After announcing huge new funding for the NHS without committing to major reforms apart from recycled league tables, the government has now hired its Lead Strategy Adviser to the Department of Health. Chris Tomas of the left-wing IPPR has been hired to the Civil Service on an 18-month secondment to a new strategy unit whose purpose he says is to help “sort out the historic mess our health system is in” and put the IPPR’s “ideas into practice.” Co-conspirators can hazard a guess as to whether he thinks that will involve more tax and spend or less…
Thomas has spent the last three years heading up the IPPR’s “Commission on Health and Prosperity,” which published its definitive final report two months ago. Guido has taken the liberty of summarising the majority of its recommendations for UK health policy. Fans of harmless fun look away now…
- A new “non-essential food tax” in the form of an excise tax on packaged products high in fat, salt or sugar.
- Hike gambling taxes, including quadrupling machine games duty and doubling general betting duty.
- Tobacco manufacturers would be subject to a “cap on their wholesale prices, ensuring that their profits are controlled at around 10%.” The difference between the capped price and the current wholesale price “would be collected as a levy or through increases in excise duty.” Cough, splutter…
- A new vape excise tax.
- Introduce a new “alcohol duty escalator” at RPI + 3%.
- Cigaratte-style warning labels for packaged products high in fat, salt or sugar, or those that “exceed set thresholds for these nutrients or overall calorie density.“
- Cigaratte-style warning labels on alcohol.
- A blanket ban on all gambling advertising.
- A new ‘Health and Prosperity Committee’ body structured the same way as the Climate Change Committee to advise on health regulation and policy.
- Subsidise companies with grants who offer “Fair Work” policies including flexible working by default and non-zero hour contracts.
- Restrict government procurement to Fair Work “compliant” companies.
- Subsidise companies who follow “Fair Work” policies with taxpayer grants. If enough companies don’t take up “Fair Work” practices by the end of the parliament Thomas says Labour should regulate to enforce them…
- Stifle zero-hours contracts by hiking the minimum wage where hours are not specified in the contract to 20% above the standard rate.
- Relax benefit rules to “increase the extent to which people can try work over a period of months without risk of losing their existing award.“
- Massively increase NHS workforce by hiring “social prescribers, link workers, peer support workers, and care coordinators” from job centres, community groups and housing associations. This is apparently to use the NHS as “an anchor institution to support social and economic development.“ Co-conspirators will have their own views on whether the NHS should be the “anchor” of the job market…
- A “National Health Investment Bank” to reinvest proceeds from health levies into “health vital industries.“
- A statutory “Right to Disconnect” which forces employers more than 50 employees to have a “disconnect” policy outside of working hours – introduced through “negotiation and agreement with unions or other staff representatives.” Breaches of that “right” as reported by the unions will be enforced through fines…
- Create an independent body to recommend more regulations every year.
- A “fresh produce food subsidy” of 18% subsidy for fresh fruit and vegetables.
- Free school meals nationally.
- Abolish two-child benefit limit, and also abolish the benefit cap.
- Introduce a “Neighbourhood NHS” of “new primary care hubs – one for each neighbourhood,” to offer “primary care, community care, mental healthcare, diagnostics, social care access and some public health services.” Just what Britain needs – another NHS…
Thomas’ plans are likely to get an enthusiastic hearing. His close colleagues and fellow tax-fans at the IPPR – their former executive and associate directors – are embedded in the Downing Street policy unit. You’ve heard of tax and spend, now it’s time for tax and ban…
