The alternative is two more years of tough rhetoric and minimal results from a department which is increasingly unfit for purpose
This morning’s papers report that Rishi Sunak has abandoned his promise to set up a dedicated unit to review or repeal all remaining EU law by the next election. It was always an unrealistic target, and there were much better ways to do it. But the anonymous quote offered by his allies to explain the decision – “The time for changes in the machinery of government has passed” – is deeply dispiriting.
Organisational restructures do not make for sexy politics. When the Prime Minister has at most about two years to persuade the electorate to return the Conservatives for a fifth term, it’s understandable why he should want to focus on delivery rather than back-office tinkering. But in truth, that’s a false choice. The structure and machinery of government is in fact essential to delivering policy effectively. Had Liz Truss survived for more than a couple of months, for example, her decision to gut the Downing Street policy and legislation teams would definitely have come back to haunt her.
Perhaps nowhere is this truer than the Home Office, a department with few friends remaining on the Left or the Right. From immigration enforcement to the passports backlog to the police, no other section of government is responsible for so many important areas of policy that are all consistently going wrong.
As a candidate, Sunak clearly understood the need for an overhaul. He concluded his ten-point “Plan to take back control of our borders” with a pledge to explore “fundamental Home Office and Border Force reform”. The need is no less urgent this side of the Truss interregnum than in the summer.