In the Media

“This problem over over-appointment of Lords has been going on for years. It got particularly worse after David Cameron, who appointed huge amounts of peers,” said Professor Meg Russell (UCL Constitution Unit) as Keir Starmer appoints 25 new Labour peers.

“Paris is taxing large vehicles so it’s not unprecedented. However, regulating size does limit choice in markets that are supposed to be ‘free’ and I’m sure car lobbies are active in pushing back against this,” said Dr Marie Claire Brisbois (UCL Geography) on cities taxing SUVs.

“To be allowed to expel a handful of criminals, states are today embarking on a path that will reduce human rights protections for all of Europe,” said Professor Veronika Fikfak (UCL Political Science) regarding possible reforms to the European Convention on Human Rights.

“Prohibition of torture & inhuman and degrading treatment is an absolute right...There is no margin of appreciation for states, nor any deference to them,” said Professor Veronika Fikfak (UCL Political Science) on Labour's calls to change the European convention on human rights.

A major new study by Professors James Cheshire (UCL Geography) Ben Campkin and Dr Alessio Kolioulis (both UCL Urban Laboratory) has revealed the challenges faced by London’s 1.3m night workers, including pay inequality, health problems, transport difficulties and safety concerns.

“I think what Trump wants is to create and generate the appearance of strength and dominance. I think he will be very careful to avoid a situation where his only choices are back down or escalate,” said Dr Jonathan Monten (UCL Political Science) on US relations with Venezuela.

“This comes from his background in the dog-eat-dog environment of Manhattan construction in the 1980s, where any sign of being the weak dog in the pack means the rest just gobble you up,” said Professor Iwan Morgan (UCL Institute of the Americas) on Trump’s health.

“When we spoke with the Environment Agency there was much interest at the technical level, but at the management level there was no interest,” said Professor Ray Harris (UCL Geography) on a study finding evidence of thousands of illegal waste sites in the UK.

"The White House wishes it could have that much control over events, quite frankly, and if it could, I'm sure it would do things in a very different fashion," said Dr James D. Boys (UCL Political Science) on whether President Trump can strategically influence the news agenda.

“An expanding segment of the right, especially younger men, has radicalised well beyond Trump’s original nationalist-populist appeal," said Dr Thomas Gift (UCL Political Science) on rising personalities like political commentator Nalin Haley.

“She was actually the centre of Cortes’ enterprise. She was really pivotal in the conquest of Mexico as a translator,” said Dr Elizabeth Beckedano (UCL Institute of Archaeology) on the role of the indigenous translator Malintzin in the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire.

“For an issue that helped get Trump elected in 2024, the economy looks more like a liability for Republicans heading into the 2026 midterms," said Dr Thomas Gift (UCL Political Science) on US President Donald Trump’s approval rating on the economy in New Hampshire.

“You are gambling with major habitats and major parts of the climate system,” said Professor Mark Maslin (UCL Geography) on why global leaders must take action regarding climate change.

“A lot of what is in this proposal is very much copy pasting of what Denmark has done in relation to the convention,” said Professor Veronika Fikfak (UCL Political Science) on how the proposed asylum policy reforms may compare to Denmark’s policy towards asylum seekers.

“It is hardly an unjustifiable breach of privacy to have to do so to get onto Pornhub,” said Professor Jeffrey Howard (UCL Political Science) on new internet regulation that requires people in the UK to demonstrate age verification to access pornography online.