On Monday, Andy Burnham finally set out some of his plans for government. To the surprise of no one, much of it involves greater spending, with the likely next PM pledging that a new ‘No. 10 North’ will oversee the ‘biggest council house building programme since the post-war period.’
Less clear from the speech was how on earth it will be paid for. Instead, it looks like Burnham’s eventual pick for chancellor will be forced to stump up the cash, along with creating ‘good growth in every postcode and hope in every heart’.
In recent years the department has decided to sabotage its own talent pipeline – all in the interests of diversity. Even more worryingly, it has sacrificed the one thing that is meant to be the Treasury’s selling point: its numeracy
That will be easier said than done. Whoever enters No. 11 will find themselves dealing with a country that has somehow managed to combine the highest tax intake since the end of the second world war with decrepit public services. Additional borrowing to boost growth panics the bond markets, while decades of Treasury penny-pinching has led to woeful capital investment.
At times like these, you’d hope that Treasury civil servants – traditionally made up of the mandarin elite – would be on hand to help. But, The Spectator can reveal, in recent years the department has decided to sabotage its own talent pipeline – all in the interests of diversity. Even more worryingly, it has sacrificed the one thing that is meant to be the Treasury’s selling point: its numeracy.
