By closing down the public sphere, politicians have deprived themselves of their most valuable asset: the wisdom of an engaged citizenry, writes Claire in The Telegraph When MPs and Lords were sent home early last Thursday, we were put on standby. If the UK secured a deal with the EU after endless fraught negotiations, we … Read more
Claire was in the Newsnight studio with Simon Williams from Swansea University’s School of Management to discuss the prospect of relaxed lockdown guidelines over Christmas, and argued that letting the public use their judgement in these situations is more likely to foster good will and responsible behaviour than draconian, rules-based measures. Claire appears from 10 … Read more
Claire was a guest on It’s Your Time You’re Wasting!, the podcast presented by educators Martin Robinson and David Didau, where she discussed the Eton ‘perspectives’ video and pupil voice, and the reasons she set up the Debating Matters competition for secondary schools, now in its seventeenth year.
Joining the House of Lords at this turbulent time has been challenging, to say the least, writes Claire in The Express. The place was desperately in need of a few more Brexiteers, which I have been glad to help correct. But much of my early time here has been spent fighting to take back our … Read more
Claire and fellow panellists Nadhim Zahawi, Vaughan Gething, Adam Price, and Tanni Grey-Thompson discussed questions from a virtual Swansea audience about lockdown rules, the impact of covid policies upon the vulnerable, pay rises for public sector workers, government cuts to the foreign aid budget, and the likelihood of a Welsh independence vote. Watch highlights above, … Read more
Claire joined former Conservative cabinet minister David Lidington, Labour MP Florence Eshalomi and barrister and broadcaster Hashi Mohamed on the panel of LBC’s Cross Question with Iain Dale, and discussed listeners’ questions about the future of the Union, vaccine misinformation, the gaps in covid support schemes, Jeremy Corbyn’s reinstatement into the Labour Party, and the … Read more
Local councils play a crucial democratic role pushing back against central diktats but they should remember that citizens need more than money to get through the COVID challenge, writes Claire in The MJ. “…shutting down society for long periods does far more damage than killing small businesses and hospitality outlets. What is lost is community, … Read more
Claire’s contributions to a House of Lords debate about the Internet Market Bill were covered at length in The Express. “Under pressure from Brexiteers, Boris Johnson contested and won the December general election. He pledged the UK would not be tied to EU rules. The Government are now trying to keep that promise to the … Read more
In an interview with UK in a Changing Europe, Clare reflects on Euroscepticism in the run up to the referendum, the events that prompted her to stand in the European Parliament elections, and the future of British politics. Read the full interview here.
Claire joins host Anne McElvoy alongside other guest ex-Justice Secretary David Gauke, to debate whether we need to learn to live with more risk. As risk takes on greater significance within Government, Claire argues that we need to view risk as a core component of freedom as it is embedded in all the decisions we … Read more