Appearances can be deceptive in politics, but it seems unlikely that Keir Starmer’s new administration will go down in history as a beacon of democratic reform. The state of the constitution and the health of Britain’s democracy hardly figured as themes in the election campaign. And, contrary to apocalyptic fears of a new federalised constitution expressed by some hostile commentators, the Labour leadership has done its best to tiptoe away from some of the main proposals set out in the Commission on the UK’s Future chaired by former leader Gordon Brown. Despite reports of Sue Gray’s interest in the concept of citizens’ assemblies, and despite the UK being a long way behind the curve of most other democratic countries in its lack of familiarity with such deliberative techniques, nothing in the manifesto suggested much interest in the question of how to ensure greater citizen engagement and public participation.
The new government’s main policy priorities undoubtedly lie elsewhere. As we saw from Rachel Reeves’s speech earlier this week, its over-riding focus will be on kick-starting improved economic growth, a broad-ranging objective that encompasses policy commitments like planning reform and accelerating housebuilding. With these goals centre stage, it is may well follow the lead of many of its predecessors in viewing democratic and institutional questions as distractions from its main purpose. Very few senior Labour figures are plugged into these debates compared to their predecessors of 30 years ago, when New Labour developed an extensive programme of constitutional reform.
Content from our partners
