But they aren’t harking back to the glory days. The dominant faction in this government thinks New Labour’s economic approach was bad!
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Fair point - I was thinking of New Labour rather than Blue/Hard/Whatever Labour.
aug 30, 2025, 11:45 am • 0 0 • view
Where I do think they follow New Labour, though (albeit not economically), is in the constant triangulation - accepting the framing of the right, then challenging on implementation or not being tough enough. IMO an addiction to this is in large part what's led them into so much trouble with Reform.
aug 30, 2025, 11:51 am • 2 0 • view
They’re largely following New Labour in their approach to housing (which wasn’t one of New Labour’s greatest achievements), in their endless search for stealth taxes (whatever Brown’s achievements as Chancellor, tax simplification wasn’t one) and later stage New Labour In nuclear policy….
aug 30, 2025, 1:00 pm • 2 0 • view
OTH their approach to public transport (especially buses) is certainly not New Labour (it was May who passed the legislation allowing franchising), and their approach to regional policy is Hezza rather than Prezza. And they really like the authoritarian parts of New Labour.
aug 30, 2025, 1:00 pm • 1 0 • view
Don’t agree on housing. ‘97 to ‘04 no focus on numbers all urban taskforce/brownfield. Post Barker supply focus but more not less planning. Both periods no direct social housing instead decent homes & stock transfer. Green/grey belt entirely new as is fixed targets + £ for new build & new towns
aug 30, 2025, 1:30 pm • 3 0 • view
Numbers are meaningless if you leave build out rates to the private sector and I don’t see any attempt to break with the Thatcherite approach on that. Perhaps things will change but all that’s happening around here is an acceleration in the number of plans for estates.
aug 30, 2025, 1:36 pm • 2 0 • view
If you’re interested this is what they say about that www.gov.uk/government/p... Diversifying supply is obviously a long term thing but Spending Review made some positive progress albeit backloaded. Regardless of your views of whether it will work it is definitely different from 97 to 04
aug 30, 2025, 2:06 pm • 3 0 • view
There have been lots of positive announcements about strategic planning, build out rates, social housing and the use of CPOs but until the funds are made available (a lot of the SR stuff was backloaded beyond the 2029) not much is really going to change.
aug 30, 2025, 4:11 pm • 0 0 • view
Crudely there seems to be a ideological division between Rayner and her team and HMT/No10. This is very much about the power and resources available to local government and the distrust of the latter hasn’t changed since New Labour.
aug 30, 2025, 4:11 pm • 0 0 • view
Interesting that BSA impacts are not mentioned as brakes on delivery. Admittedly, it doesn’t apply generally and should even out but it has undoubtedly thrown a massive spanner into 18m+ developments, many of which have had to go back to the drawing board despite having planning consent.
aug 31, 2025, 2:39 pm • 0 0 • view
There’s no longer a counter cyclical balance that HAs used to provide. They now compete and operate on the same terms as private developers, including sales values vs build out rates. Resumption of direct state funding to bypass the market obstacles is the only way to accelerate delivery, IMHO.
aug 31, 2025, 2:21 pm • 2 0 • view
HAs were vehicles for HC funded affordable housing in that period, before being forced to become developers. Not direct but at least properly funded. Agree entirely re more planning. Massive inflation of documentation and consultation required, utterly unmatched in improved quality.
aug 31, 2025, 2:14 pm • 1 0 • view
Agreed. There was also massive PFI linked to stock transfer from LAs to support decent homes. The main achievement of that Government on social housing was there was very little sub-standard stock by 2010. Then little investment since hence over-leveraged RPs and various quality scandals.
aug 31, 2025, 2:27 pm • 1 0 • view
New Labour inherited a growing economy. That counted for quite a lot.
aug 30, 2025, 6:07 pm • 0 0 • view
I think that's ignorance rather than ideology; they've memed themselves into believing Blair was continuity Thatcherism¹ and their theory of growth is "must have been deregulation because that's Thatcherism which is what we did" ¹ another way in which Corbynism won the argument (pejorative)
aug 30, 2025, 11:54 am • 9 0 • view