What the UK is doing to help Ukraine against Russia
Ever since Russia’s tanks rolled into Ukraine in February 2022, Britain has stood alongside President Zelensky, providing support through weapons and aid.
UK Government take over from Northern Irish assembly as organ donor rules change
Organ donor laws in Northern Ireland now match up to the rest of the UK. The opt-out system is in place as laws are getting passed in Northern Ireland again following a stalemate at Stormont.
War Criminal found to be a war criminal after losing defamation case
Ben Roberts-Smith VC sued for defamation after three Aussie newspapers called him a war criminal. Turns out they were right.
Labour MP suspended following ‘unacceptable behaviour’ allegations
Geraint Davies, Labour MP for Swansea West, has been suspended from the party pending an investigation into claims of “completely unacceptable behaviour”, this morning (June 1).
public order act: Green party Baroness fights Tories over undemocratic sneaky moves
Hope of preventing the Tories’ oppressive Public order bill seems to be out of reach for most, including Keir Starmer’s Labour, but rare rumblings of rebellion from the House of Lords hope to deal the belligerent bill a ‘fatal’ blow.
OPINION: Arresting pensioner Just Stop Oil protestors is not a good look for the Met
In the last hour, two Just Stop Oil protestors have been arrested by the Met police for… walking in the road?
OPINION: Covid-19 WhatsApp messages – Is Sunak hiding under the covers?
Rishi Sunak and his government still aren’t providing WhatsApp messages to the Covid inquiry even though they were meant to before May 30. Could Sunak be hiding something?
DeSantis v Trump: The Republican race to the bottom
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has thrown his hat into the ring to take on Donald Trump for the Republican Presidential nomination in 2024. It looks like whoever wins, we all lose. Last week, Ron DeSantis announced what everyone in Washington knew: he's running for the...
Starmer’s achievements come at a price: Paul Mason on today’s Labour Party
Paul Mason is a Journalist, Broadcaster and longtime Labour Party member. he tells Punching Up his opinion on Starmer, election prospects and the Tories
Do the British public REALLY want honest politicians?
Lying is a feature not a bug when it comes to the UK electorate and politicians. Liam Fitzpatrick explores why.
International Masturbation Day: Meet Parliament’s biggest w*nkers
As teenage boys and tissue companies rejoice all over the place, let’s celebrate International Masturbation Day (yes, that’s a real thing) with some of Westminster’s most infamous wankers. Neil Parish The former Conservative MP for Tiverton and Honiton, in the west...
OPINION: What’s the point of UKIP?
UKIP leader and former disgraced Tory MP Neil Hamilton explains why UKIP is still lurking around…Prepare for lies, right-wing waffle and to get very, very angry.
Parliament in recess: Just a little holiday?
This week, Parliament has entered Recess, which is esentially a break for the House of Commons and the House of Lords.
Phillip Schofield: The important stuff
Trying to work out what has been going on with Phillip Schofield and why it matters is a bigger challenge than it needs to be. Schofield has worked for ITV, the country's oldest commercial broadcaster, for more than two decades. He has stepped down under circumstances...
Richi – I’m sorry, Rishi – you have been sentenced to live as a normal person
By Charlie Fenton “A babby’s yed and wet pea please love” is something Rishi Sunak would never say. Just imagine it. You can’t. Well, now you have, and it feels wrong. Rishi lives Northern but breathes Tory. What if he breathed reality like you and I? In the UK, where...
We all want smarter politics – but is artificial intelligence the way to go?
By Sunjun Hwang It's not a huge surprise how fast AI technology is stepping up and becoming a big part of our lives. Whether you have noticed or not, AI is incredibly prevalent, from personalised social media feeds to spell checkers reading through your email drafts....
Literal Car Crash politics!
After a man mysteriously drove his car into the Downing Street gates on May 25 and was subsequently arrested, the rarity of such crime happening on the UK’s arguably most famous street has been highlighted.
Animal rights bill becomes the runt of the litter
It’s not surprising that a party that has a ‘fantastic’ hatred for foxes that Boggis, Bunce and Bean would be proud of, is winding down even remotely progressive legislation on general animal welfare.
Dress to impress, nothing else matters
In a country where the PM breaks the law and there's a 20% poverty rate, there is one thing we won't allow: A poorly dressed-politician. Despite many changes and developments over the years, one thing that has remained constant is the expectation for dress in the...
The five stages of a Tory scandal
You’ve heard of the five stages of grief, here’s Liam Fitzpatrick on the five stages of a Tory ministerial scandal.
Does Rishi Sunak actually love immigration?
New immigration figures have dropped today from the Office of national statistics, but in fact the figures have not dropped at all, rather rising by a cool 118,000 since 2021 much to the supposed behest of Rishi Sunak’s government.
OPINION: Tories fall into infighting – again
The Government are tearing themselves apart again in the name of Boris Johnson. In other news, 'bear shits in woods'. It’s been a typical Tory week with the Party playing its greatest hits, the encore of a dying government...
PMQ’s Review- braverman gets burned & immigration dishonesty
Expectation was high for the May 24th edition of Prime ministers’ questions, but did the recent drama surrounding Braverman, Boris and inflation numbers mean for an entertaining parliamentary session?
Meet the UK’s longest serving political leader
The story of Alan ‘Howling Laud’ Hope, his leadership of the Official Monster Raving Loony Party and why you should vote for them.
Boris Johnson breaking Covid-19 lockdown rules…the bad stench wafts again.
Yet again, we’re hearing reports that Boris Johnson broke Covid-19 lockdown rules yet again. How long will this keep dragging on for?
Explained: The Civil Service ‘blob’ conspiracy theory
One of the most important wings of the establishment has become one of the biggest scapegoats in UK politics
Uk government bans chemical weapons expert over critical tweets
An expert set to speak at the Chemical Weapons Demilitarisation (CWD) Conference received a letter informing him that, due to his online posts, he would be no longer invited to speak at the event. Dan Kaszeta is a specialist in defence against chemical, biological,...
Punching Up’s glossary of UK politics jargon
The news is confusing at the best of times. But it’s our responsibility to get our heads around what we can, and stop the dodgy politicians from trying to get away with just about anything. Our UK politics glossary covers some of the most common jargon, to help you navigate the news a bit more easily.
Labour must not lose sight of local candidates
Locality has always been entrenched in parliament, with the first-past-the-post system ensuring a constituency link for MPs. But have major parties lost sight of this?
Dominic Raab: What went wrong for the former deputy prime minister?
Following bullying accusations, a brief Prime Ministerial role and leadership contests Dominic Raab announced he won’t stand in the next General Election. but where did it all go wrong?
Murky Money: What on earth is going on in Parliament’s pockets?
The UK political donation system resembles a drawer full of tangled wires. How do we untangle it without going insane?
Lazy Labour’s worrying lack of anti-Public Order Act action
The first visible signs of a panicking Tory government’s authoritarian motives are here – so why is Keir Starmer’s Labour not stamping it out?
“Bananas Island” – What people outside of the UK think about the state of the nation
Throughout history, the UK has somewhat dominated the world's political stage, but it seems that our once Shakespearean drama of a government might have become a tragic comedy. Keeping up with politics on Bananas Island is like judging a chess tournament having never...
What the last three Prime Ministers have taught us about being #relatable
Having three Prime Ministers in the space of a year is ideal only for those who enjoy pointing and laughing at their leaders’ publicity nightmares. Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak have all been deservedly scrutinised for their political and economic failures, but what about their PR mishaps? We ask whether it’s time to give up on having a “relatable” Prime Minister.
“ORDER!”: Meet Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the man who keeps the House of Commons in check
House of Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle takes a break from berating MPs to speak to Punching Up about his work, punishing badly-behaved politicians, and some of the wackiest traditions in Parliament.
When it comes to deadwood, countless politicians need to go, not trees
First Partygate, then Beergate, and now Sheffield City Council has staked its claim as the bearer of the next big political scandal: Treegate. From a chainsaw massacre at 4am and the release of a damning new report on healthy tree extermination, Punching Up talks to a Green Party Councillor to get to the roots of the issue.
Politicians and the law: it’s complicated
In recent years, some politicians have taken the law as mere suggestion. Why – and how are they held accountable? With the help of a law expert, we dissect these questions.
OPINION: NatCon highlights frighteningly fascistic future of the Tory right
Parties in opposition usually spend a long time navel gazing, a period of ideological soul searching as they lick their wounds and plot a way back into government. Labour has spent much of the last decade arguing with itself about what kind of party it wants to be,...
Bulletproof Braverman? Why Sunak seemingly can’t sack the scandal riddled home secretary
Suella Braverman was back in the news over the weekend after multiple sources reported that the Home Secretary attempted to get civil servants to ‘help her out’ in avoiding a fine after she was caught speeding last year. It’s alleged that she has broken the...
The Iain Duncan Smiths: Inside the minds of YouTube’s political parodists
What happens when you cross Morrissey with a much-maligned Minister for Work and Pensions? The answer is one of YouTube’s strangest phenomena: political parody songs. Jonny and Garry, the men behind The Iain Duncan Smiths, speak to Punching Up about the strange...
The Public Order Act: the protest ban that threatens democracy
The government has attempted to ‘clamp down’ on public protest with the controversial Public Order Act becoming law earlier this month. What is it, why do so many oppose it, and how hathe government defended itself?
Politics biggest and most important losers – inside the world of safe seats
Safe seats are the biggest foregone conclusion in politics. A footnote in the story of Election Night, most counts don’t even get a mention on the TV coverage. But politics biggest losers are also arguably it’s most important. Liam Fitzpatrick tells the story of safe...