April 2025: Pope Francis, an FT event and a new private members' club 🛎️
Happy Tuesday,
Heads-Up:
The deadline to register for the Financial Times event is 12 noon today, so if you're interested, scroll down and sign up first, before returning to feast on the post-Lent banquet that is the rest of this newsletter.
Disclosure:
I possess evidence that confirms I was baptised Roman Catholic and I confess to having a more-than-average interest in papal politics history, so please bear with me today. Here we go.
Yesterday’s news today:
I had a pretty witty post-recess opening paragraph ready to hit your inbox this morning, but that was before the major news from the Vatican yesterday.
As I watched the Camerlengo announce the death of the Bishop of Rome, I won’t tell you what first came to my mind.
But, in addition to being the spiritual leader of almost one and half billion faithful, Pope Francis was a Head of State.
So in the context of our hyper-polarised global politics today, I’ve been thinking about how this pope went about his political leadership.
He certainly had a unique way of balancing the favourability he experienced outside the church with the strong opposition he sometimes faced within it, as he navigated the hotly contested politics of his unorthodox papacy.
I’ve also been thinking about all the Catholics I know, some whom will be reading my words this morning.
They will not be thinking, like me, about the politics of any of it, but will be simply mourning the passing of the humble former Archbishop of Buenos Aires as their spiritual father and shepherd.
So, I guess redemptive hope for a world in so much political turmoil is a much more befitting reflection after the season of Easter rather than all the political quips I had lined up in advance.
And in which case, I better not write down any of the other ungodly political things I have thought about since the news broke yesterday.
Today’s news today:
Parliamentarians return to the Westminster village after a two-week recess, minus what I’m now referring to as ‘Steel Saturday' at the start.
That being said, I reckon every member of the Commons will be thankful to have not met the same fate back home in their constituencies over the break, as their American legislative counterparts.
US Republican town halls in President Trump’s second term are not for the weak. Judge for yourself here.
Speaking of Steel Saturday (I think I should trademark this), the continued economic uncertainty, despite the ongoing tariff negotiations with the US, presents our MPs with a heck of a lot to get through over the next *checks notes* one week before the next parliamentary mini-recess…
On the topic of America, one could say that this is a very good opportunity for me to flaunt my other more-than-average interest: in US constitutional law politics.
Whilst on the topic of economics, another could argue that this is also a very good opportunity for me to flex the academic wisdom that was imparted to me by the smart people at the University of Oxford’s Blavatnik School of Government, from whom I learnt Economics for Foreign Policy with FCDO colleagues.
However….what kind of baptised Catholic would I be if I were not to follow in the humility of Pope Francis. So, I won’t flaunt, I won’t flex (at least not today). Instead, I’m going to try and hurry the rest of this letter so that we can get to the even better opportunities laid out for you, my neighbours.
And finally, some housekeeping:
Warm thanks to everyone who has shared feedback on the back of our newsletter and call last month. It’s really helpful intel and I really appreciate it. For anyone who missed the email, you can have a late read of it here. It’s well worth a look, in my humble opinion. Feedback is still welcome.
And feedback on this edition is welcome here. No shyness or sugarcoating is encouraged. I wanna know wagwarn with this format (or not). Thank you 🙌🏾
Matthew Otubu
Founder & Convener, Black Politicos
22 April 2025
For students and graduates:
Sorry for the tight deadline on this one, but a guardian angel at the Financial Times has extended this invitation to us here at Black Politicos.
Next Thursday, 1 May, from 11:00 to 13:00, they are hosting an in-person conversation with Stephen Bush, the FT’s associate editor and author of the Inside Politics newsletter.
Word is that this is a rare opportunity to learn how Stephen made his mark in journalism and politics, why he chose this career path and how he has built one of the most influential political newsletters in Britain.
This event will take place at the FT's London office and is designed to give students and new graduates unique insight into how politics really works, and how to turn your interests into a career.
This event is free to attend, but spaces are limited. To request a spot, you can register here but please note that this does not guarantee a place at the live event. The FT team will be in touch directly after applications.
Let them know you’re one of us – and please let us know if you are selected to attend!
For everyone:
Join the waitlist to become a Founding Member of the Black Politicos Club
For months, we have had the pleasure of speaking with many of you about what motivates you to work in politics, policy and public affairs. We are excited that time and again, your answers, like ours, centred upon a desire to shape policy so as to improve public services for more people in our society.
Each one of you is central to everything we want to do here and this is how we’re currently articulating the essence of our mission:
The compounding effects of race and class issues have left Black people disproportionately more likely to experience worse life outcomes than any other ethnic group in the UK.
But, we want to see much better life outcomes for Black people from all socio-economic backgrounds.
So, these stubborn disparities only underscore the need for diverse teams capable of addressing systemic racism in the design and implementation of public policy – and lived experience is critical to better policymaking.
But, ethnic injustice persists in part because not nearly enough people from different socio-economic backgrounds are present in the rooms where the most important public policy decisions are made.
So, we're going upstream by creating a new kind of private members' club on a mission to build broad influence as we fix the broken professional talent pipeline in UK policy and public affairs, one member at a time.
We’re going to address the root causes of this problem and not just the symptoms by:
scouting overlooked Black talent for recruitment;
supporting emerging & established Black talent for retention & promotion; and
spotlighting qualified Black talent for progression.
📜 Find out more about what’s coming & Join the waitlist ⏳
PS. If you and/or your organisation might be interested in joining this mission by becoming a Founding Partner, please feel free to just hit reply to this email saying “Tell me more”
It would be great to speak!