Dr Peter Kerr

Dr Peter Kerr

Department of Political Science and International Studies
Associate Professor

Contact details

Fax
+44 (0)121 414 3496
Email
p.kerr@bham.ac.uk
View my research portal
Address
Department of Political Science and International Studies
School of Government
Muirhead Tower
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston, Birmingham,
B15 2TT, United Kingdom

Peter Kerr is a Associate Professor in Politics. He specialises and teaches in the area of British politics, with a particular focus on UK political parties and governance and also has research interests in Queer Politics and Environmental Justice.

Feedback and office hours

  • Tues 2 – 3.30 (via zoom)
  • Thurs 2 – 3.30 (Room 326)

Qualifications

  • BA (Hons) Politics and Sociology (University of Strathclyde)
  • PhD Political Science (University of Birmingham)

Biography

Peter Kerr’s research interests include British Politics, Queer Politics, Environmental Justice and Governance.

His primary research area is British politics, with a focus on party political rhetoric and the politics of statecraft and de-politicisation. His co-authored piece 'Guided by the science':(De) politicising the UK government's response to the coronavirus crisis’, won the BJPIR’s 2022 John Peterson Prize. His more recent work includes the edited collection, ‘What Went Wrong with Britain: An Audit of Tory Failure’, which critically examines the policy legacies of the Conservative governments from 2010-2024.

Beyond the area of British politics, Peter’s recent research has also attempted to foreground the intersections of queer politics and environmental activism by exploring innovative queer/green activist alliances in response to contemporary climate challenges.

Peter is also the Co-founder and Development Editor of the Palgrave journal, British Politics.

Teaching

Understanding Politics (Undergraduate First Year core module)

Topics in British Politics (Undergraduate Final Year optional module)

Postgraduate supervision

Peter has extensive experience in supervising, mentoring and examining doctoral students. He welcomes potential future applicants in any of the following fields:

  • British political parties
  • The politics of statecraft and depoliticisation
  • UK governance and policy-making
  • Sexuality and gender politics
  • Environmental justice and activism

Research

Research interests include:

  • British politics and policy-making
  • Political leadership and governing strategies in the UK
  • Political Rhetoric
  • Queer Politics
  • Environmental Justice and Activism

Other activities

In 2005 Peter was a founding member of the Palgrave journal, British Politics, which he co-edited from 2005 – 2020. He is currently part of the journal’s senior editorial team.

Publications

Recent publications

Book

Kettell, S, Kerr, P & Tepe-Belfrage, D (eds) 2025, What Went Wrong With Britain? An Audit of Tory Failure. Manchester University Press. <https://manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk/9781526170392/>

Article

Kettell, S & Kerr, P 2025, 'A Toxic Defence of a Toxic Legacy? Unpacking Boris Johnson’s Evidence to the UK Covid-19 Inquiry', Global Discourse, pp. 1-22. https://doi.org/10.1332/20437897Y2025D000000054

Ward, B, Ward, J & Kerr, P 2025, 'Playing to the Gallery? From performative to techno-statecraft in the age of power without capacity', Public Money & Management. https://doi.org/10.1080/09540962.2025.2588241

Kerr, P & Kettell, S 2024, 'Exploring the political character of decision-making: The BJPIR and the politics of (de)politicisation', British Journal of Politics and International Relations. https://doi.org/10.1177/13691481241269267

Foster, E & Kerr, P 2024, 'Queer/Green collaboration as a radical response to climate crises: Foregrounding the Green Stripe', Global Political Economy, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 73-91. https://doi.org/10.1332/26352257Y2024D000000013

Critch, N, Kerr, P & Kettell, S 2024, 'Slow Burn: Re-examining the legacy of Conservative Party modernization', Parliamentary Affairs. https://doi.org/10.1093/pa/gsae042

Ward, J, Ward, B & Kerr, P 2024, 'Whither the Centre? Tracing Centralisation and Fragmentation in UK Politics', Political Studies Review. https://doi.org/10.1177/14789299241258629

Chapter (peer-reviewed)

Kettell, S & Kerr, P 2025, Atheism in Europe: Insights from the Pandemic. in E Fokkas & A Giorgi (eds), The Routledge Handbook of Religion and Politics in Europe. 1 edn, Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003152675-19

Chapter

Kettell, S, Kerr, P & Tepe-Belfrage, D 2025, Introduction: What Went Wrong With Britain? in S Kettell, P Kerr & D Tepe (eds), What Went Wrong With Britain?: An Audit of Tory Failure. Manchester University Press, pp. 1-13. <https://manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk/9781526170392/>

Serban, R, Hussey, L & Kerr, P 2025, Questioning the Government. in C Leston-Bandeira, A Meakin & L Thompson (eds), Exploring Parliament. 2 edn, Oxford University Press, pp. 185-197. <https://global.oup.com/ukhe/product/exploring-parliament-9780192888747>

Foster, E & Kerr, P 2025, The Queer Eco-Social Movement and the Radical Potential of Queer Ecology. in K Bell, E Foster & S Satheesh (eds), The SAGE Handbook of Eco-Social Policy and Politics. SAGE Publications.

Kettell, S & Kerr, P 2024, Storytelling and Statecraft: Continuity and Change in Framing the UK Government's Management of Covid-19. in M Flinders, G Dimova, M Hinterleitner, RAW Rhodes & RK Weaver (eds), The Politics and Governance of Blame. Oxford University Press, pp. 541-559. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780198896388.003.0022

Barry, K & Kerr, P 2023, Foreign Policy Under Theresa May. in A Roe-Crines & D Jeffery (eds), Statecraft: Policies and Politics under Prime Minister Theresa May. 1 edn, Palgrave Studies in Political Leadership, Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 93-116. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-32472-7_6

Comment/debate

Kerr, P 2025, 'Capturing the Zeitgeist: A Reply to ‘Binary rhetoric and divisive discourses on the populist Right’, by Pete Dorey', Global Discourse. https://doi.org/10.1332/20437897Y2025D000000067

Editorial

Byrne, C, Kerr, P, Kettell, S & Warner, S 2025, 'Twenty Years On: British Politics in Flux?', British Politics, vol. 20, pp. 287-294. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41293-025-00288-3

View all publications in research portal