The struggle against climate change is, metaphorically and meteorologically, heating up. Globally, 2023 was the warmest year on record, with temperature rises exceeding the 1.5C limit deemed necessary to avoid the most extreme consequences of atmospheric heating. Both Labour and the Conservatives have rolled-back high-profile green commitments in recent months. Is this smart politics? Are voters really all that enthusiastic about the country's promise to hit Net Zero emissions by 2050, or are they more concerned with relief from the current cost-of-living crisis?

Will Brexit still matter in the upcoming general election, and if so, how? The 2019 general election marked a high watermark in the realignment of the electorate around the Leave and Remain sides of the EU referendum. Since then, however, politicians resist talking about Brexit, and new issues and embarrassments for the government have shaped the political agenda: the Covid 19 pandemic, parties in Downing Street, the Liz Truss mini-budget, and the cost-of-living crisis.

Recent news from Scotland suggests the end of an era. The Scottish National Party (SNP), which has dominated politics north of the English border since the 2014 independence referendum, has suffered a chaotic year and now trails Labour in opinion polls for the first time in almost a decade. The next election could well see the same party win a majority of seats in England, Scotland and Wales for the first time since 2005. Does the SNP's decline mean that their dream of independence is over and that the union is now safe?