Douglas Carswell on the NHS…
“A recent report by the Institute for Fiscal Studies revealed that spending on the NHS has grown by 12% since 2019 in real terms. There are now 13% more NHS doctors, and 11% more nurses. Yet the NHS somehow manages to treat 5% fewer people. “
Guido can reveal that the Trade Department has appointed a string of three new non-executive board members. These appointments are the latest in a string of sound picks, joining the likes of Daniel Hannan and Tony Abbott at the department. The new non-exec members are…
- Douglas Carswell – Former MP and Brexit hero.
- Dambisa Moyo – economist and bestselling author who among her awards lists TIME 100 and the Hayek Lifetime Achievement Award.
- Dominic Johnson – founding partner of Somerset Capital Management.
Guido learns that they will make up a refreshed non-executive board, appointed directly by Liz Truss, joining current members Sir Stephen O’Brien, Noel Harwerth, and Andrew Hood who is taking on the role of lead non-executive board member. Current non-executive board member Julie Currie is standing down – being replaced by Dominic Johnson as Chair of the Audit and Risk Assurance Committee.
Guido understands that the free-trading, free-marketeer appointments will push the idea that outside the EU, Britain can push new frontiers in areas like tech, services and advanced manufacturing. Their membership on the board is designed to help steer the department to establish Britain as a major force in global trade – as well as deepen trade links with like-minded nations. DIT is rapidly earning a new nickname amongst SpAds… the Ministry of Sound…
The economy’s down nearly 25% since February. In May, economic growth didn’t get anywhere near expectations. In March and April, the UK economy shrank back to where it was in 2002.
Is there any way out of this economic tailspin? Can cheap pizza and well-insulated lofts really get us out of trouble?
In tonight’s LIVE WITH LITTLEWOOD host Mark Littlewood and his guests set the dials for 2020 and beyond.
Joining him will be Toby Young, general secretary of the Free Speech Union, former MP Douglas Carswell, the Telegraph’s Madeline Grant and Dia Chakravarty and the Times’ Science Editor Tom Whipple.
Also taking part will be independent economist Julian Jessop, Sam Bowman of the International Center for Law & Economics and the IEA’s Victoria Hewson.
Together, they’ll try to get us back to the future. Along the way, they’ll ask ‘Who regulates -the regulators?” and discuss whether wearing masks will suffocate economic growth.
Join in the debate – LIVE at 6pm – here or on YouTube
Wonk world expanded a little yesterday as Douglas Carswell along with IEA fellow and top wonk Radomir Tylecote launched the Good Governance Project, a research body that has been quietly rumbling away since the end of last year. The project aims to take on not only big government but bad government – and propose real solutions in order to make things run better…
The Brexit process showed more than ever that the state is not really fit for purpose and is certainly not serving democracy as well as it would. The GGP will conduct research into the areas that gunged up the Brexit process, as well as Britain’s alphabet soup of quangos, financial black hole departments, a uniquely centralised Whitehall, and a civil service that looks geared towards blocking external talent. In short, it’s mission statement is to reform “The Blob”…
As Guido reported he would on Friday, Steven Barclay has “signed the legislation setting in stone the repeal of the European Communities Act 1972. This is a landmark moment in taking back control of our law. It underlines that we are leaving the EU on October 31”. Back in 2012, after thousands of Guido’s readers mandated for him to do so in an innovative crowd-sourcing of legislation, Douglas Carswell presented a bill to Repeal the European Communities Act 1972:
Now Boris has made it happen. What a change from the days when a Tory government actively blocked the repeal. It has taken 7 years, we’re winning co-conspirators, we’re winning…
The defection of the three Tory MPs to The Independents Group today has seen an outpouring of comments ranging from sadness to… sadness from their former Tory colleagues. Theresa May is “saddened”, David Cameron is “sad”, Claire Perry is “extremely sad”. All get thanks for their “dedicated service”, with the door being left open for them to return if they change their mind…
So presumably it was the same outpouring of thanks, hugs and condolences all round when Douglas Carswell and Mark Reckless left for UKIP in 2014? Don’t be silly…
David Cameron branded Reckless’s decision “senseless and counter-productive” and accused Carswell of helping Labour. Carswell was accused of “betrayal”, “petulance” and “political vanity” by Tory MPs while Reckless was even sued by his former local party. All topped off with Claire “Brexit Jihadis” Perry’s ever classy “Don’t let the door hit your fat arse as you leave”…
