Theresa May claims EU nationals “jump the queue” but won’t reveal her post-Brexit immigration plans

By Afzal Khan

Theresa May has once again showed her ignorance on immigration. In her speech to the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), she said that Brexit would stop EU nationals from being able to “jump the queue” ahead of workers from outside Europe. This is factually wrong: jobs simply do not work in a ‘queue’ system, and EU citizens have had the right to work in the UK as part of the reciprocal arrangements that also allow UK citizens to work in […]

Corbynism is a populism within Labour – but Brexit risks its internal appeal

By Tim Bale

When we think of populism in recent years, we tend to think of the Ukips of the right and the Syrizas of the left. These political forces are united by their binary politics, in which they look out and see a ‘pure’ people downtrodden or ignored by a ‘corrupt’ political elite. Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour has never squarely fitted this populist mould. Instead of looking beyond the party, Corbynism’s populism looks inwards within the party itself, with potentially damaging implications for […]

Theresa May’s government risks collapse as DUP withdraw support

By Sienna Rodgers

Sign up to LabourList’s morning email for everything Labour, every weekday morning. Last night, Theresa May’s government collapsed even further. First, the Remainers enjoyed a victory at the Prime Minister’s expense. 11 Tories forced government concessions by supporting Chuka Umunna and Anna Soubry’s cross-party amendment to the Finance Bill, which compels the government to compare the cost of May’s Brexit deal against staying in the EU. Then the Brexiteers had a go. Not the ERG, who’ve so far failed to get […]

As a newly qualified teacher, here’s why I’m marching against school cuts today

With Theresa May’s government in utter chaos, the prospect of a Jeremy Corbyn-led Labour government that could tackle the education crisis is within reach. Many questioned my choice to train as an English teacher in the current educational climate: devastating cuts, hours that ruin many teachers’ relationships, a semi-privatised system in which accountability is non-existent in many areas of the country… the list could go on. In my first term as a newly qualified teacher (NQT), I have witnessed first-hand […]

Rayner targets qualification “snobbery” with new civil service policy

By Sienna Rodgers

Under new plans put forward by Labour today, applicants for jobs in the civil service would no longer need academic qualifications unless genuinely relevant to the role. The move, which would downgrade the importance of A-Levels and university degrees while prioritising skills, knowledge and potential instead, aims to tackle “snobbery” in society and spark a “deep seated culture change”. Labour hopes that breaking down the barriers will encourage the civil service to recruit candidates with broader life experience, and to find people who […]