Today Boris Johnson launched his ‘new deal’ for Britain – billed as an economic recovery plan to follow the Covid recession.
It sounds positively Rooseveltian. It sounds like a new deal. All I can say is that if so, then that is how it is meant to sound and to be, because that is what the times demand – a government that is powerful and determined and that puts its arms around people at a time of crisis.
What has changed is the PM’s political positioning, away from the market economy and towards state intervention
But were the announcements really a ‘new deal’ – or a new anything?
The vast majority of the announcements were not new but manifesto promises from the 2019 election. The £5 billion promised for infrastructure projects and hospital upgrades was already pledged to capital investment projects that are simply being brought forward. Both the policies and the money predate the lockdown.
Comments
Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just $5 for 3 monthsAlready a subscriber? Log in