London is facing a range of political challenges that must be addressed in order to ensure the city's continued success. Chief among these are labor disputes, rising inflation, and foreign policy issues such as the implementation of Brexit and the war in Ukraine. The UK government has been criticized for not taking into account the impact of its laws and policies on human rights, such as when it cut social security despite warnings that it would lead to an increase in food insecurity, debt, and homelessness. In response to the rise in migrant boat crossings through the English Channel, the government proposed a bill and measures that were contrary to refugee and human rights legislation. A parliamentary oversight report revealed that existing social, economic, and health inequalities, as well as the government's inadequate response to the COVID-19 pandemic, had caused disproportionately high mortality rates among people in institutions such as nursing homes, those with learning disabilities and autism, and people from black and ethnic minority backgrounds.
The government has also been accused of failing to take significant steps to combat institutional racism. While the UK government has worked with its partners to denounce human rights abuses on key issues, it has not always prioritized human rights on its foreign policy agenda. Official data released in September showed that 30,700 families with children were living in temporary accommodation in London alone, with inadequate living conditions due to a lack of affordable permanent alternatives. In July, the government proposed setting a statute of limitations for prosecution related to more than three decades of political violence in Northern Ireland. This is likely to have a particularly strong impact on Londoners, who are already struggling with poverty and high costs of living. Rishi Sunak was elected as Britain's first black prime minister in October 2020.
He is tasked with leading the Conservative Party through economic and political turmoil. To this end, the Social Mobility Foundation is working with Trust for London to establish a new business standard that encourages employers to do more to help combat working poverty. In recent years, there have been numerous independent campaigns that have sought to influence election campaigns and results. However, due to low levels of political trust and participation, it is difficult to determine how much influence these campaigns have had. All articles published on this blog express the opinions of the authors, and not the position of the LSE British Politics and Policy or the London School of Economics and Political Science.
