Rafael Behr
The Guardian
United Kingdom
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Past articles by Rafael:
Keir Starmer’s caution may be frustrating, but it’s right. Voters no longer trust big promises
The Labour leader’s method of quiet but ruthless opposition appears to be in tune with this cynical age, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr → Read More
How can British politics move forward when it’s still haunted by the 2019 election?
With Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer too interested in distancing themselves from their predecessors, it’s hard to tell them apart, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr → Read More
Uxbridge, Johnson and the end of the Tory dream – Politics Weekly UK
Politics Weekly UK is on the byelection trail again, this time in Boris Johnson’s old seat of Uxbridge and South Ruislip → Read More
Russia’s power games are a wake-up call for Britain: our democracy is precious – and fragile
The spectacle of Putin versus Prigozhin is a reminder that the UK’s political culture, however frayed its fabric, is worth celebrating, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr → Read More
Sunak had a chance to rise above Johnson’s toxic legacy – and he blew it
A politician who came to office promising integrity and accountability has shown the stupidest kind of cowardice, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr → Read More
Fighting for Life by Isabel Hardman; Our NHS by Andrew Seaton review – the NHS at 75
Two books chart the chequered life of Britain’s health service from birth to old age → Read More
Boris Johnson is gone, but his toxic Brexit myths will go on poisoning UK politics
A systemic sickness produced the hallucination of merit in the former prime minister, then disgorged him, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr → Read More
Starmer: hammering the left?– Politics Weekly UK podcast
Labour looks closer to power than it has been for the last decade, but as it nears the next election, some big tensions are starting to become clear. One is its plan for a green economy, another on the candidates being selected. The Guardian’s John Harris is joined by columnists Rafael Behr and Gaby Hinsliff to look at what Keir Starmer will do next. → Read More
Rishi Sunak’s White House jolly can’t mask the fact that Brexit Britain is a fading power
The prime minister arrives in Washington with no real leverage in Europe – and therefore no real leverage with Joe Biden, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr → Read More
The spectre of price controls is back to spook Sunak – and Thatcherite myths won’t save him
The prime minister is stubbornly attached to an outdated ideology, but has no plan for adapting to volatile times, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr → Read More
Brexit ruined Britain’s appetite for revolution. That makes Starmer’s job harder
It’s not just the NHS where Labour faces an uphill struggle. The party has lost its willingness to confront difficult choices, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr → Read More
Tory fanatics are on the march again – and Rishi Sunak is next in their sights
The PM is treading the perilous path of indulging Suella Braverman and her allies on the Conservative hard right, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr → Read More
After this trouncing, Sunak will need to give people reasons to vote Tory again. Does he have any?
There’s still time for spells of competence from No 10 – but the Tory machine could collapse as the party goes into panic mode, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr → Read More
Contempt for rules is shaking the foundations of British democracy
With its voter ID ruse and a bid to capture the civil service, the government is emulating US Republicans’ winner-takes-all populism, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr → Read More
Antisocial: how putting away my phone helped me recover from a heart attack
After being forced to quit social media, political journalist Rafael Behr was able to see its corrosive influence clearly. How can we repair the damage caused by a system that plays on our worst impulses? → Read More
Reality is Sunak’s enemy in this endless Tory campaign to defy political gravity
The PM posed as the leader who would finally tackle the serious issues. Now he is trying to stay in power by denying they exist, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr → Read More
‘Let them Eat Maths!’ – Politics Weekly UK
The UK needs to shift its ‘anti-maths mindset’, according to Rishi Sunak. But while the prime minister wants everyone to learn maths until the age of 18, do the sums add up against a recruitment crisis in teaching? → Read More
Sunak’s wealth isn’t an image problem for voters – except when he refuses to talk about it
Authenticity, not net worth, is the issue when a millionaire prime minister tries too hard to be normal, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr → Read More
Red wall Brexiters will be the ‘hero voters’ of the next election. The rest of us are just walk-on players
British politics is bent out of shape to accommodate a narrow set of views clustered to one side of a partisan divide, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr → Read More
Is this the end of the Tories’ Brexit wars? Politics Weekly UK
After years of tensions, Rishi Sunak and Ursula von der Leyen this week unveiled their new Brexit deal to virtually universal praise. But is there a catch? The Guardian’s John Harris is joined by Brexit correspondent Lisa O’Carroll, columnist Rafael Behr and former No 10 chief of staff and Conservative peer Gavin Barwell to discuss → Read More