Best for Britain's Blog

New Blog by @BestforBritain The result of the Chesham and Amersham by-election will be welcome news to anyone who wishes to see the electoral stranglehold of this Government weakened. Sarah Green, the Liberal Democrat candidate, (and former Best for Britain staffer!) has won a Conservative seat, deep in their traditional heartlands.  

New Blog by @BestforBritain Last Sunday, before England kicked off their Euro 2020 campaign at Wembley, the whole team took the knee. This simple act has become a universally recognised protest against racism following the death of George Floyd last summer and, last season, players and officials alike knelt before every game in the English Premier League.  But now, on the global stage, some England fans have turned against ‘taking the knee’. Players were initially met with boos last weekend, before they were drowned out by cheers. Though it is only a minority of vocal supporters who have turned their backs on the team, it often seems to be their voices we hear the loudest. 

New Blog by @BestforBritain It's Boris Johnson’s first major international treaty since our European exit five years ago, if you don't count the copy and paste Japan deal carried over from what we had as an EU member. But there’s one small problem: nobody knows what’s in it. 

New Blog by Naomi Smith @BestforBritain Australia has eight of the ten biggest farms on the planet. When it comes to economies of scale, British farmers are at a distinct disadvantage. But it’s not just British farmers who are concerned. Best for Britain polling shows 61 percent of people believe the welfare of farmers should take priority in a trade deal – and only 20 per cent would put cheaper food ahead of protecting them.

New Blog from @BestforBritain Best for Britain research shows that 13 players in England’s squad for Euro 2020 could have represented another nation, due to having either a parent or grandparent born outside of the UK. The squad is a wonderful example of the benefits of immigration, and is a celebration of diversity

New Blog from @BestforBritain We remain unashamedly in favour of working with the world to solve the world’s and the UK’s greatest challenges.

UK viewers of Eurovision have much to lament this year, but beyond the song choice, the singer and scoring ‘nul points’ from both the jury and the European public - the real embarrassment came from one minute of Amanda Holden - deftly offending the Dutch hosts, as well as the French in under 60 seconds.

International alliances can be harnessed to create real momentum behind meaningful climate action.  International cooperation on the world’s greatest challenges is how countries around the world hold each other to account. Best for Britain’s polling reveals an intuitive truth about climate policy which our leaders would do well to listen to: global problems are solved with global alliances. 

Brits are more open to the world than we sometimes assume. And Best for Britain’s new Internationalism Index gives us insight into the hearts of UK voters. The Internationalism Index gives us a snapshot of UK voter attitudes. But it also allows us to filter and to better understand data we gather in the future.

Boris Johnson’s government agrees it’s time to change the laws governing our democracy, they’re calling it ‘renewing democracy’. But what they’re proposing is much more a big step backwards than a leap into the future. It's time for a fairer, more equal electoral system.

Europe has seen its fair share of conflict and unrest since Schuman's historic speech, but no major wars between EU member states. Scores are settled through legal action, trade disputes and briefings to the Financial Times, not on the front lines.  But peace should not be taken for granted.

Since we left the European Union and subsequent transition period, we have been asked repeatedly, what Best for Britain is still for and what it hopes to achieve. So here it is. We have transitioned from being a temporary campaign against Brexit, to being a permanent organisation for internationalist values and working with the world.

The Government cannot be allowed to mark its own homework. That's why we've launched the UK Trade and Business Commission. Whether it is rewriting the “independent” Race and Ethnic Disparities report, or blocking an MP-led investigation into the Greensill scandal, this Government seems allergic to scrutiny.

As the UK prepares to host COP26, the Government should be collaborating with the world to protect the environment. Instead, we are drifting away from the world-leading environmental standards of Europe, and towards a lonely and blighted future.

New blog from Best for Britain: Vaccine wars are a chilling reminder of just how important it is for nations to work together in the face of global challenges. While the UK and the EU have been engaged in an undignified squabble about contract law, Africa has been all but frozen out.

Of Davids and Goliaths: The perils of politicians drunk on power. If you are one of the millions who has protested about anything in recent years, they need the power to come after you. Not to have a grown-up discussion about policy differences, but to criminalise you and use the police to – literally – shut you up.

Scrutiny and accountability are the yin and yang of Parliamentary process, one reinforcing the other. But there has been a worrying trend for scrutiny to be sidelined, and for accountability to be abandoned, when it suits the Government.

Britain, so long a breeding ground for musical talent from all backgrounds, has manoeuvred itself into a position where only those with spare money will be able to tour in Europe. Welcome to a world where you have to pay to play.

With the first page of the 2021 calendar now scrumpled in the bin, it’s a good time to look at some of the early winners – or apparent winners – in the year’s opening weeks.

And so, unceremoniously, on the late-evening Peston show, a threat to workers’ rights that was never, you know, really, a threat to workers’ rights, was shelved in yet another Government U-turn.