Rebellion in the air
From the moment Israel launched its surprise attack on Iran on 13 June, much of the world watched with a sense of mounting horror as the bloody logic of war took hold. Violence begot violence, until the ego of Donald Trump was eventually drawn in, sending the Middle East into even more volatile territory.
Yet, the state of emergency that exists in Britain today is far more ambiguous than simply one of war and peace, bombs and braggadocio. For Britain – and the government of Keir Starmer – an altogether more subtle crisis is unfolding: a creeping emergency of state far deeper than a passing moment of danger. Years in the making, the sense of national crisis is beginning to tighten its grip on this government, challenging the very authority of the Prime Minister to govern.
As Andrew Marr writes, there is now 'more than a whiff of rebellion in the air' in Westminster. Buffeted by events and ignored by his allies in Washington and Tel Aviv, the Prime Minister faces a mutiny at home over the government's proposed cuts to disability benefits. Such a crisis is self-inflicted, the result of choices made by this administration. But it is also the product of an ever more fragile country, which remains startlingly exposed to the whims of autocrats and strongmen abroad, as our business editor, Will Dunn, sets out. Whatever happens in the Middle East over the coming days, the sirens are beginning to sound about the state of Britain and its government.
The state of emergency, then, is global, domestic, political and institutional. For much of the past 20 years, Britain has stumbled from one crisis to another, convulsing successive governments along the way, and undermining voters' willingness to tolerate more upheaval. In more ways than one, Britain simply cannot afford yet another emergency so soon after the last.
Throughout this week we have been covering these events on the New Statesman podcast (available wherever you get your podcasts, I am professionally bound to add). From here on in, we will be producing a daily weekday podcast to keep you up to speed with politics, culture and world affairs. Please do tune in.
As ever, though, this week's magazine brings light as well as shade. Our US correspondent Freddie Hayward joins one of the great hopes of the American left, Ro Khanna, at a baseball game in Philadelphia, where the Democrat set out his vision for a new progressive populism to take on Donald Trump. George Eaton looks at the prospect of a similar left-wing revival in Britain, while the new RMT general secretary, Eddie Dempsey, makes a full-throated case for the revival of trade unionism to give workers more of a stake in their lives. Something certainly seems to be stirring on the left. Let's hope it is not too late.
Beyond British and American politics, the excellent Oliver Eagleton digs into the empty foreign policy strategies tearing apart the Middle East. Israel: committed to regime change in Iran, its last remaining regional rival. America: attempting to extricate itself from a region that has cost it so much in blood and dollars over the past two decades. And then there's Britain, which, much like the rest of Europe, is left to commentate and second-guess, while other countries act. It is a sobering but important read.
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Elsewhere, Alison Phillips anchors our new 'Media Confidential' diary, bringing you gossip – and an exclusive – from the world of Fleet Street and beyond; Lamorna Ash joins an anti-war encampment at Soas; David Sexton reviews 28 Years Later, and David Broder explores the life of Giorgia Meloni.
Finally, and with great sadness, we must say goodbye – or, at least, au revoir – to the great Tracey Thorn, who has now put down her quill. After more than a decade of writing for the magazine, Tracey is retiring in order to focus on her music. The New Statesman is a family and she will always be welcome back. Perhaps we can even join her on the road…
As ever, please do get in touch with any questions, suggestions, compliments – or complaints! Onwards to the next edition, though hopefully not the next crisis.
[See also: What Keir Starmer can't say]
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This article appears in the 25 Jun 2025 issue of the New Statesman, State of Emergency
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