Politics

The Conservative MP, who left The Perse in 1985, explained to the audience how after reading maths at the University of Cambridge, he had started out as a journalist with the BBC, becoming economics correspondent, and fulfilling the same role at The Observer before moving to The Times.

He then became director of Policy Exchange, a think tank developing potential policy ideas for government, before being recruited by Boris Johnson in 2008 to be in charge of business and economic policy during the current Prime Minister’s first term as Mayor of London as well as writing the manifesto for his 2012 mayoral election campaign.

He explained how he had to go through several stages, including a hustings in front of 300 people, before being selected to successfully run for the Conservatives in the 2019 General Election. Mr Browne rounded off his visit by taking further questions from students seeking his thoughts on major national topics, such as Covid and Brexit, to local issues, including house prices and house building, as well as transport and traffic in and around Cambridge.

A panel of two former members of Congress – Republican Senator Tim Hutchinson and Democrat Congressman Larry LaRocco – answered questions and commented throughout the lectures.

It was particularly interesting to hear perspectives of two men so far apart on the political spectrum, despite both having been critical of the Donald Trump presidency.

Senator Hutchinson particularly provided an interesting insight into the process of politics in America, explaining his campaign for Congress and how he found himself in the Senate.

They addressed a wide range of themes throughout the day, including the current state of the judiciary, the influence of interest groups in America, and the party-political balance in Washington. In his lecture on the Supreme Court, Professor Robert McKeever addressed the 1973 Roe v Wade decision, which legalised abortion across America, suggesting this might be overturned in the coming term, pointing to the recent Texas Heartbeat Act as evidence. His judgement highlighted the conservative revolution which has overwhelmed the Supreme Court in reaction to 20th Century liberal rulings.

Professor Andrew Moran also gave an intriguing presentation on whether Joe Biden can be characterised as an ‘imperilled’ president. Moran went into great detail on presidential theory throughout his address and he questioned whether congressional oversight is still effective.

Overall, the lecturers encouraged us to think more thoroughly about the present condition of American politics, and the opportunity to interact with real Congress members helped us understand how the system really works.