The Conversation Why the war in Iran will make your UK mortgage more expensive - - Alper Kara, Head of Department of Economics, Finance & Accounting, Brunel University of London - The UK is particularly vulnerable to global economic shocks. What would make England’s student loan system fairer? - - Ourania Filippakou, Professor of Education, Brunel University of London - Should higher education be treated mainly as a private investment for individuals, or as a public good? Horror won big at the 2026 Oscars – it’s time the genre was taken seriously - - Frazer Lee, Reader in Creative Writing, Brunel University of London - Four of the big winners at this year’s Oscars were horror films – is the genre finally getting some respect from the industry? How did the courts backlog get so bad? - - Daniel Alge, Senior Lecturer in Criminology & Criminal Justice, Brunel University of London - By autumn 2025 the Crown Court backlog had reached nearly 80,000 outstanding cases. Choosing to buy organic food depends more on trust than taste – what our new study in the UK and Japan shows - - Steven David Pickering, Honorary Professor, International Relations, Brunel University of London Martin Ejnar Hansen, Reader in Political Science, Brunel University of London Yosuke Sunahara, Professor in Public Administration, Kobe University - In both the UK and Japan, people who trusted the government were more willing to pay extra for organic food. What makes the ideal Airbnb host? We studied guest experiences to find out - - Nektarios Tzempelikos, Professor of Marketing and Deputy Director of the Research Centre for Intelligent Supply Chains, School of Management, Anglia Ruskin University Pantea Foroudi, Associate Professor of Marketing and Director of Research, Department of Business Analytics and Marketing, Brunel University of London - Positive reviews matter, but they do not tell the whole story. How political leanings affect views on academic freedom – new research - - Steven David Pickering, Honorary Professor, International Relations, Brunel University of London Martin Ejnar Hansen, Reader in Political Science, Brunel University of London Yosuke Sunahara, Professor in Public Administration, Kobe University - Right-leaning respondents were consistently more supportive of academic freedom. What 2026 could hold for the UK housing market - - Alper Kara, Head of Department of Economics, Finance & Accounting, Brunel University of London - An economist looks ahead at the property sector. The five best films of 2025 – according to experts - - Ruth Barton, Fellow Emeritus in Film Studies, Trinity College Dublin Barry Langford, Professor of Film Studies, Royal Holloway, University of London Edward White, PhD Candidate in Psychology, Kingston University Laura O'Flanagan, PhD Candidate, School of English, Dublin City University Rachel Stuart, Senior Lecturer in Criminology and Deviant Identities, Brunel University of London - From exhilarating political thrillers and blues-soaked vampire tales to thoughtful meditations on trauma and the horrors of human psychology. Jury trials: what the UK government’s plan to limit them would mean for victims, defendants and courts - - Daniel Alge, Senior Lecturer in Criminology & Criminal Justice, Brunel University of London - The right to jury trial is a symbolic cornerstone of justice in England and Wales. Two AI copyright cases, two very different outcomes – here’s why - - Hayleigh Bosher, Reader in Intellectual Property Law, Brunel University of London - Cases in the UK and German courts are among the first to be decided on this pressing issue. What the budget means for the NHS - - Catia Nicodemo, Professor of Health Economics, Brunel University of London - Overall, the budget nudges the UK towards paying more tax now to avoid an even more financially fragile NHS later. What the budget could mean for you – experts react to the chancellor’s announcement - - Andrew Burlinson, Lecturer in Economics, University of Sheffield Alper Kara, Head of Department of Economics, Finance & Accounting, Brunel University of London Christopher Bunn, Senior Lecturer in Sociology, University of Glasgow Gerda Reith, Professor of Social Science, University of Glasgow Ruth Patrick, Professor in Social Policy, University of Glasgow - Do Rachel Reeves’ sums add up? Trust in the BBC is heavily tied to political identity - - Steven David Pickering, Honorary Professor, International Relations, Brunel University of London - Tim Davie and Deborah Turness have resigned over complaints of institutional bias but external perspectives on the broadcaster are far from uniform. Is it ok for politicians to use AI? Survey shows where the public draws the line - - Steven David Pickering, Honorary Professor, International Relations, Brunel University of London - The public feel ok about some uses of AI in parliament, but they’re very opposed to it making decisions. The BBC is a partisan battleground – why does Japan’s public broadcaster escape the same fate? - - Steven David Pickering, Honorary Professor, International Relations, Brunel University of London Martin Ejnar Hansen, Reader in Political Science, Brunel University of London Yosuke Sunahara, Professor, Kobe University - The BBC commands middling levels of trust overall, but those levels are deeply polarised. NHS league tables are back – but turning rankings into better care is harder than it looks - - Catia Nicodemo, Professor of Health Economics, Brunel University of London - Not every hospital serves the same demographic. The UK must invest in medicines – but not at any price - - Catia Nicodemo, Professor of Health Economics, Brunel University of London - Some drugmakers have signalled their frustration with the UK’s approach – but it’s good for patients. Teenagers are choosing to study Stem subjects – it’s a sign of the times - - Mike Watts, Professor of Education, Brunel University of London - For students taking three A-levels, the most popular combination of subjects was biology, chemistry and maths. The car finance scandal proves that the financial sector still has trust issues that need to be sorted - - Alper Kara, Head of Department of Economics, Finance & Accounting, Brunel University of London - Lenders and borrowers need to be able to trust each other.