According to my mum, when you asked me as a child what I wanted to be as an adult I would reply (un-ironically) “Prime Minister!”. Whilst my lofty ambitions have tempered somewhat since then, politics, the way it shapes people’s lives and opportunities, remains extremely close to my heart. I am …
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Meet Beth
Hello! I’m Beth, and I will be one of the JPIT/House of Commons Interns for this year. I’m from Bournemouth, on the south coast of England. I have moved to London in the last couple of weeks to start working for JPIT. I love the outdoors and getting to explore new places, so I am excited to get …
Introducing Matt
I am delighted to be joining JPIT as the Team Intern for 2021-22. Having followed the excellent work of the team for a while now, I am excited to be contributing to their output myself over the coming year. I will be the face behind much of JPIT’s social media content, as well as working on …
Why fixing social care will take more than funding reforms
From the reporting of last week’s announced reforms to the social care system in England, you might be forgiven for thinking that the key issue was National Insurance contributions, or broken election promises, or even grand political gambles. Fascinating as this is (for political nerds like me at …
Power and protest
Church leaders have joined representatives of hundreds of civil society organisations to express concern about government proposals to restrict protest and increase police powers. As consideration of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill begins in the House of Lords, they have written …
Why the UK is setting itself up to struggle in response to conflict in Afghanistan
Yesterday, MPs returned from their recess to the UK parliament to debate the UK’s action in Afghanistan. There was widespread criticism from both sides of the house, and questions were raised about the UK’s course of action over the last week. The government have also confirmed that a scheme to …
Afghanistan – what will the future hold?
It seems that the long-running 20 year military campaign in Afghanistan has come to an abrupt end, creating huge apprehension for what might come next. Those in Afghanistan who have been active in supporting the US/UK backed governments of Hamid Karzai and Ashraf Ghani fear for the future of the …
Help forced labour go out of fashion
Shopping can be something of a minefield these days. On a rather infrequent clothes-shopping trip, I found myself unsure whether the pair of cotton trousers made in China had been manufactured using forced labour of Uyghurs. There is no easy way to tell. The Better Cotton Initiative does not give …
The effect of Covid-19 on women who sell sex or are sexually exploited
In May 2021, the Joint Public Issues Team published research with the charity Beyond the Streets into the effect of Covid-19 on women who are sexually exploited or sell sex. The issue was brought up at a focus group with local churches and communities which JPIT ran around a year ago, when we were …
Penalties, Racism and Healing
The chants rose from football fans in England this past weekend. England had reached the finals of the European Championship against Italy, the first time in the final of a major tournament in 55 years. After 120 minutes of regulation and extra time, it came down to this: the fate of a dramatic …