SubscriptionsAuthor: Sam Bright
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Elite Rule: Liz Truss’ Socially Exclusive Cabinet
Sam Bright examines the CVs of the new top Government appointments and finds they very much contradict the Prime Minister’s rhetoric of ‘meritocracy’
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Lisa Nandy: Conservative ‘Levelling Up’ Promises have been ‘Outright Lie’
Boris Johnson’s flagship regional redistribution project has stalled and Liz Truss is likely to send it into reverse, writes Sam Bright
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Liz Truss’ Claim About Productivity of Workers Outside London is Economically Illiterate
The Conservative frontrunner’s belief that Londoners simply “graft” harder than people outside the capital does not stand up against evidence on regional inequalities, says Sam Bright
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Energy Giants Pay £172 Million as a Result of Corporate Violations in Last 12 Years
Sam Bright tracks the penalties imposed by regulators on the UK’s dominant energy providers
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The ‘Culture War’ Continues to Radicalise on Both Sides of the Atlantic
Sam Bright and Sian Norris track the evolution of pro-Trump, pro-Brexit ideologies in the UK and US
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Transparency Request Suggests Chris Pincher Not Vetted by Government Ethics Team
A freedom of information request submitted by the Byline Intelligence Team suggests that the Cabinet Office unit did not scrutinise the former deputy chief whip’s appointment, contrary to previous reports
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A Bridge to Nowhere: Thatcherism Trumps Levelling Up
Despite the warm words of Truss and Sunak, Boris Johnson’s flagship policy is set for the scrapheap, contends Sam Bright
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Conservatives Posture About Foreign Enemies While Ignoring Own Membership Rules
Sam Bright digs further into the party’s permissive approach to foreign members, as the Conservatives stonewall questions about the risk of political interference
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Concern Over Foreign Interference and Conservative Membership Rules
It appears as though there is very little preventing malign foreign actors from swaying Tory leadership contests, reports Sam Bright
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Why Dirty Dossiers Matter
The fact that Conservative leadership candidates are gathering and sharing dirt on each other has serious implications for national security and democracy, say Sam Bright, Sian Norris and Iain Overton
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Tory MP Takes £46,000 a-Year Second Job With Energy Company
Amid a cost of living and climate crisis, one Conservative MP has accepted a £2,600 a-day role at an American energy firm, reveals Sam Bright
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Dorries’ Dinner with Lord Evgeny Lebedev
The Culture Secretary enjoyed the hospitality of the British-Russian newspaper proprietor weeks before Putin’s invasion of Ukraine
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The Hardline Forces Shaping the Conservative Leadership Contest
Sam Bright and Max Colbert explore the individuals and organisations that are propelling the Conservative Party’s lurch to the right
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Autocracy, Brexit, COVID: What the Tory Candidates Aren’t Talking About
From cleaning up Londongrad to the economic fallout of Brexit, the Conservative Party is in a state of intentional denial, says Sam Bright
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Concierge Capitalism: The Conservative Free Market Myth
In politics and economics, the Conservative Party has rigged the system in favour of an entrenched elite, contends Sam Bright
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Conservative Leadership Contest: Another Populist Pageant?
They’re off! As candidates vie to replace Boris Johnson, Sam Bright predicts they’ll all appeal to the three Conservative commandments of nationalism, Brexit, and Thatcherism
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Boris Johnson Will Try to ‘Burn Everything to the Ground’ – Because He Can
As the Prime Minister’s actions have repeatedly shown, elaborate conventions and procedures mask the features that fundamentally undermine democracy in British politics, says Sam Bright
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Why Brexit is No Longer Boris Johnson’s Superpower
Sam Bright reviews exclusive polling for Byline Times, revealing the public’s newfound pessimism towards Brexit
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Lord Evgeny Lebedev Joins Enterprise Run by Saudi Ruler Accused of Approving Killing of Journalist Khashoggi
The owner of the Evening Standard and Independent has reinforced his ties to the authoritarian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, reveals Sam Bright
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Charity Fallacy: Private Schools Estimated to Get £3 Billion a Year from Tax Exemptions
Sam Bright explores a new report revealing how exclusive academic institutions skirt their charitable commitments while relying heavily on the taxpayer
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Life After Ben Elliot for Russian Luxury Concierge Company
Sam Bright reveals that the Russian firm that formerly provided business services for Conservative chair Ben Elliot is now operating independently
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End of the Brexit Era? Wakefield Gives Labour a Second Chance
The country has moved on from Brexit and won’t be distracted by ‘culture wars’ – where does this leave Johnson and the ‘Red Wall’?
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The Conservative Party’s Great Rail Betrayal
Sam Bright inspects how the Government is undermining its ‘Levelling Up’ mission through a new era of public transport austerity
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The Tories’ Big Money ‘Summer Party’ – What We Know and Don’t Know
Sam Bright explores the facts and the mysteries surrounding Boris Johnson’s fundraising bash
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‘Every Labour Government in History has Left Unemployment Higher’ – A Fact Check
Sam Bright refutes the Conservative Party’s widely deployed claim about Labour’s economic record
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Flagship Afghan Resettlement Scheme in Turmoil
Sam Bright reveals new statistics showing shocking backlogs in the UK’s programme to help Afghan allies
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Johnson is Attempting to Revive his Prorogation Ploy
His unlawful suspension of Parliament in 2019 is now informing the Prime Minister’s last-ditch attempt to save his political career, argues Sam Bright
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What are the Benefits of Being a Tory Donor?
Sam Bright reviews the perks enjoyed by the big money patrons of the Conservative Party
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What Is Being Misconstrued About the Banks v Cadwalladr Case
Sam Bright unpicks the spin surrounding the high-profile defamation case
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‘No Incidents of Drug Use have been Reported’: Speaker Lindsay Hoyle U-Turns on Parliament Drugs Crackdown
Sam Bright and Rachel Morris report on a change of mood from the Commons Speaker, after he threatened tough action on the Westminster drugs culture just a few months ago
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Who Are Johnson’s 22 Big Money Backers? And Did They Influence the No Confidence Vote?
Sam Bright and Max Colbert dig into the potential impact of Tory donors on the survival of Boris Johnson as Prime Minister
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Black Ties and Dark Money: The Conservative Cash-for-Access Machine
As the party’s biggest donors come out fighting for Boris Johnson, Sam Bright and Max Colbert inspect how the Conservatives continue to sell democracy to the highest bidder
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A Nation Split on the Monarchy
New polling by Omnisis for Byline Times shows a significant body of support outside England for an elected head of state
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Imperial Measures: Confected Culture Wars and National Identity
Sam Bright considers the metrics that undermine the right’s new ideological gambit
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Constant COVID Presence in Cabinet Office During Party Periods
Sam Bright and Sascha Lavin reveal data showing the extent of COVID absences during Downing Street’s lockdown-breaking gatherings
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Sunak Takes Cost of Living Action As Polling Shows Public Anger at Lack of Government Help
New polling by Omnisis for Byline Times shows cross-party hostility towards the Chancellor’s inertia over rapidly rising household costs
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The Sue Gray Report: A Very Etonian Coup
In the effort to save his skin, Boris Johnson has waged a campaign against the institutions of British democracy, says Sam Bright
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The Punditocracy and the Subversion of Progress
How is the modern media environment emboldening people who want to destroy popular social justice campaigns for their own personal gain?
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The Great Escape: How a City Exodus is Creating New Housing Crises in Satellite Towns
Sam Bright and Sascha Lavin explore how the ‘Zoomtowns’ phenomenon is putting a burden on local property markets
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Cummings Exposes More Details of Boris Johnson’s Pact With Right-Wing Press Proprietors
As the Prime Minister’s former chief aide reveals the direct line between Johnson and billionaire media moguls, Sam Bright explores how they may have shaped Government COVID policies
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‘Levelling-Up’ Is Dying in Johnson’s Desert of Ideas
As the nation nears the three year mark of Johnson’s Government, it’s time to be honest about the collapse of his flagship project, says Sam Bright
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‘Bungs’ to Billionaires: Cummings Exposes Johnson’s Cash for Content Scandal
New testimony from the Prime Minister’s former chief aide shows how the free press has been bought by the Government
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‘Brexit Freedoms Bill’ Can’t Reverse What We’ve Already Lost
As the Government proposes new laws to unshackle the UK, Sam Bright reviews the fundamental freedoms that have already been lost due to Brexit
