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Matthew Cole

Teaching Fellow, Department of History, University of Birmingham

I am an historian of modern Britain with a particular interest in twentieth century constitutional and party politics, and local history.

As a Morrell Scholar at the University of York between 1984 and 1987 I examined the relationship between the work of John Stuart Mill and the arguments used to support campaigns to widen the franchise in nineteenth and twentieth-century Britain.

I was awarded a Research Associateship of the Open University between 1998 and 2001 to examine the determinants of British parties’ attitudes to constitutional reform, and was awarded the PSA’s David Butler Prize in 1998 for research on policy towards electoral reform.

Between 2007 and 2011 the Scurrah Wainwright Trust funded my research into the history of the Liberal Party in the twentieth century, particularly to produce a biography of Richard Wainwright, former MP for the Colne Valley.

My current research continues to focus on recent Liberal Party and Liberal Democrat history, and is also in the field of Birmingham social and cultural history.

In 2014 I was awarded a grant by the Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust Ltd to undertake 'Liberalism in Power', a study of the impact upon their image and fortunes of Liberal Democrat MPs at the 2015 general election of their party's participation in government.

Boris Johnson: what first 24 hours reveal about new prime minister's prospects

Jul 26, 2019 09:02 am UTC| Insights & Views Politics

It seems that more has been said about the Boris Johnson premiership in 24 hours than was said about his predecessor, Theresa May, during her whole three years in Number 10. Certainly, the new prime minister is intent on...

Brexit breakthrough? May and Corbyn will meet to find a compromise

Apr 03, 2019 10:29 am UTC| Insights & Views Politics

There is some good news about Brexit. The magic eye picture of Britains policy is beginning to emerge from the random pixels of the referendum campaigns promises and threats to a shadowy image of compromise. But there are...

How Brexit brought Britain's constitution to the brink

Apr 01, 2019 17:26 pm UTC| Insights & Views

It would be amusing but unhealthy at the moment to host a drinking game based on the use of the phrase constitutional crisis. The term has been uttered 155 times in parliament since the EU referendum (38 times in 2019 and...

Why an oath to 'British values' just isn't British

Jan 08, 2017 02:34 am UTC| Insights & Views Life Politics

According to three-time British Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin: An Englishman is all right, as long as he is content to be what God made him an Englishman. Three generations later, another Worcestershire Tory Cabinet...

Economy

Canada's Economy Grows Modestly in January 2025, Driven by Energy and Construction

Canadas economy kicked off 2026 on steady footing, with real gross domestic product rising 0.1% in January slightly ahead of market expectations following a 0.2% gain in December 2025. The modest expansion was largely...

RBC Capital: European Medtech Firms Show Minimal Middle East and Energy Risk Exposure

European medical technology companies remain largely insulated from Middle East geopolitical tensions and rising energy costs, according to a recent RBC Capital Markets analysis. The investment bank found that sales...

Gold Prices Rebound in Asia Amid Iran War Ceasefire Hopes

Gold prices climbed in Asian trading on Tuesday, recovering slightly after suffering steep losses throughout March. The partial rebound came as investors reacted to reports that U.S. President Donald Trump was weighing an...

Dollar Surges to Monthly High as Middle East Conflict Rattles Global Markets

The U.S. dollar is on track for its strongest monthly performance since July, emerging as the dominant safe-haven asset amid escalating Middle East tensions that have sent oil prices soaring past $100 per barrel and...

Oil Prices Surge to Record Monthly Highs as Middle East War Rattles Global Markets

Global financial markets closed out a turbulent month under heavy pressure as the ongoing Middle East conflict between the United States, Israel, and Iran continued to shake investor confidence. Oil prices surged to...

Politics

EU Leaders Visit Kyiv on Fourth Anniversary of Bucha Massacre

European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas, alongside multiple EU foreign ministers, made a significant visit to Kyiv on Tuesday to commemorate the fourth anniversary of the Bucha massacre. The...

U.S. Senators Challenge FCC Chair Over Nexstar-Tegna Merger Approval

Two prominent U.S. Senators have raised serious concerns over the Federal Communications Commissions (FCC) recent decision to greenlight a major media merger. Republican Senator Ted Cruz and Democratic Senator Maria...

Trump Weighs Ending Iran Campaign With Strait of Hormuz Still Closed

President Donald Trump is reportedly open to halting U.S. military operations against Iran even if the Strait of Hormuz remains blocked, according to a Wall Street Journal report published Monday. The development marks a...

California's AI Executive Order Pushes Responsible Tech Use in State Contracts

California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a landmark executive order Monday, setting new standards for artificial intelligence governance in state contracting. The directive requires companies seeking government contracts to...

Iran Strikes Oil Tanker Near Dubai Amid U.S. Threats and Ongoing Middle East Conflict

Iran launched an attack on a fully loaded crude oil tanker off the coast of Dubai on Monday, setting the Kuwait-flagged vessel Al-Salmi ablaze in one of the most dramatic escalations since the United States and Israel...

Science

NASA's Artemis II Crew Arrives in Florida for Historic Moon Mission

The four astronauts chosen for NASAs Artemis II mission have touched down at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, marking the beginning of final launch preparations for the first crewed lunar journey in over 50 years. NASA...

SpaceX Pivots Toward Moon City as Musk Reframes Long-Term Space Vision

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has revealed a significant shift in the companys near-term space exploration strategy, announcing that SpaceX is now prioritizing the development of a self-growing city on the Moon rather than focusing...

SpaceX Prioritizes Moon Mission Before Mars as Starship Development Accelerates

Elon Musks SpaceX is shifting its near-term space exploration strategy, choosing to prioritize a return to the Moon before pursuing missions to Mars, according to a recent Wall Street Journal report citing sources familiar...

NASA and SpaceX Target Crew-11 Undocking From ISS Amid Medical Concern

NASA has confirmed that the agency, in coordination with SpaceX, is targeting no earlier than 5 p.m. Eastern Time (2200 GMT) on Wednesday, January 14, for the undocking of the SpaceX Crew-11 mission from the International...

Neuralink Plans High-Volume Brain Implant Production and Fully Automated Surgery by 2026

Elon Musks brain-computer interface company Neuralink is preparing for a major expansion, announcing plans to begin high-volume production of its brain implant devices and transition to a fully automated surgical procedure...

Technology

Cybersecurity Stocks Tumble After Anthropic's Claude Mythos AI Leak Sparks Market Fears

Major cybersecurity stocks took a sharp hit Friday following reports that Anthropic accidentally exposed details about its next-generation AI model before its official launch. CrowdStrike fell 7%, Palo Alto Networks...

Chinese Universities with PLA Ties Found Purchasing Restricted U.S. AI Chips Through Super Micro Servers

Procurement records reveal that four Chinese universities, two of which have direct ties to the Peoples Liberation Army, acquired Super Micro Computer servers loaded with restricted Nvidia AI chips over the past year. The...

Federal Judge Blocks Pentagon's Blacklisting of AI Company Anthropic

A federal judge has temporarily prevented the Pentagon from enforcing its designation of Anthropic as a national security supply-chain risk, dealing an early blow to the Trump administration in a growing dispute over...

SMIC Allegedly Supplies Chipmaking Tools to Iran's Military, U.S. Officials Warn

Chinas top semiconductor manufacturer, SMIC (Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation), has reportedly been transferring chipmaking equipment to Irans military industrial complex, according to two senior Trump...

Google's TurboQuant Algorithm Sends Memory Chip Stocks Tumbling

Major memory chipmakers took a significant hit on Thursday after Google researchers introduced a groundbreaking compression algorithm that threatens to reduce artificial intelligence demand for memory chips. Samsung...