Britain is approaching the end of the 2019 Parliament. The Labour Party has a consistent and considerable lead in the opinion polls over the Conservative Party, which has been in office since 2010. With limited time for large scale reform left, Conservative ministers need to take a different approach to government. They need to legislate intelligently and tactically.
This special briefing provides the Prime Minister with a defensive strategy to defend prosperity. Every suggestion proposed can be delivered quickly, through simple parliamentary means, and do not require primary legislation.
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This briefing highlights the range of powers available to Ministers to deliver important changes quickly. One of the great problems with British governance in recent years is the way governments fails to use they powers they already have. Instead, Ministers are advised that they must deliver new policies through Primary Legislation, instead of using the wealth of secondary powers at their disposal. While naturally less expansive, and today more open to legal challenge than Acts of Parliament, they are legislative tools which can be deployed with great speed if Parliament decides. With little time left on the clock until a General Election, these should be used to their full potential.
The paper offers suggestions in a range of areas where the Government can deliver changes rapidly, and which will be of greatest political benefit. These are: taxation, migration, DEI, housing, and Brexit. Taxation can be changed with ease in a Budget, scheduled for early March 2024, while other policies can be realised through secondary powers held by ministers from existing laws.
Politicians and policymakers should take inspiration from Winston Churchill’s daily memos to the codebreakers at Bletchley Park in 1941 entitled “Action This Day”. If we are to achieve prosperity, we must take action this day, large and small, to make it a reality.
The proposals include:
- Cut immigration and restore trust in the immigration system
- Scrap all non-financial reporting requirements on businesses
- Remove the Public Sector Equality Duty
- Scrap Stamp Duty
- Scrap IR35
- Increase the Higher Rate tax threshold
- Facilitate housebuilding in London
- Cut the regulatory cost of childcare
- Remove more EU laws
- Make all Arms-Length Bodies subject to Parliamentary control
If delivered with precision and speed, the Government will be able to craft a strong narrative that it is capable of pulling the levers of power in the interests of its voters.
By implementing the proposals in this briefing, Ministers will be able to reduce migration and restore trust in Britain’s beleaguered immigration system; undo the damage of the “DEI complex” which has taken hold of public institutions; make Britain a better place to do business by cutting regulation; and make life easier for families by cutting taxes, building houses where they are needed most, and cutting the cost of childcare.
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DOWNLOADAbout the author
Fred de Fossard: Director of Parliamentary Affairs
Fred leads the Institute’s parliamentary and legislative work. He is responsible for research on British prosperity, encompassing Brexit opportunities, regulatory and government reform, and economic growth. This includes a long-term legislative agenda required to return the United Kingdom to growth, aided by his expertise in parliamentary and constitutional affairs.
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