Ten quick wins for Labour

A few weeks ago I was doing a talk to a group of headteachers, running through each of the big challenges a new Labour government will have to deal with – from increases in child poverty, to the collapse of local government, and a broken special needs system. I was doing my best to be optimistic, setting out possible solutions for each of these problems, while acknowledging the fiscal constraints.

But then, in the Q+A, one head said: “for every one of these problems you’re saying it will take a decade to solve it. I can’t wait a decade. Please give me some hope for now”.

It’s a hard question to answer but one Labour need to be thinking about. The list of problems they’ll inherit is so long, with each being so hard to solve. There is a risk they will simply be overwhelmed. The public will allow them a grace period but it will be, at most a  couple of years, and possibly a lot less. Their emerging policy agenda is not short of ambition but it focuses on issues like planning and devolution where change will inevitably be slow.

So I’ve come up with a list of things they can do in their first few months that would change peoples’ lives for the better straight away. My self-imposed rules were that proposals:

• Must not require primary legislation

• Must have an immediate effect (i.e. not be a review or enquiry)

• Must be easy to implement (i.e. not require setting up a new organisation or involve allocating money that won’t be spent for years)

I’m also conscious of the financial situation so as a package it is cost neutral. Only three of the suggestions involve spending and another one brings in enough money to pay for them.

Obviously sticking to these rules means excluding lots of things that need to be done – ultimately Labour will only be successful if they are willing to take on at least some of the difficult and messy problems that have dogged Britain for decades. They’ll be plenty more posts on those issues over the coming months. But for now let’s focus on some quicker wins that can offer some hope. Please add your own suggestions in the comments!