The same spirit lay behind the introduction of the poll tax.
See also the creation of the Euro.
NB too that the spirit of “we have brilliant but mad-sounding and controversial ideas which we are going to impose whether anyone likes it or not” is inherently centralising: so much for devolving power to the North.
Indeed, though I’m no expert, I think that was part of the problem with the Gove/Cummings reign at DfE: the determination to impose controversial policies in the teeth of fierce opposition led to centralisation, despite the decentralising, diversity and choice rhetoric.
