I don't really understand how Labour can remove a ban on on-shore wind farms without any bills or parliament sessions. I guess it must have never been a proper ban in the first place. Seems an unarguably good easy win.
James Timpson seems like he's been doing genuinely good things on prisoner rehabilitation for ages and making him head of prisons is maybe a good move too.
Or would be, if, you know, he was an MP. Dunno about this practice where they're just picking people who aren't elected and making them lords so they can do government minister jobs though. And the others they've done that for do very much seem like jobs for the old boys network rather than picking an expert.
They're making moves towards building some houses, but refusing to let the government own or control the process insisting private enterprise will do it all if they just let them build on the farms.
They have continued to insist they will bully migrants too.
So, mixed bag. No real sign of a mask being ripped off and the real government stepping forward.
If you wanna run a government department now there's no need to run an election campaign or stand to represent some constituency.
Just make an application through the old boys network, if the plan is good they can ennoble you and you get get on with the work by the end of the weekend.
@pre I understand that technically ministers can be anyone and the reason non MPs are ennobled is to enable Parliament to question them. In theory, Parliament could change its rules to allow ministers in for some tasks but it isn't something the government can change on its own. I suspect might get bundled up with reforming the House of Lords
@mjr What's wrong with the traditional way of just giving some puppet minister a well chosen SPAD to "advise" them?
I'd sooner they had some appointed term-long seats in the commons than life-ennobled adding to already the largest unelected body on the continent.
But they don't appear to have an appetite for constitutional change so I guess One Weird Hack is what we'll continue to get.
With this one weird hack you can appoint a minister from outside the commons.
@pre The Canary had a bit on the planning "reforms". Yay, they're hiring 300 new planning officers! Shame 3,100 were lost in the last decade. Also their targets are almost identical to Tory ones. https://www.thecanary.co/editorial/2024/07/08/rachel-reeves-speech/
@pre limits on onshore wind were due to tests set in footnotes in the NPPF, they’ve removed these now. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/policy-statement-on-onshore-wind/policy-statement-on-onshore-wind
I see your point about ministers being Lords, there’s some benefit. No constituency casework = able to focus on task. Opportunity to appoint expert in field. No elections to win = free from populist gambles. Obviously it’s got its massive downsides too. Definitely gives some food for thought on lords reform: https://unresolved-contradictions.co.uk/essays/the-young-dont-vote/ [unresolved-contradictions.co.uk]