Boris Johnson will ‘restore smaller state’ in Number 10 reset, says Barclay
Boris Johnson’s government will take a “step back from people’s lives” as a part of a pivot to a more traditional conservative platform, new Number 10 chief of staff Steve Barclay has said.
Barclay said the government will “restore a smaller state” and “make the centre of government work like the best-run companies” as Johnson tries to reset his premiership.
Barclay was appointed as Johnson’s chief of staff last week as a part of an overhaul of his Number 10 operation in the wake of partygate.
The Prime Minister has also tried to shore up his position by courting the right of the party and promising to pursue less interventionist policies.
Writing in the Telegraph, Barclay said: “It’s time to return to a more enabling approach. To trust the people, return power to communities and free up business to deliver.
“This is a Prime Minister who won an 80-seat majority, delivered Brexit and then steered the country through the pandemic … Now he’s making the changes in government that will see us adjust to living with Covid, clear the backlogs, get the economy back up to full speed – and, crucially, he is taking a close look at where he can cut the size of the state.”
Johnson was elected with a mandate to pursue expansive fiscal policy, with increased spending in public services and infrastructure investment.
This is underpinned by the Levelling Up agenda, which will see public spending directed toward economically deprived areas outside of London.
Under Johnson, the UK’s tax burden is also set to reach its highest level in 70 years after the UK’s public spending reached historic peacetime levels during Covid.