Harriet Marsden, The Week UK
Harriet Marsden is a writer for The Week, mostly covering UK and global news and politics. Before joining the site in 2023, she was a freelance journalist for seven years, specialising in social affairs and culture. She worked for The Guardian, The Times and The Independent, and regularly contributed articles to The Sunday Times, The Telegraph, The New Statesman, Tortoise Media, Metro and many other titles, as well as appearing on BBC Radio London, Times Radio and Woman’s Hour.
In 2021, she was awarded the "journalist-at-large" fellowship by the Local Trust charity, and spent a year travelling independently to some of England’s most deprived areas to write about community activism. She has also worked as a journalist in Bolivia, Colombia and Spain, and has a master’s in international journalism from City University, London. As an undergraduate at the University of Cambridge, she studied modern languages, specialising in Latin America. She has developed a particular interest in feminism and gender equality, contributing eight chapters to DK’s The Feminism Book and regularly appearing as a commentator on women’s issues. She has also written a historical fiction novel on the wives of Henry VIII. In 2023, she attended the 67th Commission on the Status of Women as a UN Women UK delegate. Find her at @harriet1marsden on Twitter.
Latest articles by Harriet Marsden, The Week UK
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Social media ban: will Australia's new age-based rules actually work?
Talking Point PM Anthony Albanese's world-first proposal would bar children under 16 even if they have parental consent, but experts warn that plan would be ineffective and potentially exacerbate dangers
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
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Ecuador's cloud forest has legal rights – and maybe a song credit
Under the Radar In a world first, 'rights of nature' project petitions copyright office to recognise Los Cedros forest as song co-creator
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
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US election: who the billionaires are backing
The Explainer More have endorsed Kamala Harris than Donald Trump, but among the 'ultra-rich' the split is more even
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
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What is the next Tory leader up against?
Today's Big Question Kemi Badenoch or Robert Jenrick will have to unify warring factions and win back disillusioned voters – without alienating the centre ground
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
Today's Big Question -
Has the Taliban banned women from speaking?
Today's Big Question 'Rambling' message about 'bizarre' restriction joins series of recent decrees that amount to silencing of Afghanistan's women
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
Today's Big Question -
US election: where things stand with one week to go
The Explainer Harris' lead in the polls has been narrowing in Trump's favour, but her campaign remains 'cautiously optimistic'
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
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The dark side of the contraceptive coil
Under the Radar Study linking hormonal IUD to increased breast cancer risk adds to growing concerns about whether the benefits of the coil outweigh the risks
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
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How would slavery reparations work?
Today's Big Question Caribbean nations lead call for 'meaningful' conversations on reparations at Commonwealth summit
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
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Is Labour risking the 'special relationship'?
Today's Big Question Keir Starmer forced to deny Donald Trump's formal complaint that Labour staffers are 'interfering' to help Harris campaign
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
Today's Big Question -
Is Putin's anti-Western alliance winning?
Today's Big Question Brics summit touted by Russia as triumph against US-led world order, but key faultlines in alliance are growing
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
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Why do Russian oil bosses keep dying?
Under the Radar There have been 'at least 50' mysterious deaths of energy company executives since Putin ordered Ukraine invasion
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
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What is Lammy hoping to achieve in China?
Today's Big Question Foreign secretary heads to Beijing as Labour seeks cooperation on global challenges and courts opportunities for trade and investment
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
Today's Big Question -
Is Trump okay?
Today's Big Question Former president's mental fitness and alleged cognitive decline firmly back in the spotlight after 'bizarre' town hall event
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
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How would assisted dying work in the UK?
The Explainer Proposed law would apply to patients in England and Wales with less than six months to live – but medics may be able to opt out
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
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Cameroon bans reports on health of missing President Biya
Under the Radar Biya, 91, hasn't been seen in public in weeks, fuelling widespread speculation that he might be dead
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
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The pros and cons of the death penalty
Pros and cons Despite global progress towards abolition, public opinion remains divided as executions increase
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Last updated
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Canada's carbon tax in the crosshairs
Under the radar PM Justin Trudeau's flagship green policy has become increasingly unpopular as citizens grapple with high inflation and cost-of-living crisis
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
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India's lengthening working week
Under The Radar Fourteen-hour work days, meetings during holidays, and no overtime are just part of the job in India's workplace culture
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
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Will 'weirdly civil' VP debate move dial in US election?
Today's Big Question 'Diametrically opposed' candidates showed 'a lot of commonality' on some issues, but offered competing visions for America's future and democracy
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
Today's Big Question -
The row over UK maternity pay
Talking Points Tory leadership hopeful Kemi Badenoch implied that taxpayer-funded benefit was 'excessive' and called for 'greater responsibility'
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
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The war on polar bears
Under the Radar Clashes with human settlements are on the rise, as melting ice drives hungry predators inland in search of food
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
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Who controls Lebanon?
Today's Big Question Confronting Hezbollah would be an 'automatic recipe for civil war' within the highly sectarian state
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
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Why a Michelin star can spell danger for restaurants
In the Spotlight Winning chefs face heightened financial pressures, changing customer demands and professional limitations
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
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How a kidnapped pilot put Free Papua movement in the spotlight
Under the Radar New Zealand pilot Phillip Mehrtens was held for 19 months, drawing international attention to violent insurgency in Indonesia
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
Under the Radar