Contributors

Peter Burdin is the BBC's former World Assignments Editor.

Peter Bruce Lilley, Baron Lilley, is a British politician and life peer who held senior cabinet positions under Margaret Thatcher and John Major. Born in Kent in August 1943, he studied economics at Clare College, Cambridge, before embarking on a political career with the Conservative Party. He represented St Albans in Parliament from 1983 until boundary changes led to his election for Hitchin and Harpenden, a seat he held from 1997 until his retirement in 2017.

During his ministerial career, Lilley served as Trade and Industry Secretary between July 1990 and April 1992, before moving to head the Department of Social Security from April 1992 to May 1997, where he introduced Incapacity Benefit. A longstanding Eurosceptic, he campaigned for Brexit in the 2016 referendum and supported the Leave Means Leave pressure group. Following his departure from the Commons in 2017, he was nominated for a peerage and now sits in the House of Lords. Peter Lilley writes commentary for Comment Central on politics and policy matters.

Peter Richard Prinsley is a British Labour Party politician who has served as Member of Parliament for Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket since July 2024. Born on 8 April 1958, he was elected to the House of Commons in the general election held on 4 July 2024, winning the seat for Labour in what had traditionally been a Conservative stronghold in Suffolk.

As a newly elected MP, Prinsley represents the interests of his constituents in Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket in Parliament. His election victory was part of the wider Labour gains in the 2024 general election. He now contributes political and policy commentary to Comment Central.

Philippa Spence is the UK Managing Director at global engineering and sustainability consultancy Ramboll.

Account Executive and recent politics graduate from the University of Leeds.

Praful Nargund is a Trustee of CREATE Health Foundation.

Professor David Halpern is Chief Executive of the Behavioural Insights Team, a spin out from the Cabinet Office.

Professor Liz Kay was President of the British Dental Association from 2021-23.

Professor Rachid Hourizi is Director of the Institute of Coding, based at the University of Bath.

Professor Andrew Silke holds the chair in Terrorism, Risk and Resilience at Cranfield University's Forensic Institute, where he brings extensive academic expertise to the study of security threats and their impact on society. His scholarly work focuses on understanding terrorism, assessing associated risks, and developing resilience strategies to counter extremist threats. Before joining Cranfield University, he served as Head of Criminology at the University of East London, where he also directed the institution's Terrorism Studies programme, establishing himself as a leading voice in this critical field of research.

Throughout his academic career, Professor Silke has concentrated on the intersection of criminology, forensic psychology, and terrorism studies, contributing significant insights into how societies can better understand and respond to violent extremism. His expertise spans the analysis of terrorist behaviour, risk assessment methodologies, and the development of resilience frameworks for communities and institutions. Professor Silke writes commentary for Comment Central, offering expert analysis on terrorism, security policy, and related contemporary challenges facing the United Kingdom and the international community.