There is no time to lose in the government's next phase
3 min read
The tools are there for Labour to make a visible difference quickly.
As Parliament returns and the new Downing Street shake-up unfolds, the message from No. 10 couldn’t be clearer: it’s all about delivery. That mantra resonates deep, especially among swing voters, nearly half of whom expect to feel the benefits of growth within just two years, while almost 80 per cent want change by the end of this parliamentary term.
Some think that the government simply can’t get things done, that Whitehall is too slow, too complicated, too wrapped up in process. But they’re wrong. This summer, we have been setting out a series of quick wins: targeted, high-impact reforms that show visible progress fast.
Take Ashford International. The station cost £80m to build and now lies dormant, a “ghost” station. It stands at the heart of a region where Labour MPs face the onslaught of Reform. Ashford is more than just underused infrastructure. It’s a symbol of neglect, of towns left behind, and of promises not delivered.
Reopening Ashford International could deliver up to £2.7bn over five years for the South East. This move could increase tourism by an estimated 500,000 visitors a year, boosting footfall for hotels, restaurants and local businesses. Off the back of our work, the Treasury has recognised the value these services could bring to the local economy.
But turning Ashford around is about more than just footfall or tourism stats. It’s about taking the fight to Reform in exactly the kind of towns where their message resonates. It’s about proving that the government can grip problems, deliver visible change, and restore pride in places that have been written off.
And it's a similar story on planning and infrastructure reform. Yes, there is more to do and more battles ahead, but as we set out in our paper Rapid Reforms, there are levers at the government’s disposal which could be pulled without new legislation. Our package of measures could get an additional 229,000 homes over the next four years, critical to hitting the government’s target of 1.5m homes and unleashing £4.7bn in fiscal headroom. But it would also show that there is no waiting room for delivery, and if focused on the areas with the greatest housing pressures, a real chance to improve the affordability of housing, too.
Because, ultimately, this is about fairness: we know from our focus groups that there’s a feeling that not everyone benefits equally. People see this around them: their living standards worsening, their public services in crisis, and their high streets shuttered. At the same time, they see certain sectors thrive.
Take private healthcare. While our NHS is on its knees, this industry is booming. We’re sleepwalking into a two-tier healthcare system, with patients scrambling for 8am GP appointments and the government scrambling for funding. People are being forced to pay for care that they should be getting for free. That’s the moral force behind our call for a windfall tax on private healthcare to help fund the NHS, which we found 55 per cent of the public supports.
This is about more than growth. It’s about fairness and the feeling that the system is broken. It’s this fear that the populists seek to exploit. They prey on the idea that government can’t deliver, that it’s too slow, too stuck, too broken — which doesn’t match reality. When the government is focused and directed, it can grip problems, move quickly, and make a visible difference. It can win back trust, grow the economy, and deliver fairness too. And yes, it can be popular while doing it. The opportunities are there. The tools are there. And the government has no time to lose to crack on.
Praful Nargund is Director of the Good Growth Foundation.
