17/09/2026
Where has the professionalism gone in British politics?
Margaret Thatcher. James Callaghan. Edward Heath. Tony Blair.
Different parties. Different beliefs. Different visions for Britain.
I agreed with some of them politically and profoundly disagreed with others.
But there was something they had in common: they looked and sounded prepared for the job.
They knew their briefs. They could stand in front of Parliament, the press or the public and articulate what they believed and why. They could command a room. They expected to be challenged and were prepared to answer that challenge.
That doesn’t mean they were always right. Far from it.
But politics felt like a serious profession.
Today, too often, it feels as though we have replaced serious political debate with soundbites, point-scoring, rehearsed lines and endless attempts to avoid answering the question.
And this isn’t an attack on one party. I see it across politics.
Perhaps part of the problem is the way we select our politicians.
Years ago, I put myself forward to become a parliamentary candidate. I came away from that experience wondering whether political parties were really looking for independently minded people with substantial experience outside politics- or people who fitted neatly into the system and would reliably follow the party line.
That experience stayed with me.
I’d spent my life in business. I had opinions. I challenged things. I wasn’t particularly interested in saying what somebody thought I ought to say.
Perhaps I wasn’t what the system wanted.
But shouldn’t Parliament contain more people with real-world experience, not fewer?
Businesspeople. Teachers. Engineers. Nurses. Farmers. Scientists. Tradespeople. Entrepreneurs. People who have employed people, met a payroll, dealt with bureaucracy, made mistakes and lived with the consequences of their decisions.
And there’s another issue.
Technology , including AI, can give us information faster than ever before. Advisers can prepare briefings. Researchers can produce notes. Communications teams can polish the message.
But none of that can replace knowing your subject.
Leadership still requires preparation, judgement, courage and the ability to answer a difficult question without hiding behind a prepared line.
I don’t want Britain to go backwards.
I want us to go forwards- but with some of the standards we seem to have lost.
I want to see a new generation of politicians, from all political parties, who are knowledgeable, capable and confident enough to disagree with one another without turning politics into a playground fight.
Strong Government needs strong Opposition.
Good democracy needs serious debate.
And public service should attract some of the very best people our country has to offer.
We don’t need another Margaret Thatcher, James Callaghan, Edward Heath or Tony Blair.
We need the next generation of political leaders to raise the standard again.
Whatever their politics.
Because surely Britain deserves better than mediocrity.
The portraits shown in the accompanying graphic are AI-generated artistic representations and are not historical photographs.
