Arabic version: الحكومة تهدف إلى تبسيط اتخاذ القرار من خلال تقليل اللوائح
The government said it hopes to speed up decision making by stripping away “outdated regulations and overlapping consultations” as part of cuts to red tape. According to BBC News, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has previously expressed frustration that a “whole bunch of regulations, consultations and arm’s-length bodies” mean that action “from pulling the lever to delivery is longer than I think it ought to be”.
The Cabinet Office has said changes to clear up processes in Whitehall will be introduced to ensure improvements can be made in communities across the country. However, the Conservative Party has criticized the government’s approach, labeling it “deeply ironic” that the administration is seeking to act while simultaneously being mired in what they call “consultation paralysis.”
Since Labour came into government in 2024, multiple consultations and taskforces have been launched on various issues, such as the potential introduction of a social media ban for under-16s. Other topics under discussion include fire safety guidance, a minimum learning period for learner drivers, and a ban on new leasehold flats.
While the Cabinet Office acknowledges that wide-ranging or complex policies will still require consultation, it warns that such processes have increasingly been applied to routine decisions. Changes to reporting and consultation duties involve a higher bar for including them in legislation and using artificial intelligence to root out “disproportionate” ones.
Additional reforms will streamline the process for collective Cabinet agreement of government policy, which are said to involve “onerous” exchanges of letters between departments. Key figures leading these changes include Cabinet Secretary Dame Antonia Romeo, the UK’s top civil servant, Cabinet Office Minister Nick Thomas-Symonds, and Attorney General Lord Hermer, who emphasized the need to remove bureaucratic barriers to empower public servants and enhance accountability in governance.
