue that this approach undervalues vaccines and that broader socioeconomic benefits, such as gains in productivity and educational attainment, should be considered in all assessments. Critics of this proposal point to a range of ethical, practical and methodological challenges.

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