Rishi Sunak delays key announcements on crime, energy and pensions as Boris Johnson returns to the limelight
Rishi Sunak is running out of time to deliver a number of key policies which have been delayed as a result of Boris Johnson and Brexit taking centre stage this week.
In the coming days Mr Johnson will give evidence to the Commons committee which has been investigating his conduct over “Partygate”, while MPs will have their first vote on the Prime Minister’s Windsor Framework deal with the EU.
The Government is also braced for the imminent publication of a new report into the conduct of the Metropolitan Police which is expected to deliver a damning verdict on the leadership of Scotland Yard.
And this week will see the publication of updated inflation figures and a decision from the Bank of England on whether to hike interest rates again – both potentially crucial moments in demonstrating whether or not Mr Sunak’s economic strategy is working.
To avoid getting crowded out of the news agenda, No 10 has decided to push back multiple announcements which had previously been mooted for this week.
The long-awaited Victims Bill, an updated energy security strategy and a review of the state pension age are all due to come before Parliament begins its Easter recess on 30 March, but i understands that none of them will be published this week.
Timing of the NHS workforce plan, which will see a commitment to a major increase in the number of medical training places available, is also currently uncertain.
Any Government announcements which have not been published before the Easter recess may risk being pushed back even further, because of “purdah” rules which bar the civil service from publicly working on politically controversial policies in the run-up to an election. This year’s local elections in much of England take place on 6 May.
The Victims Bill, which will beef up the rights of crime victions to be involved in the criminal justice process and restrict the freedoms of prisoners further, was first promised nearly two years ago but has not yet been published. Justice Secretary Dominic Raab recently suggested it would appear imminently.
The energy security strategy, which will lay out a plan to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050 while creating new jobs in the green economy, is legally required to be published this month. The pension age review and health workforce plan are also hotly anticipated.
A large number of new bills promised by the Government at the last Queen’s Speech in spring last year have not yet been delievered, meaning a packed legislative timetable is likely in the coming months.
