No Surprises: more spads for No. 10?

Thu, 10 May 2012 11:48:16 +0000

David Cameron has come under fire from some Tories who, believing the Government to be lacking direction, have called for the appointment of more Conservative special advisers (spads) to the No. 10 Policy Unit (see Neil O’Brien’s article for the Financial Times). They argue that the Government has placed too much emphasis on peripheral issues [...]

Just Say No: The Impact of the FOI Veto

Wed, 09 May 2012 17:23:01 +0000

The Coalition government used its powers under FOI to veto the release of NHS Risk Registers yesterday, an issue which has been rumbling on since an FOI request by a Labour MP. Andrew Lansley’s full statement is here. He justified his actions as being due to a fear that, if released, future records will be [...]

Constitutional Reform in the Queen’s Speech

Wed, 09 May 2012 16:25:40 +0000

Constitutional reform featured strongly in Queen’s Speech today, setting out legislation for the coming session of Parliament. The Unit dissects…  Lords Reform Bill This faces massive opposition in both Houses and may fail. The reform proposals are opposed by the Lords itself, and there is so much resistance among Conservative MPs the bill may fail [...]