We advocate for political analysis that's more astute than calling legislative opposition a 'blob' - but you heard it from the Home Secretary first! This week, we visit the race to replace Sturgeon, the controversial new Illegal Migration Bill, and Starmer's own controversial recruitment strategy.
Flying High: Humza Yousaf
Scotland's political Hogmanay looks bright for SNP candidate Humza Yousaf after the first poll of SNP members is revealed. Some 31% of party members back the current Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care as favourite, as the post-Sturgeon era draws closer.
Staunch advocate of national and international human rights, trailblazer for the "progressive values of young", and author of Scotland's controversial National Care Service, the first poll's result might just give Yousaf the momentum to propel his nickname of 'candidate of continuity' into reality.
However, with Finance Secretary Kate Forbes just 6 points behind, and a substantial number of 'Don't Knows' in the poll - together with a fiery televised debate that clarified nothing other than that the SNP is a party at war with itself - the bagpipes of change have certainly not finished blowing yet.
Middle Ranking: Suella Braverman
A government minister introducing a landmark new law while admitting that it may not quite tally with the UK's own Human Rights Act? Something is amiss...
The Home Secretary's quest to deny a home to any and all illegal asylum seekers dominated Prime Minister's Questions this week - that weekly indicator of what's hot in political chit-chat.
For Braverman, the landmark Bill might offer a chance to restore some semblance of credibility to a political career mired by controversies and forced resignations. For Sunak, his framing of migration as "the people's priority" attempts to garner some kind of electoral respect.
But respect from which electorate? After new polling revealed that illegal migration is the second most important issue for 2019 Tory voters (behind cost of living but ahead of NHS waiting times), Braverman and Sunak might see this as a last-chance-saloon tactic to re-galvanise some small slither of voter support from their red wall base in the run-up to a general election. But Braverman's classification of opposition to her migration policy as "an activist blob" does little to recognise that retaining Tory votes won't be the only challenge at the next general election; non-Tory moderate voters will have to be charmed over too.
Sunak might think that picking a battle over boats is a way to galvanise the 2019 Tory-voting coalition now that Brexit, Boris and Corbyn are gone, but at a time of cost of living crisis and high inflation, moderate voters might be confused that this is the Tories' priority.
Sinking Low: Keir Starmer
The deal struck between the Labour leader and high-profile civil servant Sue Gray has quickly become uncivil...
Starmer has taken it upon himself to offer Gray a job as his top staffer, politicising the very individual whose reputation was judged on her neutrality and objectivity.
Of course, Labour have spun the hire as advantageous for a government-in-waiting, now armed with the valuable experience of a longstanding senior civil servant. But the move has proved controversial, and has ended up distracting from the latest findings over Boris and partygate from the Standards Committee.
The timing seems unfortunate, as the narrative is now about whether Gray behaved impartially or not during her inquiry (odd in itself, as that was the very reason she was appointed to the role). Still, at least the electorate continues to talk about the scandal around partygate, just when the Tories want to shift the conversation to their immigration policy.
The real question is whether Gray is political enough for the Chief of Staff role. There are still around 18 months until the general election, and Gray will be integral to Labour's election campaign planning - as well as the messy Westminster work of laying political traps, identifying wedge issues and generally criticising the work of government that comes with being in opposition. The ex-civil servant will need to find her political wings, and pronto...