The Latest Breaking News from Rafael Behr

The Tories have become too pungent for a country that likes its politics plain

Labour’s unthreatening blandness doesn’t set pulses racing, but it beats a government peddling more rage and division, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr

The Guardian - UK · Aug 23, 2023

Britain is trapped in political purgatory – waiting for its undead government to fall

Policy that can’t work and laws written purely for campaign slogans are clear symptoms of a moribund regime, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr

The Guardian - UK · Aug 9, 2023

Rishi Sunak’s only hope of a legacy is to govern as though he has already lost the election

The Tories have a long road back to being a responsible party of power. Their leader’s job is to start that journey now, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr

The Guardian - UK · Jul 26, 2023

Boris Johnson is gone, but his toxic Brexit myths will go on poisoning UK politics

A systemic sickness produced the hallucination of merit in the former prime minister, then disgorged him, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr

The Guardian - UK · Jun 14, 2023

Rishi Sunak’s White House jolly can’t mask the fact that Brexit Britain is a fading power

The prime minister arrives in Washington with no real leverage in Europe – and therefore no real leverage with Joe Biden, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr

The Guardian - UK · Jun 7, 2023

The spectre of price controls is back to spook Sunak – and Thatcherite myths won’t save him

The prime minister is stubbornly attached to an outdated ideology, but has no plan for adapting to volatile times, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr

The Guardian - UK · May 31, 2023

Brexit ruined Britain’s appetite for revolution. That makes Starmer’s job harder

It’s not just the NHS where Labour faces an uphill struggle. The party has lost its willingness to confront difficult choices, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr

The Guardian - UK · May 24, 2023

In a contest between Tory MPs and reality, Rishi Sunak is refusing to pick a side

The PM is treading the perilous path of indulging Suella Braverman and her allies on the Conservative hard right, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr

The Guardian - UK · May 17, 2023

Politics: A Survivor’s Guide by Rafael Behr review – a plea for sanity from the centre ground

The political commentator is an elegant voice of reason in an often polarised world

The Guardian - UK · May 8, 2023

After this trouncing, Sunak will need to give people reasons to vote Tory again. Does he have any?

There’s still time for spells of competence from No 10 – but the Tory machine could collapse as the party goes into panic mode, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr

The Guardian - UK · May 5, 2023