Rachel Reeves’ Strategy to Cut Civil Service Costs
Westminster insiders are wondering how Rachel Reeves can achieve her plans for sweeping Civil Service cuts. Ahead of her Spring Statement tomorrow, the Chancellor has confirmed that she wants a 15% reduction in Whitehall funding by the end of the decade, aiming to save £2.2bn a year. Government sources quoted in the media insisted these […]
Spring Statement Preview
Chancellor Rachel Reeves is braced for a challenging picture of the UK economy to emerge in the latest Office for Budget Responsibility forecasts at her Spring Statement next week. In her House of Commons speech on Wednesday, the Chancellor will run through the key points in the forecast before outlining the Government’s response. Shortly afterwards, […]
Keir Starmer’s Speech on Reforming the State, 13 March 2025
Sir Keir Starmer has set out his ambition to reshape the British state in a major policy speech. This intervention came hot on the heels of the government unveiling radical plans for Civil Service reform. Speaking in Hull last Thursday, the Prime Minister’s most eye-catching announcement was the abolition of NHS England, bringing management […]
Arden Strategies Launches Social Value Practice and Network
This week, we are launching our new Social Value practice and Network. Led by Arden’s Managing Director of Social Value, Faz Hakim, the new business practice will provide its clients with expert analysis of social value initiatives, showcase best practise and provide strategic support for political engagement, helping them to thrive under new government legislation. […]
From Political Headaches to Generational Milestones – Local Elections 2025
The 2025 local elections are just around the corner, and they promise to be a significant event in the UK’s political calendar. On 1 May 2025, elections will be held in 14 county councils, eight unitary authorities, the City of Doncaster and the Isles of Scilly, while six mayoral offices and the City of London […]
The Labour Government: Will a Spring of Success follow a Winter of Discontent?
It has been a difficult start to life as an MP for the 2024 intake. The Conservatives are adjusting to their much-diminished number and a new leader. Labour MPs, elected as part of a ‘mission-driven’ political project, have found that governing is a much tougher job than being in opposition. Defending the decision to remove […]
Beyond Brexit: How Reform is Redefining British Politics
In the volatile landscape of British politics, Reform UK is threatening the century-long dominance of the two main political parties. Born from the ashes of the Brexit Party, Reform has morphed from a single-issue insurgency into noisy and attention-grabbing political force intent on edging out the Conservatives as the primary opposition to the Labour Government. […]
DeepSeek’s Rise: A Wake-Up Call for the West’s AI Strategy
DeepSeek’s meteoric rise in the global tech arena has raised alarm in Western security circles. The Chinese AI chatbot, developed by a hedge fund-backed firm, is not only disrupting markets but also intensifying long-standing concerns about China’s increasing dominance in emerging technologies. This is reminder that the rise of China’s technological prowess is not an […]
Nuclear Week in Parliament 2025: A Critical Year for the Nuclear Agenda
Dunkelflaute – a German term that translates to ‘dark doldrums’, also used to describe a period of low wind and solar output. Weather conditions familiar to UK residents eagerly anticipating the first days of Spring in – we can only hope – 8 weeks’ time. Northern Europe experiences between two and ten dunkelflaute events a year; […]
Badenoch Named New Conservative Leader: a Paradox in Charge of Party Unity
It was the result many had predicted following the General Election in July and, further back than that, almost as soon as Rishi Sunak became Prime Minister; but Kemi Badenoch’s route to the Conservative Party leadership has been far from straightforward. She scraped through the final round of MPs’ votes: a narrow victory over relative […]
