"Inside ‘shell-shocked’ Government as battle looms on benefits and workers’ rights"

"Inside ‘shell-shocked’ Government as battle looms on benefits and workers’ rights"

https://inews.co.uk/news/politics/inside-shell-shocked-government-as-battle-looms-on-benefits-and-workers-rights-3295274?ITO=newsnow


"While Sir Keir Starmer’s rapturous reception at Labour conference on Tuesday helped the party move on from rows over winter fuel, freebies, and Sue Gray that threatened to overshadow the gathering in Liverpool, insiders are warning there is more trouble ahead.

The “painful” Budget on the horizon next month, which is expected to include tax rises and difficult spending decisions, is the most obvious hurdle facing the Prime Minister and his team, who will be pulling out all the stops to ensure it lands without triggering a major backlash.

But there are other icebergs looming, with the promise in Starmer’s speech to legislate to clamp down on welfare fraud sparking almost immediate warnings that he faces another potentially bruising battle with MPs who have already found the cuts to pensioners’ winter fuel allowance and the refusal to lift the two-child benefit cap difficult to stomach.

It has been confirmed to the i that this pledge will mean an extra Bill will be added to the 39 pieces of legislation announced in the King’s Speech that will be brought to the Commons in the current parliamentary session.

A Government source said ministers were already braced for more rebellions in the House of Commons when the laws come before MPs, potentially leaving Starmer with more tricky decisions on what to do with unruly colleagues who will not toe the line.

Ministers have revealed few details of the planned crackdown on welfare fraud. But Government insiders are think that MPs who are already questioning Starmer’s commitment to social justice may also object to any tightening of the rules and tougher eligibility checks if they believe there is a risk of penalising people with little income who think should be entitled to benefits.

More immediately, there is a looming deadline of 13 October for Labour to publish legislation on its workers’ rights reforms promised in the party’s first 100 days in office.

One senior Government source involved in the preparation said they were confident the package would land well with Labour MPs and trade unions, and that any backlash from the Conservatives or business will be more muted than feared after opponents of past boosts to workers’ rights like the minimum wage “had their fingers burned”.

Fears workers’ rights may be ‘too good to be true’

However, union insiders – even those who have not been outwardly critical of the Labour Government – are concerned that the workers rights package may yet be carved up or watered down in some form.

“I think we are all concerned that it won’t really happen because there’s so much in it, it’s vulnerable,” one source said. “In a way it has so much in it that we have been calling for that it feels too good to be true.”

Elsewhere, several Government and Labour insiders told the i at party conference that ministers and their advisers were struggling to get to grips with the Whitehall machine.

One said people in Downing Street appear “shellshocked” by the realities of Government: “Being in opposition is like paddling really hard in a placid lake trying to get some momentum, but being in government is like white water rafting down a waterfall and you’re clinging on for dear life. You can’t even do anything, most of the time you’re just trying to survive

They suggested limits on special adviser (spad) hires, reportedly imposed by Sue Gray, were hampering early efforts at delivery, and that No 10 was underpowered, with just one person with responsibility for overseeing the entire Home Office and Ministry of Justice on behalf of Starmer.

A second insider also suggested the “spad freeze” was an issue as there are simply not enough people to handle the size of the Government’s programme.

There have also been enforced changes to how the party worked in opposition, when advisers across a range of policies were all largely in the same building but are now spread out across Whitehall.

Even No 10 spads, who sat together in the leader of the opposition’s office, are now siloed into different rooms in Downing Street – an unavoidable function of the building.

“It’s changed the atmosphere”, the second insider said, and has led to an “unintentional shift in power” whereby No 10 has to actively go and seek information from departments, rather than frontbenchers feeding into the centre.

Reports of civil service resisitance

Teething problems also extend to getting used to officials’ working practices and trying to get officials to change their mindset towards delivering Labour policies after 14 years of the Tories.

One such area where ministers are encountering resistance is Labour’s plans to devolve more powers to regional and metro mayors, with one senior source involved in discussions saying: “It’s very easy [for officials] to go back to how things worked [before].”

The first insider meanwhile said they had heard a Cabinet minister was stunned to have effectively been told by officials about a manifesto commitment: “We looked at that [policy] a few years ago and it can’t be done.”

However, others laid the blame at the doors of politicians, rather than civil servants. Whoever is at fault the calls for a more upbeat message persist

One Labour MP said: “There’s been enough ‘everything is shit’. Now we need some sweeties.”

Another party insider meanwhile suggested the inevitable realities of Government, outlined by their colleagues, was contributing to some of the glumness seen around Liverpool this week, in contrast to the optimism and hope on display last year.

“Those of us who went around knocking on doors for years on end didn’t think we’d get into Government and there would still be a bedroom tax, there would still be a two-child benefit cap, we’d scrap the winter fuel payment and we don’t restore aid spending to 0.7 per cent.

“It’s disheartening.”

A Labour Party spokeswoman said: “The last government broke our public services and left a £22bn black hole in the public finances.

“This Labour government is willing to take the tough decisions needed to fix the foundations and rebuild Britain.

“Those decisions won’t always be popular and yes there will be noise and calls to change course.

“But as the Prime Minister said in his speech, we reject the politics of easy answers, and won’t be distracted from our mission to deliver the change Britain voted for.”"

The week or so before the budget will be when the proper leaking of what will actually be in the budget happens. For now, I'm minded to think that a new government means the various "think tanks" and factions of the Labour Party are on overtime trying to get their ideas to the fore. Of course, a veritable gift to journalists who then have an endless stream of speculative articles.

To be clear, I don't expect a claimant friendly budget. If they are going to be more generous with benefits that is likely to be a few years down the line. Remember, you get the bad stuff done in the first few years of government.

https://leandroherrero.com/have-you-heard-the-one-about-the-three-envelopes-there-is-a-whole-theory-of-management-behind/

Sounds like the fable of 3x envelopes..

"On his way out, the outgoing manager hands the new manager three envelopes and remarks, “when things get tough, open these one at a time.”

About three months goes by and things start to get rough. The manager opens his drawer where he keeps the three envelopes and opens #1. It reads: “Blame your predecessor.” So he does and it works like a charm.

Another three months passes and things are growing difficult again so the manger figures to try #2. It reads, “reorganize.” Again, his predecessor’s advice works like magic.

Finally, about nine months into the new job, things are getting really sticky. The manager figures it worked before, why not try again. So he opens the envelope drawer one last time and opens #3. It reads…”prepare three envelopes.”

I think , letter #1 will be opened soon?

5 year parliamentary term. Do the dirty on people in years 1-3. Love bomb them years 4-5.