Written by

Rachel Fenwick came to political writing after working in environmental planning and public consultation. She studied Geography and Environmental Policy at the University of Exeter, then spent several years preparing consultation summaries, local planning notes, and public information material on transport, housing growth, flood risk, and carbon reduction. Her interest is not only in climate targets, but in the administrative detail behind them: who pays, which bodies deliver, how communities are consulted, and what happens when national commitments meet local pressure. That background gives her writing a practical tone, especially on green policy, regulation, land use, and public accountability. For London Politics, Rachel is useful on stories that sit between environmental policy, Westminster decision-making, public services, and the everyday politics of place.

23 Articles
Energy Security: The Political Risk Behind Britain's Power Supply
Green Policy

Energy Security: The Political Risk Behind Britain’s Power Supply

Energy Security UK remains a fundamental pillar of domestic public policy, shaping how Westminster balances industrial stability, consumer costs, and infrastructure resilience. When...

G7 Summit Politics and British Foreign Policy
Global Affairs

What Britain Actually Gets from the G7

The G7 matters to British foreign policy because it brings a small group of major advanced economies together for rapid political coordination. It...

Civil Service Neutrality and Public Administration
Westminster

Why Civil Service Neutrality Matters

Britain’s permanent civil service is expected to serve the elected government of the day regardless of party. That sounds simple, but it creates...

Air Quality Policy and Urban Public Health
Green Policy

Air Quality Policy and Urban Public Health

Air quality policy is a central public-health responsibility for national and local government. Poor air quality remains one of the largest environmental risks...

Green Belt Policy and Planning Pressure
Green Policy

Why Green Belt Policy Keeps Colliding With Housing Pressure

Green Belt policy exists primarily to limit urban sprawl by keeping designated land open. The political difficulty is that the same areas where...

Environmental Regulation UK and Public Accountability
Green Policy

Who Regulates Britain’s Environment — and How?

Environmental regulation in Britain is spread across several institutions rather than controlled by a single regulator. National agencies, government departments and local authorities...

Mayoral Powers London and City Governance
Westminster

What the Mayor of London Can Actually Control

The Mayor of London is one of the most powerful directly elected figures in British local government, but the office does not control...

Political Trust UK and Institutional Confidence
Society

Why Political Trust Depends on More Than Messaging

Political trust is often discussed as a communications problem, but confidence in institutions is built as much through performance as through rhetoric. People...

Climate Adaptation UK and Local Resilience
Green Policy

Where Britain’s Climate Adaptation Is Most Exposed

Cutting emissions and adapting to climate change are different policy tasks. Mitigation is about limiting future warming; adaptation is about preparing homes, infrastructure...

Political Neutrality and Public Debate
Voices

What Political Neutrality Can — and Cannot — Mean

Political neutrality is often treated as if it means having no viewpoint at all. In public institutions, however, the principle is narrower: decisions...

Editor's Pick

Global Affairs

Why Europe Still Struggles to Coordinate Defence

European Defence Policy remains one of the most complex policy domains in international affairs, defined by a persistent puzzle: if European governments fundamentally...

Voices

Why Press Freedom Is an Early Warning Sign

Media Freedom often acts as an institutional barometer, shifting long before wider democratic checks and balances show visible signs of strain. When public...

Green Policy

Can Britain Compete in the Green Subsidy Race?

Green Industrial Policy has become the dominant battleground of modern economic strategy, reshaping how governments approach trade, manufacturing, and public expenditure. Across the...

Global Affairs

Where Human Rights Law Meets Democratic Politics

Human Rights Law forms the structural backbone of modern constitutional governance, intersecting constantly with democratic politics, parliamentary sovereignty, and the daily administration of...

Economic Affairs

Why Tariffs Are Back in Fashion

Trade protectionism has quietly returned to the centre of global economic policymaking, reshaping how governments think about borders, industries, and national security. For...

Society

How Ready Is Britain for Another Public Health Emergency?

Global Health Security requires an institutional readiness audit rather than a set of clinical recommendations or diagnostic guidelines. When Westminster and Whitehall evaluate...