Tag Archives: Southampton

09Jun/26

The Political War Over Equality Laws

Tue, Jun 09 2026 /Mpelembe Media/ — Kemi Badenoch argues that equality legislation like the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) has inadvertently created a culture where public authorities are so terrified of career-ending accusations of racism that they replace common sense and critical thinking with bureaucratic box-ticking. She claims this deep-seated fear has caused institutions to withhold information, avoid difficult conversations, and become “institutionally incompetent” when dealing with issues of race and identity. Continue reading

25Oct/22

It matters that Rishi Sunak has become the UK’s first prime minister of Indian descent

Parveen Akhtar, Aston University

Following his uncontested run at the top job, Rishi Sunak acquires the less-than-coveted title of second successive un-elected British prime minister to take office in 2022. However, coming from Punjabi heritage, he also takes on the more esteemed title of the nation’s first British Asian leader.

Continue reading

25Oct/22

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak: who is he and how did he end up with the top job in British politics?

Victoria Honeyman, University of Leeds

When Rishi Sunak lost to Liz Truss in the first Conservative Party leadership race of 2022, few were surprised. Many of the people given the chance to choose between the two candidates blamed Sunak for Boris Johnson’s downfall. They also preferred Truss’s “optimistic” economic policies to Sunak’s sombre assessment of the fiscal outlook. Where she promised generous tax arrangements, he argued that economic circumstances would be hard and taxes could not be cut in the short term. Indeed, he warned, they might even have to rise.

Continue reading