ABSTRACT

This revised and updated tenth edition of the bestselling textbook Politics UK is an indispensable introduction to British politics. It provides a thorough and accessible overview of the institutions and processes of British government, an excellent grounding in British political history and an incisive introduction to the issues and challenges facing Britain today.

This edition welcomes three brand new chapters - ‘Elites in the United Kingdom’, 'Gender and British politics' and 'UK Immigration policy in hostile environment' -  alongside rigorously updated revised chapters. It delivers excellent coverage of contemporary events, with significant new material covering: the Johnson premiership and the national challenge of Covid-19, the end of the May premiership and the implementation of Brexit, the Labour Party’s transition from Corbyn to Starmer, infrastructure and innovation, 'fake news', populism and nationalism, the UK’s place in a post-Brexit world, climate change, social mobility and elite recruitment, devolution and regionalism, constitutional strain, the role of political advisers, abuse and incivility in politics and much more.

Other features of the new edition include:

  • A wide range of illustrative material, boxes and case studies providing illuminating examples alongside the analysis.
  • A comprehensive ‘who’s who’ of politics in the form of Profile boxes featuring key political figures.
  • And another thing . . . pieces containing short articles on salient and pressing topics, written by distinguished commentators including Sir John Curtice, Sir Simon Jenkins, Andrew Rawnsley, Baroness Julie Smith of Newnham, and Philip Collins.
  • Online interviews on the book’s website see notable figures from British political life discussing the pressing issues of today.

With chapters written by highly respected scholars in the field and contemporary articles on real-world politics from well-known political commentators, this textbook is an essential guide for all students of British politics.

part 1|83 pages

Context

chapter Chapter 2|29 pages

The UK, the world and Europe

chapter Chapter 3|20 pages

The social and economic context

chapter |4 pages

And another thing . . .

Is liberal democracy doomed?

part 2|90 pages

Defining The Political World

chapter Chapter 4|17 pages

Ideology and the liberal tradition

chapter Chapter 5|27 pages

Political ideas: the major parties

chapter Chapter 6|21 pages

Political ideas: themes and fringes

chapter Chapter 7|18 pages

From Euroscepticism to Brexit

chapter |3 pages

And another thing . . .

Parliament in light of Brexit

part 3|15 pages

The Representative Process

chapter Chapter 8|14 pages

Elites in the United Kingdom

chapter Chapter 9|17 pages

Elections and voting

chapter Chapter 10|28 pages

The mass media and political communication

chapter Chapter 11|22 pages

Gender and British politics

chapter Chapter 12|23 pages

Pressure groups

chapter Chapter 13|26 pages

Political parties

chapter Chapter 14|26 pages

Devolution

part 4|134 pages

The Legislative Process

chapter Chapter 15|26 pages

The changing constitution

chapter Chapter 16|24 pages

The crown

chapter Chapter 17|35 pages

The House of Commons at work

chapter Chapter 18|15 pages

The House of Commons under pressure

chapter Chapter 19|28 pages

The House of Lords

part 5|104 pages

The Executive Process

chapter Chapter 21|23 pages

Ministers, departments and civil servants

chapter Chapter 22|32 pages

Local government

chapter Chapter 23|24 pages

The judiciary

part 6|162 pages

The Policy Process

chapter Chapter 24|27 pages

The policy-making process

chapter Chapter 25|21 pages

The politics of law and order

chapter Chapter 26|21 pages

Social policy in the UK

chapter Chapter 27|18 pages

Economic policy

chapter Chapter 28|22 pages

British foreign and defence policy

chapter Chapter 29|23 pages

Britain and the European Union

chapter Chapter 30|17 pages

UK immigration policy in a hostile environment

chapter |5 pages

Epilogue