James Heale

State failure was a consistent theme of British politics in 2024. So as the new year begins, attention has turned to perhaps the most egregious instance of that malaise in modern times: the horrific scandal of grooming gangs in dozens of UK cities. Jess Phillips, the Safeguarding Minister, has rejected calls for a government inquiry into historic child abuse in Oldham, prompting a Tory backlash. Robert Jenrick, the Shadow Justice Secretary, called it 'shameful'; Liz Truss, the ex PM, labelled Phillips' title 'a perversion of the English language.' Elon Musk, the owner of Twitter/X, argues that the Home Office minister 'deserves to be in prison.

On Christmas Day, 12 million people watched the will-they-won’t-they couple Smithy and Nessa finally marry after 17 years in the finale of the hit BBC comedy series Gavin and Stacey. Yet for all the cheery sentiment, it’s a depressing thought that – statistically – in the real world the characters would be earning roughly the same amount at the series’ end in 2024 as they were at its beginning in 2007. Rachel Reeves’s task this year is to spring Britain from its low-growth trap. The early signs are not encouraging. Those captains of industry whom she once so assiduously courted are turning hostile. The Confederation of British Industry says private sector expectations are at their lowest since Liz Truss’s ‘mini-Budget’ fiasco.

Peter Mandelson is expected to shortly be named the next UK ambassador to Washington. The announcement – broken by the Times – comes ahead of the inauguration of Donald Trump on 20 January. A government source is quoted as telling the BBC: ‘The fact the Prime Minister has chosen to make a political appointment and sent Lord Mandelson to Washington shows just how importantly we see our relationship with the Trump administration.’ They cited the former Business Secretary’s ‘unrivalled political and policy experience’ and claimed he was ‘the ideal candidate to represent the UK's economic and security interests.’ A formidable networker, Mandelson is regarded as a close ally of Keir Starmer’s chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney.

This afternoon Angela Rayner will unveil potentially the biggest shake-up of local government since the 1970s. The Housing Secretary will speak at 1:50 p.m. on her plans for a devolution ‘revolution’. All areas covered by two tiers of local government — generally district and county councils — will be asked to submit proposals to merge into single, unitary authorities. A white paper will be published after Rayner’s speech. The government’s line is that this move will save billions while simplifying how local democracy works. Local authorities will be expected to cover around 500,000 inhabitants, necessitating a likely cull of hundreds of councillors.

The changing nature of political power was neatly demonstrated in Westminster yesterday. In the House of Lords, members debated Labour's plans to purge parliament of its hereditary peers. Yet down the corridor in the Commons, that same principle seems alive and well. Ten Labour MPs are descended from former members, including scions of the Benn, Kinnock and Chamberlain families. The trend is certainly a cross-party one: a tenth of all Conservative MPs have had family members serve as Honourable Members. They include Victoria Atkins, Andrew Mitchell, Jerome Mayhew and Bernard Jenkin, whose fathers served as ministers under Mrs Thatcher. But the shift between the last parliament and this is the number of ministers whose spouses are directly involved in politics themselves.

There has been much focus in recent weeks on Reform's potential impact on British politics. But a rival quintet of insurgents has been quietly making their own plans too. In July, four independents were elected to parliament on a staunchly pro-Palestine ticket: Shockat Adam in Leicester South, Ayoub Khan who took Birmingham Perry Barr, Adnan Hussain won Blackburn and Iqbal Mohamed, victorious in Dewsbury and Batley. They have since formed an 'Independent Alliance' with Jeremy Corbyn, who stormed back in Islington North, and are referred to as 'the Gaza five.'Supporters are now understood to be stepping up their efforts to strengthen ties between members of the group.

Nigel Farage is not generally seen as one of nature's diplomats. Yet the Reform leader is proving to be a formidable force in the international arena. This is most obvious in matters of transatlantic interest, with Donald Trump's return offering Farage the chance to try and derail Labour's Chagos Islands deal. But last week showed a different side to the Clacton MP on a sensitive overseas matter. On Tuesday, Farage met with Mandy Damari, the mother of the last remaining British captive in Gaza. Her 28-year-old daughter Emily was kidnapped on October 7 last year and has now been a hostage for 430 days. The pair were hosted in one of the Commons committee rooms, with Farage subsequently a video of support calling on David Lammy to do more for her.