It’s been over a month since Theresa May stood on the steps of Downing Street. And yet the process of finding out what will define her government is moving slowly. We’ve had snippets of the direction in which it won’t be heading: her decision to put the brakes on Hinkley Point, at least for the time being, shows she won’t be pursuing the Osborne agenda. This has, too, been backed up by reports today that she won’t press ahead with plans for regional mayors with the same fervour as the former chancellor. Yet we’ve had only limited glimpses of what May will be aiming to implement.
The catchphrase ‘Brexit means Brexit’ has already become well worn and parroted repeatedly by the PM. But aside from managing Britain’s withdrawal from the EU, what else will the Prime Minister be hoping to put in place? If Liz Truss’s confirmation this morning is anything to go on, the Government will be introducing a British bill of rights. It’s something that has been much touted by the Tories in recent years, way before it popped up in the party’s manifesto in 2015 (a pledge to axe the Human Rights Act was also mentioned in the 2010 manifesto). Yet whilst there has been much talk about it, there has been limited actual movement. There were also reports Theresa May’s Government could kick it in to touch. Not so, said Liz Truss, who nailed her colours to the mast on Today by insisting it was a manifesto commitment and that it will be brought in. This will please many Tory backbenchers who have been keen on the idea of a British bill of rights for some time. Yet although we got confirmation as such, there was nothing to be said on a timetable. So it seems we’re not any closer to finding out when it’ll happen – which doesn’t look promising for a law which has only, so far, been defined by being delayed.
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