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Sonia Sodha

@sonia-sodha.bsky.social
9.2K followers 1.9K following 388 posts

Columnist & broadcaster. Presenting for BBC Radio 4, news reviews for This Morning & Sky News. Highly commended/shortlisted Society of Editors' Commentator of the Year 2023 & 2024. soniasodha.com

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Sonia Sodha @sonia-sodha.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
I wrote for the Independent on how Farage & Reform are doing themselves no favours with their whingy victim narrative www.independent.co.uk/voices/nigel...
independent.co.uk
This is the way Nigel Farage ends – not with a bin but a whimper
This angrier, whinier Reform UK is at real risk of petering out as support for the party softens and its politicians moan more and more – its leader has just won a by-election, and he’s already compla...
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Sonia Sodha @sonia-sodha.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
I've expanded on my thoughts on how the police get away with failing to root out abuse of women by male officers, yet swiftly ejecting a gender-critical female detective for allegedly making offensive remarks about men in a slightly longer piece, here 👇 comment.press/institutiona...
comment.press
Are the police still institutionally misogynist? You bet they are.
Are the police still institutionally misogynist? You bet they are.
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Sonia Sodha @sonia-sodha.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Police misogyny left Simon Levy free to murder. And I find it extraordinary the police are so ruthless in getting rid of an experienced female detective for alleged offensive remarks about men, given their track record of rooting out men who actually abuse women. www.thetimes.com/article/18d3...
thetimes.com
Police misogyny left Simon Levy free to kill
Clear signs that serial attacker would rape and murder were ignored, despite lessons from death of Sarah Everard
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Cathy Devine @womensportfeminism.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
'They didn’t want to do the hard graft of making sure the best black and working class minds have just as much opportunity to become professors as anyone else. No, they wanted to show off to the world how progressive and cool they are.' 🎯
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Sonia Sodha @sonia-sodha.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
I’ve written for the Times today on what Jason Arday’s rise and fall from grace tells us about the chunks of modern academia that have become places that prize midwitted groupthink, and people parroting idiotic ideologies to remain in with their mates. www.thetimes.com/article/b3e4...
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Sonia Sodha @sonia-sodha.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
I've written about (yet another) police failure on free speech in the Arday affair, and why it's high time there's an independent review into policing and free speech 👇 comment.press/police-free-...
comment.press
(Yet another) police failure on free speech
(Yet another) police failure on free speech
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Sonia Sodha @sonia-sodha.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
My (broadly v positive) take on Andy Burnham's first two weeks. Lots to like, perhaps a bit of stuff to feel ambivalent about, and one concerning thing that needs refining (vocational education). comment.press/andy-burnham
comment.press
Is Andy Burnham undoing the worst bits of Starmerism?
Is Andy Burnham undoing the worst bits of Starmerism?
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Sonia Sodha @sonia-sodha.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
I've written for tomorrow's Times on why reforming older care is Andy Burnham's biggest test. He was right in 2009 - and he's right today - that we should be collectivising the costs of older care. But he's got to convince the public it's worth paying for. www.thetimes.com/comment/colu...
thetimes.com
Social care reform is Andy Burnham’s biggest test
The new PM backed an NHS-type service years ago but it will take some bravery to get the public to pay for it now
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Sonia Sodha @sonia-sodha.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
I've written on why the Conversion Practices Bill is a dangerous Trojan Horse that smuggles in criminal levers to be weaponised against people - including parents - who don't believe in gender ideology 👇 comment.press/conversion-t...
comment.press
The government's conversion practices bill is dangerous
The government's conversion practices bill is dangerous
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Sonia Sodha @sonia-sodha.bsky.social · 20/06/2026
I very much hope @iandunt.bsky.social reads @akuareindorfkc.bsky.social 's forensic analysis of the multiple and serious legal errors in his recent Substack on the EHRC's Code of Practice. withinthelaw.substack.com/p/the-ehrc-c...
withinthelaw.substack.com
"THE EHRC CODE EXPLAINED": A RESPONSE TO IAN DUNT | Part 1
This article is a personal opinion piece and does not constitute legal advice.
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Sonia Sodha @sonia-sodha.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
Hugely significant and a judgment some people who don’t understand that women also have Article 2, 3 and 8 rights could do with reading.
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Sonia Sodha @sonia-sodha.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
Thankfully @akuareindorfkc.bsky.social is on the case with the legal ‘analysis’ of FWS and the Code of Practice published by Ian Dunt. It makes some very bad mistakes about the law, including this one. And its failure to acknowledge women have rights under the Equality Act & ECHR too (oops!)
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Sonia Sodha @sonia-sodha.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
I'd support a social media ban for u16s done in the right way: but today's announcement was just government by press release, by a PM desperate to leave a 'legacy'. My latest piece 👇 comment.press/social-media...
comment.press
A social media announcement for a social media age
The government's social media ban for under 16s is a huge policy intervention lacking any detail as to how it will be implemented. It doesn't inspire confidence.
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Sonia Sodha @sonia-sodha.bsky.social · 24/05/2026
The law is enforceable. Toilet monitors have never been needed because most adults are mature enough to understand social norms and policies around the use of single-sex spaces, and are happy to abide by them.
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Sonia Sodha @sonia-sodha.bsky.social · 24/05/2026
The reaction to guidance explaining men can't lawfully identify into women's facilities & services shows how much society values men's demands for validation over women's privacy, safety and dignity. And that's why I've become blunter in saying: NO. comment.press/answer-is-no
comment.press
I don't care about your male howls of anger. The answer is no.
The reaction to guidance explaining that men can't lawfully identify into female-only spaces was inevitable, but depressing.
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Sonia Sodha @sonia-sodha.bsky.social · 23/05/2026
I've written for the @Independent on the tough summer likely ahead for Nigel Farage www.the-independent.com/voices/nigel...
the-independent.com
Does Nigel Farage realise he’s about to have a cruel summer?
As the Reform UK leader faces possible sanctions over a £5m ‘personal’ donation, it would take only a few unfortunate turn of events for him to be ejected from the Commons, says Sonia Sodha
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Sonia Sodha @sonia-sodha.bsky.social · 23/05/2026
Ladies and gentlemen, the excellent @sarahditum.bsky.social listened to that podcast so the rest of us don't have to. In Unherd.
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Sonia Sodha @sonia-sodha.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
In tomorrow’s Times: Andy Burnham must make clear our law strikes the right balance in protecting trans people from discrimination but certainly not permitting men to opt into women’s services, spaces and sport, regardless of how they identify. www.thetimes.com/article/36af...
thetimes.com
Andy Burnham must be clear he believes in women-only spaces
The Manchester mayor should acknowledge women have just as much right to privacy, dignity and safety as trans people
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Sonia Sodha @sonia-sodha.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
Where does Labour go from here? The situation it's in is far from ideal, but ideal and Labour parted company a while ago. New post from me 👇 comment.press/labour-where...
comment.press
Where does Labour go from here?
A tough by-election, a phoney-war leadership contest - the next few weeks will be brutal
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Sonia Sodha @sonia-sodha.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
In tomorrow's Times: Labour had to scratch its Burnham itch. Makerfield will be a trial run of Burnham v Farage. If he wins, Starmer should step aside & PLP should avoid the self-indulgence of a leadership contest. If he loses, things are even worse than we thought. www.thetimes.com/comment/colu...
thetimes.com
Why Labour has to scratch its Andy Burnham itch
If the Manchester mayor shows he can beat Reform he deserves the crown without an indulgent leadership election
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Sonia Sodha @sonia-sodha.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
Farage and Polanski would be delighted were Labour to go into the next election with Keir Starmer at the helm. Labour MPs have to ensure there's a transition to a new leader without a full-blown leadership contest. My Times column comment.press/starmer-exit...
comment.press
Labour’s only chance is a Keir Starmer exit plan
Party needs a clear vision — dithering or months of leadership chaos plays into populist hands
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Sonia Sodha @sonia-sodha.bsky.social · 02/05/2026
I've written about why Labour MPs need to agree on a replacement for Starmer - without a full-blown leadership contest. And what a new PM's first priority should be. comment.press/should-it-be...
comment.press
Should it be over for Starmer?
Grandees from all sides of politics have warned against changing PM. Are they right?
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Sonia Sodha @sonia-sodha.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
Really looking forward to this - if you’re a lawyer do come along! 👇
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Sonia Sodha @sonia-sodha.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
I've written about what we've learned from Bridget Phillipson's statement today on the single-sex services guidance - and why it's taken so dreadfully long to travel such a short distance. comment.press/bridget-phil...
comment.press
What can we expect from the delayed guidance on single-sex services?
Bridget Phillipson published a written statement on the EHRC Code of Practice today. Does it leave us any the wiser?
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Sonia Sodha @sonia-sodha.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
A bit depressing that the best pitch I can make for voting for one of the establishment parties (for me, Labour) is that the Greens and Reform are worse. But there we are. My column in today’s Times. www.thetimes.com/article/ffc8...
thetimes.com
Don’t be fooled, fringe parties are still wacky
Greens and Reform UK will clean up at the local elections but their pitches embrace flaky and untested policies
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Sonia Sodha @sonia-sodha.bsky.social · 06/04/2026
On @GMB earlier talking about the pension triple lock, shoplifting and Waitrose, and blue badge fraud youtu.be/SnZgatgdKng?...
youtu.be
Should the pension triple lock be scrapped?
YouTube video by Good Morning Britain
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Sonia Sodha @sonia-sodha.bsky.social · 06/04/2026
It's time to retire the triple lock. It's unfair to expect a generation who face much higher housing & education costs than their grandparents to indefinitely fund the state pension to outpace wage growth. comment.press/triple-lock
comment.press
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Sonia Sodha @sonia-sodha.bsky.social · 20/03/2026
I've written for the @the-independent.com on what might lie behind the Reform polling dip we've seen in recent months. www.independent.co.uk/voices/refor...
independent.co.uk
Reform is in a rut – what will it take for it to all fall apart?
Doubts about Nigel Farage’s foreign policy and his friendship with Trump have scrubbed the sheen off the former banker, says Sonia Sodha – and his poll numbers are making him furious
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Sonia Sodha @sonia-sodha.bsky.social · 16/03/2026
Why is this government so useless on women's rights, and protecting single-sex spaces? On the one hand they welcome the Supreme Court judgment, on the other they are trying to thwart it. It's cynical, and insulting. comment.press/govt-womens-...
comment.press
How is the government so useless on women's rights?
Ministers meeting with someone found to have harassed a rape crisis worker is just its latest blunder
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Sonia Sodha @sonia-sodha.bsky.social · 10/03/2026
I'm flabbergasted the two legacy-defining reforms Keir Starmer is pursuing are legalising medically-assisted suicide and slashing access to a jury trial. I've written about what it tells us about the PM. soniasodha.com/p/jurys-out
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Sonia Sodha @sonia-sodha.bsky.social · 01/03/2026
I've written about why the @mhragovuk.bsky.social decision to recuse its chief scientific officer Professor Jacob George from the puberty blocker trial is so troubling. open.substack.com/pub/soniasod...
open.substack.com
More controversy over the puberty blocker trial
Should articulating a belief that it's wrong to allow men to self-identify into female sport disqualify a scientist from oversight of the clinical trials of puberty blockers?
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Sonia Sodha @sonia-sodha.bsky.social · 20/02/2026
I've written for the @the-independent.com on how difficult it's going to be to reform the SEND system without putting in additional money in the short/medium term. (It's a very similar problem to welfare reform). 👇 www.independent.co.uk/voices/send-...
independent.co.uk
On SEND reforms, this useless government finally has something sensible to say
Facing frightened parents and squeezed schools, the education secretary has an almighty battle ahead to make special needs provision in schools work so that children don’t fall out of school, and then...
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Sonia Sodha @sonia-sodha.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
It's so irresponsible and unethical to misrepresent the law like this. And eminent lawyers are quite rightly calling the Good Law Project out on it. www.thetimes.com/article/95e0...
thetimes.com
Good Law Project ‘sells hope on trans rights despite court defeats’
More than 30 barristers and academics have accused the campaign group of making ‘egregiously false’ claims about a High Court ruling on single-sex spaces
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Sonia Sodha @sonia-sodha.bsky.social · 14/02/2026
The Good Law Project got v excited about Swift J saying may not always be direct discrimination to exclude a man who doesn't identify as female from facilities open to women & men who identify as female. Michael Foran explains why this doesn't actually matter that much. substack.com/home/post/p-...
substack.com
Good Law Project v EHRC
The High Court has dismissed a judicial review brought by the Good Law Project and three individuals challenging the lawfulness and accuracy of the Interim Update issued by the Equality and Human Righ...
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Independent Voices @independentvoices.bsky.social · 06/02/2026
With furious Labour MPs – and the country – baying for blood over Mandelson’s connection to Epstein, the only thing keeping the PM Starmer in post has been uncertainty over his replacement – but that could be set to change, writes @sonia-sodha.bsky.social www.independent.co.uk/voices/keir-...
independent.co.uk
Is Angela Rayner, Queen of the North, really ready to march on Starmer’s Westminster?
With furious Labour MPs – and the country – baying for blood over Mandelson’s connection to Epstein, the only thing keeping the PM Starmer in post has been uncertainty over his replacement – but that ...
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Nick Macpherson @nickmacpherson.bsky.social · 02/02/2026
Alistair Darling and the official Treasury were always aware that investment banks had an inside track to Number 10. But the brazen nature of that inside track is rather breath-taking.
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Sonia Sodha @sonia-sodha.bsky.social · 18/11/2025
Why does Starmer oppose the death penalty on basis mistakes are made, but not assisted dying? Does he really believe vulnerable people won't get sucked into a medically-assisted suicide they shouldn't be able to consent to? My column @thenewworldmag.bsky.social www.thenewworld.co.uk/sonia-sodha-...
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The New World @thenewworldmag.bsky.social · 06/11/2025
A new wave of politicians are engaged in open race-baiting. But the appetite for hatred is more limited than they imagine ✏️ @sonia-sodha.bsky.social
thenewworld.co.uk
Drunk on the Kool-Aid of hate
A new wave of politicians are engaged in open race-baiting. But the appetite for hatred is more limited than they imagine
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Sonia Sodha @sonia-sodha.bsky.social · 06/11/2025
My column for this week's @thenewworldmag.bsky.social is on what lies behind the rise of racism in politics - some of it is instrumental, but some of it is politicians refracting very online tropes into mainstream discourse. www.thenewworld.co.uk/sonia-sodha-...
thenewworld.co.uk
Drunk on the Kool-Aid of hate
A new wave of politicians are engaged in open race-baiting. But the appetite for hatred is more limited than they imagine
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The New World @thenewworldmag.bsky.social · 23/10/2025
🗞️ Our latest issue is on sale - Age of the Charlatans Featuring @moisesnaim.bsky.social, Quico Toro, @florencehallett.bsky.social, @sonia-sodha.bsky.social , Matthew d'Ancona, John Kampfner, John Bleasdale, @alastaircampbell2.bsky.social and more Get 10 weeks for £10: buff.ly/KlKdSTN
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Sonia Sodha @sonia-sodha.bsky.social · 21/10/2025
Virginia Giuffre's story is so shocking, yet familiar: the same story of vulnerable girls getting abused again & again by powerful men with the Royal Family far too slow to sanction Andrew Windsor. My column for this week's @thenewworldmag.bsky.social www.thenewworld.co.uk/sonia-sodha-...
thenewworld.co.uk
Prince Andrew and an unforgivable secret
Virginia Giuffre is dead, and a royal is disgraced. But time after time, powerful men keep escaping real justice
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The New World @thenewworldmag.bsky.social · 09/10/2025
🗞️ Our latest issue is now on sale - The Addiction Economy Featuring Joe Woof, Matthew d'Ancona, @sonia-sodha.bsky.social, @tombaldwin66.bsky.social, Patience Wheatcroft, @youngvulgarian.marieleconte.com, @alastaircampbell2.bsky.social and more Get 10 weeks for £10: buff.ly/pWbQrh5
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Matt @matthewblott.com · 09/10/2025
I said this was a strategic error last week and @sonia-sodha.bsky.social does an excellent job explaining why. www.thenewworld.co.uk/sonia-sodha-...
thenewworld.co.uk
Starmer has fallen into Farage’s trap
The PM was right to call Reform’s leave to remain policy racist – but he will regret it
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Sonia Sodha @sonia-sodha.bsky.social · 07/10/2025
My column in today's Times is about the home secretary's proposals to give police more powers to limit repeat protests. I'm sympathetic, but there are risks... but maybe the biggest issue is there's no legislative fix to rising levels of antisemitism. www.thetimes.com/comment/colu...
thetimes.com
Think twice before giving police more powers
Home secretary wants to restrict hateful Gaza protests but that won’t make us more tolerant
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FiLiA @filiacharity.bsky.social · 03/10/2025
💥 #FiLiA2025 session news 💥 BEYOND A BACKLASH unites #feminist voices from the US, Hungary, China, Australia & UK, to examine the resurgence of #misogyny in both culture & politics @sonia-sodha.bsky.social @maxdashu.bsky.social @seahorseplanet.bsky.social 🎟️ filia.org.uk/tickets
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Sonia Sodha @sonia-sodha.bsky.social · 25/09/2025
If Reform fail in government, Farage could end up being a gateway drug to Tommy Robinson and the far right. My column in this week's @thenewworldmag.bsky.social www.thenewworld.co.uk/sonia-sodha-...
thenewworld.co.uk
How Tommy Robinson could become PM
Britain’s crises give the far right fertile ground - and when Reform fails too, he will take advantage
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Sonia Sodha @sonia-sodha.bsky.social · 23/09/2025
Campaigners are increasingly trying to emotionally blackmail people into using their preferred - inaccurate - euphemisms in debates like assisted dying and gender and sex. It should be resisted because they cover up real social harms. My column in today's Times www.thetimes.com/comment/colu...
thetimes.com
Beware the euphemisms over assisted suicide
As with trans ideology, we should resist being bullied into using ‘kind’ but misleading language
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Sonia Sodha @sonia-sodha.bsky.social · 29/08/2025
My column for this week’s @thenewworldmag.bsky.social is about the chilling prospect of a world with artificial wombs www.thenewworld.co.uk/sonia-sodha-...
thenewworld.co.uk
The chilling future of pregnancy without women
Stories about a Chinese ‘artificial womb’ seem more science fiction than fact – but reveal uncomfortable truths about the ethics of reproduction
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Sonia Sodha @sonia-sodha.bsky.social · 29/08/2025
It's not just Farage who's borrowed from the populist playbook - on tax, Labour has too, and now it's paying the price. My column in today's Times. www.thetimes.com/comment/colu...
thetimes.com
Labour sold false promises just like Farage
Many of the party’s woes are down to its unrealistic election pledges, which came straight out of the populist playbook
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Dame Sara Khan DBE @sarakhandbe.bsky.social · 23/08/2025
Fully agree. In 2018 I raised concerns about the APPG definition. It was implied I'm an Islamophobe for disagreeing with their definition! What's depressing with Gov's current political attempt is how it will do little to address growing anti-Muslim hatred. www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/islamo...
huffingtonpost.co.uk
We Are Still Ignoring Victims Of Anti-Muslim Prejudice
Muslim women overwhelmingly bear the brunt of anti-Muslim attacks, but too often, they are also the target of hatred from other Muslims
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