No more reviews: Reeves ‘impatient at pace of change’ in quest for growth
No more reviews: Reeves ‘impatient at pace of change’ in quest for growth
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There is a new restlessness in Treasury and No 10, but some ministers fear forceful approach may signal panic. When the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, gives her growth speech next week, she has told officials she does not want to announce any more reviews or consultations. It has to be “doing, doing, doing” as one aide put it. “She is very impatient at the pace of change.”.
In both the Treasury and No 10, there is a new restlessness after the past few weeks of economic turmoil and media onslaught – now the early months of getting their feet under the desk are over and the system should be made to work as they want it to.
The mountains to climb are not just the economy – where the government has taken a battering – but on energy, infrastructure and significant failures of the state that led to tragedies such as the Southport murders and scandals over grooming and rape gangs.
Strategists in No 10 believe there is a clear theme here – hollowed-out system failure. “The last six months has been a lot of frustration with how slowly things happen,” one said. “The pressure of the last weeks has sped things up – particularly on growth. But it was always there. You can apply it to planning but you can also apply it to grooming gangs – this frustration that the system isn’t working.
“We’re in a phase where we’ve had enough of being told no – let’s put the foot to the pedal. You’ve got to go much harder, much faster, you’ve got to force the issue.”. Reeves and the business secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, arrived at the World Economic Forum in Davos with one aim: to drive home the message that the UK government will bulldoze through any barrier that stands in the way of growth.
