It’s the theme of #cpc21. But is levelling up anything more than a slogan? In case you missed it my piece from last night’s @BBCNewsnight, produced by @hattmarris84 bbc.co.uk/programmes/p09…
As you might know I’ve been trying to pin ministers down on exactly what the definition of levelling up even is. Initially there was a sense it was about rebalancing output between regions. Increasingly it now seems to be about economic growth everywhere, something in which...
https://twitter.com/lewis_goodall/status/1369629415425118208
...fundamentally every government, well, ever has believed (and many had more comprehensive regional policies than we’re seeing today). Indeed increasingly it’s being used as a synonym for general improvement (“levelling up education, levelling up health, transport etc)...
https://twitter.com/lewis_goodall/status/1369629415425118208
Which makes it even less clear or defined as a concept or organising principle.
I asked the new Department for Levelling up what the definition was, whether it was about rebalancing or general improvement. Here’s what they said. Judge for yourself how clear it is.
I asked the new Department for Levelling up what the definition was, whether it was about rebalancing or general improvement. Here’s what they said. Judge for yourself how clear it is.
But in a way it’s not surprising it’s a concept which remains pretty nebulous. Because in order to answer it the Conservative Party/government would have to have greater sense of what it thinks about more fundamental questions: the tax burden, intervention, free enterprise vs...
...statism. Once you know what you think about it, it determines what sort of levelling up you care about and its means. All of these fundamental questions are more in flux for the party than at any times since the 1970s. They’re even in dispute between Nos 10 and 11.
And until the party has decided (and it might just continue to fudge it) then the definition of, priorities for and means to do levelling up are likely to remain fuzzy.
Sajid Javid in his speech just now epitomising confusion over the term well. Initially says he wants to “level up” health inequalities between places. Then says he wants to “level up” NHS. Is it equalisation? Is it general improvement? Both? If it’s both might that not lead...
...to quite different policy and priorities? Sometimes contradictory ones?
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