Lucy Wake

So, what is this Queen’s Speech and why does it matter? Well for some it is the highlight of the political calendar…for the pomp and ceremony alone it is worth a look. The Queen (usually) gets all dressed up in her finery, jokes are...

By Lucy Wake - Government and Political Relations Manager, Amnesty UK If we have learnt anything from the suffragettes, global human rights movements or gay rights campaigners it must be this. Change is not inevitable. Change is hard...

By Lucy Wake, Amnesty Government and Political Relations Manager It’s recess in the hallways of power. A time for MPs to see more of their constituents, or indeed have a well-earned break. Our Prime Minister, however, has taken the...

Why does the UK continue to supply weapons to Saudi Arabia - a country accused of such unlawful and devastating airstrikes in Yemen? In response, Ministers continue to roll out the line that the UK has one of the most robust sales...

We have been asking party conferences across the UK whether we have done enough to tackle the refugee crisis. This week was the turn of the Conservatives. As everyone rushes from meeting to meeting at party conferences, trying to look...

I don’t know about you sports fans/political geeks but the Olympics and Paralympics feel like welcome break from a topsy-turvy rollercoaster of a political summer. A breather from Brexit and the ensuing chaos and political bickering...

What a time to take over the reins of a country. Brexit fall out. A reported spike in hate crime , racism and xenophobia and a global refugee crisis in urgent need of political will and prioritisation… Welcome Theresa May. Welcome to...

You can’t beat the Palace of Westminster for a good ol’ slice of pomp and ceremony. Did you know that every year, ahead of the State opening of Parliament (or Queen’s Speech to the non-political geeks), the Beefeaters still sweep...

Did you know that you could have faced the death penalty for being gay in the UK? Admittedly you would have had to been around in the 1530s when the Buggery Act was brought in. Scarily, it remained a capital offence until 1861 (and...

Party Conferences have always been a predictable affair. The party faithful gathering en masse for days (and nights) on end to campaign, gossip and grumble about their party and their policies – often fuelled by little sleep, warm...

So we now know that the CIA used ‘waterboarding’, mock execution, ‘rectal feeding’, sleep deprivation, stress positions and other cruel and degrading treatment against detainees. What we still don’t know is how deeply the UK government...

So every year the Advocacy team at Amnesty UK go on a three week round the country 'tour' of the Party Political Conferences. You are jealous, I know, I can tell. Actually, for us political nerds it is a great moment in time to take...

As I walked to work today I had a skip in my step. A perfect combination of early morning sunshine and Nina Simone’s dulcet tones singing ‘I wish I knew how it feels to be free’ (which always reminds me of Amnesty’s local group in York...

As David Cameron arrives in Colombo, fresh from a grilling in India about his choice to attend the Commonwealth head of government meeting (CHOGM) he seems to have found his voice at last on human rights concerns. But is his outcry...

There are just some issues that get under your skin. If you watched No Fire Zone on Channel Four this week you’ll understand why I’ve got the bit between my teeth about Sri Lanka . 40,000 civilians (or more) were killed at the end of...

To natter to politicians about human rights you need to head to their stalking ground…Party conferences. It is like a festival for political anoraks where we all queue up to see our favourite “acts”. However, this year among the many...

In my morning routine you can guarantee two things a. I am woken up by my cat at exactly 7am every day (even Sundays…apparently cats do not observe a day of rest) and b. from 7am until 8.30 at some point I am arguing with the Today...

A feminist’s work is never done – especially a feminist on twitter. Every time I log on, my twitter feed is full of tweets from the fabulous Everyday Sexism Project which collates stories of sexism. The stories outrage rather than...

You can always tell how the political week ahead will pan out as the media brews over the weekend. Whilst the same-sex marriage debate entered my living room through the (almost) ever present stream of Radio Four, my Facebook feed...