Is Government doing anything that isn’t Brexit?

Before Christmas, I finally admitted that everything that isn’t Brexit is, in fact, Brexit. But New Year me isn’t satisfied with that answer.

How many domestic policies have actually been pushed back because of Brexit? I’ve been trying to pull together an updated list.

[If you don’t like lists, I’ve summarised what all this means in an IfG blog]

I am shamelessly reusing an old meme in a bid to increase engagement

This is not easy — it’s hard to work out what the Government’s priorities actually are, let alone whether they’re being pursued. So I’m asking the internet for help. Here’s my list — what have I missed?

*Last updated: 17 Feb**

A quick health warning: it is worth noting that Brexit is only part of the reason for some of these delays. Government prevarication on challenging issues is not a new phenomenon. Brexit has been a limiting factor in pushing forward the domestic policy; it’s now the limiting factor.

Published late

NHS reform plan

Local government financial settlement for 2019/20 (although only by a few days, in the end)

Immigration White Paper

Clean Growth Strategy: published in October 2017, having been initially promised to come at the end of 2016. But the Committee on Climate Change has said it lacked the policy detail needed to make change.

Domestic abuse bill. Consultation on the bill finished in May, and campaigners were expecting a draft bill before Christmas. It will published instead on 21 Jan. We do not know, of course, how long it will be until it is actually introduced to Parliament.

Delayed

Social Care Green Paper: originally due Autumn 2017, continually pushed back in 2018, supposed to be published with the NHS reform plan, but still no sign…

Spending Review 2019: Bloomberg reports that the starting gun for the 2019 SR will not be fired at the spring statement, as we might have expected. Something will have to happen this year to prepare budgets for 2020/21 — but it is not certain we’ll get more than that.

Local Government fair funding review: currently running to government timetable — with initial settlements for 2020/21 due to be published in the spring — but local authorities wanted/needed clarity much sooner.

Internet Safety White Paper: originally due before end 2018 — in September this was changed to ‘winter’.

Public Service Ombudsman Bill: this draft bill was published in December 2016, and was scrutinised by the HCLG committee in March 2017, but is yet to be introduced to Parliament.

Grenfell response: there has been slow progress on replacing cladding on other blocks (361 yet to be dealt with).

Modernising Consumer Markets Green Paper: consultation closed in July, still no Government response.

The UK Open Government Partnership National Action Plan for 2018–20 was due to be published last summer.

Police funding formula reform: This is another one that has been perpetually delayed — not, initially because of Brexit). 2015 reform attempts were paused due to ‘errors’, but then progress appeared to have stalled after the 2017 election, with rumours that it had been scrapped. It is apparently now back on the cards as part of the 2019 Spending Review.

Wylfa power station?: An interesting one this. Hitachi has now officially pulled out of building the new nuclear powerplant in Wales — but Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has said that Theresa May did not discuss it with him at their meeting last week. Brexit sucking the air out of diplomacy as well?

Devolution framework: Back in February, then-MHCLG Secretary Sajid Javid said a new ‘framework’ for the Government’s approach to Englidh devolution was nearly finished. His successor, James Brokenshire, said in July it would be ready in ‘the coming months’. It has not yet appeared.

Courts and Tribunals Estates Transformation: Consultation on ‘estates transformation’ (ie. increased use of video links, and court closures) closed in March, with no Government response yet.

Higher Education funding: the Observer has named the Augar review of HE funding (due this spring) as a victim of current re-prioritisation exercises.

**Special entry**UK Shared Prosperity Fund: I left this off the list, because it is a Brexit-related issue. But the delay to the publication of the consultation on this replacement to EU structural funds – which supports worse-off parts of the UK – is causing a real headache to people at a regional level trying to do any kind of strategic growth planning.

At risk

Speculation/other things to keep an eye on

Things that are happening

A steady stream of announcements have continued on gov.uk: a new taskforce for economic crime, for example, or the clean air strategy. Some pronouncements of ministerial priorities have been embarrassingly marginal — county flags, or children’s activity passports, anyone?

Attempting to sort the wheat from the chaff, here’s some things of import that seem to be moving forward: