During the general election campaign, Sir Keir Starmer promised that a vote for him was a vote for ‘stability over chaos’; for ambitious, long-term missions instead of ‘sticking plasters’, and for ‘the largest giveaway of power in a generation’. Will his new Labour administration push ahead with these new approaches to government, or default to the systems that have prevailed for the past thirty years or more?
Early signals have been promising. On the steps of Downing Street, Sir Keir reaffirmed his backing for a mission-driven approach: ‘With respect and humility, I invite you all to join this government of service in the mission of national renewal.’ A humble, inclusive and open approach to governing is a critical precondition for the effective implementation of mission-driven government, as we argue in our recent paper with the UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose (IIPP).
These new approaches can only succeed with the clear backing of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, too, with mission-driven government embedded in the heart of the state’s financial institutions. As such, it was encouraging to hear Rachel Reeves speak the language of missions in her welcome speech to Treasury staff last Friday.
We got more of a sense of what working ‘hand-in-glove with business’ meant from the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, Jonathan Reynolds, who spoke on Sunday about the government’s approach to negotiations with Tata Steel:
“It’s not about underwriting loss-making businesses in a way we might have thought about industrial policy in the past. It is about being a partner… and I do want things in exchange for the money we’ll co-invest… I think that’s a reasonable way to make sure public money is being well spent.”
Indeed, mission-driven government means sharing in the rewards of investment, not just the risks.
Sceptics believe mission-driven government will amount to little more than civil servants re-badging whatever they are already working on with ‘missions’ language – what we call ‘mission washing.’ The announcement of mission delivery boards, chaired by Sir Keir himself, demonstrates to the civil service that missions are among his top priorities.
But the Prime Minister’s time will quickly be consumed by international relations and domestic crises; later today, Sir Keir flies to the NATO summit in Washington DC, and returns on Thursday to the publication of Ofwat’s draft determinations on water company business plans, setting the stage for a reckoning on the future of Thames Water.
To maintain fidelity to the missions’ approach, the new government must resist the command-and-control failures of New Public Management. Instead, it must embrace a more networked, experimental mode of design and delivery, resisting the temptation to centralise and allow the traditional Whitehall-knows-best model of government to predominate. New ministers need to be brave in seeking to empower actors across sectors, across tiers of government and across Whitehall, galvanising action towards its five national missions. In short: lead with purpose, govern in partnership.
I’m really pleased that, with a few notable exceptions, Labour’s frontbench have remained in their shadow briefs – a sign Sir Keir understands the importance of good, stable government with minimal churn. The appointment of James Timpson as Prisons Minister – a leader who is widely respected across the prison reform sector – demonstrates that the Prime Minister understands the importance of bringing in diverse and real world expertise in achieving change. Similar appointments include Sir Richard Hermer KC as Attorney General, and former Government Chief Scientific Adviser Sir Patrick Vallance as Science Minister.
And early signs suggest Labour’s significant ambitions on the devolution agenda are being carried forward into government, too. Strikingly, the Prime Minister used his first Number 10 press conference to discuss devolution, making a firm commitment to shift power to those ‘with skin in the game’. After appointing this cabinet and making a call to US president Joe Biden, Sir Keir’s first priorities have been to visit the devolved administrations and meet with England’s metro mayors to discuss their part in delivering growth everywhere.
Making a success of the first 100 days
While Sir Keir has made it clear that ‘change won’t happen overnight’, he should also be alive to the enormity of the opportunity this moment presents. As FGF Policy Associate Phil Tinline writes in his new piece for LabourList, in the immediate wake of victory, Sir Keir is at the peak of his power, and should capitalise on the vast political capital of electoral landslide to pursue ambitious reform of the British state.
One of the striking moments of Labour’s first weekend came with Health Secretary Wes Streeting’s pronouncement that ‘the policy of this government is that the NHS is broken’ – something Starmer cast as a moment of ‘raw honesty’. Honesty both about the extent of the problem and the tough decisions required to fix it.
The new government should do more of this. A watershed moment where government departments are told to ‘bring out their dead’ and put all major problems out in the open will help frame the new government’s narrative, creating the political backdrop, for example, for far-reaching NHS reform.
To lead effectively into the next decade, Labour must understand the politics of getting things done
Labour’s win is emphatic in parliamentary terms. But in electoral terms, there is much for the adherents of progressive governance to mull over.
Low voter turnout indicates a cynicism about politics. Labour’s campaign strategy was to invest in marginal seats, sacrificing voter share in safer seats. Nonetheless, they have received the lowest share of the vote won by any newly elected government in history, with a surge in support for independents and third parties. And a pendulum swing from a 80-seat Tory majority five years ago to a 160-seat Labour one points to a highly volatile, polarised electorate.
To secure the decade of national renewal Labour intends, the new government will have to get things done. But this is not about technocratic ‘deliverism’ – pointing to abstract GDP or inflation stats as proof of success. It is about ensuring people start to feel change in their lives. Or, as Morgan McSweeney calls it, ‘making a connection’.
Only then can you rebuild trust, restore hope, and seal the deal with voters in 2028/29. The choices the new government makes today will be essential to ensure that strategy is successful. Fail to seize today’s opportunity and the government may not be given the opportunity to see through its decade of national renewal.
–
For more on how the new government can use its first 100 days to set itself up for success, read our latest briefing, 100 Four 100, written by FGF’s Adam Terry and Phil Tinline; and for more on how the new government can successfully deliver mission-driven government, read Mission Critical 01: Statecraft for the 21st Century.
How Labour intends to govern
Director
During the general election campaign, Sir Keir Starmer promised that a vote for him was a vote for ‘stability over chaos’; for ambitious, long-term missions instead of ‘sticking plasters’, and for ‘the largest giveaway of power in a generation’. Will his new Labour administration push ahead with these new approaches to government, or default to the systems that have prevailed for the past thirty years or more?
Early signals have been promising. On the steps of Downing Street, Sir Keir reaffirmed his backing for a mission-driven approach: ‘With respect and humility, I invite you all to join this government of service in the mission of national renewal.’ A humble, inclusive and open approach to governing is a critical precondition for the effective implementation of mission-driven government, as we argue in our recent paper with the UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose (IIPP).
These new approaches can only succeed with the clear backing of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, too, with mission-driven government embedded in the heart of the state’s financial institutions. As such, it was encouraging to hear Rachel Reeves speak the language of missions in her welcome speech to Treasury staff last Friday.
We got more of a sense of what working ‘hand-in-glove with business’ meant from the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, Jonathan Reynolds, who spoke on Sunday about the government’s approach to negotiations with Tata Steel:
“It’s not about underwriting loss-making businesses in a way we might have thought about industrial policy in the past. It is about being a partner… and I do want things in exchange for the money we’ll co-invest… I think that’s a reasonable way to make sure public money is being well spent.”
Indeed, mission-driven government means sharing in the rewards of investment, not just the risks.
Sceptics believe mission-driven government will amount to little more than civil servants re-badging whatever they are already working on with ‘missions’ language – what we call ‘mission washing.’ The announcement of mission delivery boards, chaired by Sir Keir himself, demonstrates to the civil service that missions are among his top priorities.
But the Prime Minister’s time will quickly be consumed by international relations and domestic crises; later today, Sir Keir flies to the NATO summit in Washington DC, and returns on Thursday to the publication of Ofwat’s draft determinations on water company business plans, setting the stage for a reckoning on the future of Thames Water.
To maintain fidelity to the missions’ approach, the new government must resist the command-and-control failures of New Public Management. Instead, it must embrace a more networked, experimental mode of design and delivery, resisting the temptation to centralise and allow the traditional Whitehall-knows-best model of government to predominate. New ministers need to be brave in seeking to empower actors across sectors, across tiers of government and across Whitehall, galvanising action towards its five national missions. In short: lead with purpose, govern in partnership.
I’m really pleased that, with a few notable exceptions, Labour’s frontbench have remained in their shadow briefs – a sign Sir Keir understands the importance of good, stable government with minimal churn. The appointment of James Timpson as Prisons Minister – a leader who is widely respected across the prison reform sector – demonstrates that the Prime Minister understands the importance of bringing in diverse and real world expertise in achieving change. Similar appointments include Sir Richard Hermer KC as Attorney General, and former Government Chief Scientific Adviser Sir Patrick Vallance as Science Minister.
And early signs suggest Labour’s significant ambitions on the devolution agenda are being carried forward into government, too. Strikingly, the Prime Minister used his first Number 10 press conference to discuss devolution, making a firm commitment to shift power to those ‘with skin in the game’. After appointing this cabinet and making a call to US president Joe Biden, Sir Keir’s first priorities have been to visit the devolved administrations and meet with England’s metro mayors to discuss their part in delivering growth everywhere.
Making a success of the first 100 days
While Sir Keir has made it clear that ‘change won’t happen overnight’, he should also be alive to the enormity of the opportunity this moment presents. As FGF Policy Associate Phil Tinline writes in his new piece for LabourList, in the immediate wake of victory, Sir Keir is at the peak of his power, and should capitalise on the vast political capital of electoral landslide to pursue ambitious reform of the British state.
One of the striking moments of Labour’s first weekend came with Health Secretary Wes Streeting’s pronouncement that ‘the policy of this government is that the NHS is broken’ – something Starmer cast as a moment of ‘raw honesty’. Honesty both about the extent of the problem and the tough decisions required to fix it.
The new government should do more of this. A watershed moment where government departments are told to ‘bring out their dead’ and put all major problems out in the open will help frame the new government’s narrative, creating the political backdrop, for example, for far-reaching NHS reform.
To lead effectively into the next decade, Labour must understand the politics of getting things done
Labour’s win is emphatic in parliamentary terms. But in electoral terms, there is much for the adherents of progressive governance to mull over.
Low voter turnout indicates a cynicism about politics. Labour’s campaign strategy was to invest in marginal seats, sacrificing voter share in safer seats. Nonetheless, they have received the lowest share of the vote won by any newly elected government in history, with a surge in support for independents and third parties. And a pendulum swing from a 80-seat Tory majority five years ago to a 160-seat Labour one points to a highly volatile, polarised electorate.
To secure the decade of national renewal Labour intends, the new government will have to get things done. But this is not about technocratic ‘deliverism’ – pointing to abstract GDP or inflation stats as proof of success. It is about ensuring people start to feel change in their lives. Or, as Morgan McSweeney calls it, ‘making a connection’.
Only then can you rebuild trust, restore hope, and seal the deal with voters in 2028/29. The choices the new government makes today will be essential to ensure that strategy is successful. Fail to seize today’s opportunity and the government may not be given the opportunity to see through its decade of national renewal.
–
For more on how the new government can use its first 100 days to set itself up for success, read our latest briefing, 100 Four 100, written by FGF’s Adam Terry and Phil Tinline; and for more on how the new government can successfully deliver mission-driven government, read Mission Critical 01: Statecraft for the 21st Century.
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