UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer means business. That has become clear with a series of recent announcements designed to shake up the way government and local government in this country work.
The first sign that Starmer and his Chancellor Rachel Reeves were prepared to make the tough choices that are often talked about but seldom enacted came in the autumn with news that winter fuel payments for the elderly were to be axed.
Then in January Reeves announced reform of the regulatory regime, calling on the watchdogs of our utilities to reduce regulatory complexity, focus on economic growth and reduce red tape.
More recently, overseas development aid was reduced to pay for increased defence spending, to the dismay of some including the Minister for Development, Anneliese Dodds, who resigned in protest.
Since then Starmer has been emboldened on the home front too by the plaudits he has received for his leadership – with French President Emmanuel Macron – of the European response to US President Donald Trump’s betrayal of Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression.
Self-confidence
He is now showing increased self-confidence and determination to take the measures he deems necessary to fulfil Labour’s promise that: “At this election we can change Britain. We can stop the chaos, turn the page and start to rebuild our country.”
Starmer, Reeves and Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner have made a string of announcements designed to make the country more efficient, effective and supportive of the overall goal of economic growth:
- Best value: last month Rayner announced that she was looking to expand the pool of Best Value Commissioners who are sent into local authorities deemed or suspected of failing to meet their Best Value Duty under the 1999 Local Government Act;
- Planning: She followed this up on March 11 with the Planning and Infrastructure Bill which, the government said, would see significant measures introduced to speed up planning decisions to boost housebuilding and remove unnecessary blockers and challenges to the delivery of vital developments like roads, railway lines and windfarms. This would boost economic growth, connectivity and energy security whilst also delivering for the environment;
- Welfare: Also this week Starmer told Labour MPs that the welfare system was indefensible, unsustainable and unfair. Changes are likely to include restrictions on eligibility for the Personal Independent Payment, which provides help with extra living costs to those with a long-term physical or mental health condition, and cuts to incapacity benefits for people unable to work and receiving Universal Credit. The aim is to incentivise the economically inactive back to work and save billions of pounds on the welfare bill;
- Civil Service: Hot on the heels of this announcement came news of a plan to cut the Civil Service by 10,000 jobs and make it more efficient through greater use of digital technology including AI, performance-based pay and decentralisation from London;
- NHS England: Finally in a hectic week Starmer announced the total abolition of NHS England to cut bureaucracy and bring the NHS back under democratic control as he put it (i.e. under the direct management of the Department of Health and Social Care). Around 50,000 jobs will be lost.
More is likely to follow, including perhaps the abolition of more QUANGOs. And more is certainly needed: the latest GDP figures announced at the end of the week showed that the economy shrank unexpectedly by 0.5% in January.
The announcements so far, taken together, should leave no one in doubt that Starmer is willing to do whatever he thinks is needed to achieve the economic growth which is his top priority. Many Labour MPs however are widely reported to be concerned about cuts, particularly to welfare benefits and, according to the Financial Times, they include a large minority of cabinet members including Rayner and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper.
The radical reforms now on their way are confirmation of the judgement of Patrick Maguire and Benjamin Pogrund in their recent book “Get In: The Inside Story of Labour under Starmer” that the Prime Minister has no ideology except change and professionalism, as North East Bylines noted in our book review on 28 February.
Most public servants are doubtless already professional and focused on delivery; any who are not must fear that they face a difficult future. Even some who are highly professional may find themselves redundant. The reforms are a gamble for Starmer too, but clearly one he considers necessary. If, when the next election comes, voters do not see the improved living standards and public services they expect, his huge parliamentary majority could disappear like a puff of smoke.
