Dear Reader,

Reform’s victory in the Runcorn by-election has issued a warning to Labour – but how far can Nigel Farage’s party go? In this week’s New Statesman, Andrew Marr outlines how Keir Starmer should counter the threat from the populist right, and Colin Kidd shows how Farage channels a long tradition of populist dissidence in English political history. For our live blog and expert analysis of the results head to newstatesman.com. Elsewhere this week you will find William Davies on the war against Whitehall, Katie Stallard on Trump’s first 100 days, Michael Prodger on JMW Turner at 250, Richard J Evans on the birth of the allied powers and Kate Mossman on the art of listening. On politics, culture and beyond, the New Statesman’s mission is to analyse and explain the forces shaping the world – and our writers are the best in the business.

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