New Statesman

[Blakesley]

A political magazine self-described as liberal and progressive, "of the left, for the left", the New Statesman was founded by members of the Labour think-tank the Fabian Society. Has endorsed the Labour Party throughout its existence, but is rather Corbyn-sceptic.

Circulation: c. 4,000 per month

[Blakesley]

James McCrimmon and the politics of governing

It became the video circulated during the leadership campaign: James McCrimmon holding Labour's manifesto aloft declaring that he had no need for a leadership platform, that the party's manifesto, "For the Many, Not the Few", was the only platform he was committed to. Just two months into his premiership, James McCrimmon, the man who aspired only to be Scotland Secretary, is learning the hard way that governing is more than holding a manifesto in the air and declaring that this is the plan. The politics of governing are infinitely more complex.

The response to Grenfell was, by all accounts, a shambles. The entirety of Westminster did not understand the inaction of the government. The decision to hold cross-party talks even more so. Yet rumours from the discussions during those talks reveals their necessity. While the Mr McCrimmon proposed £23 million to test fire-resistant cladding materials, Dylan Macmillan, the Leader of the Opposition, proposed a £2.5 billion investment in sprinklers. Reports from Cabinet indicate that it was the Cabinet Secretary, Jeremy Heywood, who advised financing local authorities in their efforts to remove dangerous cladding. That is not how government - much less a Labour one - should operate.

Yet its unclear what has changed since Grenfell. The Housing Minister, Calvin Ward, made announcements in Parliament: they must be followed up with legislation. Harry West - the former Brexit Secretary and now the Chancellor of the Exchequer - and Anneliese Dodds, the new Brexit Secretary, are widely viewed as the most visible and competent members of the government. Kayla Gray and Calvin Ward, since his announcement, can be described as the Ministers for Twitter. For all intents and purposes, it appears that McCrimmon may now be the chairman of the board while West serves as chief executive of the ship of state.

A well-received speech by Mr West at the Warwick Manufacturing Group has, finally, laid out a public case for what the government will do and how it intends to get there. MPs question by prominent backbenchers, such as Blair era Education Secretary Dorothy Dean, are not being promoted to the frontbench. An effective communicator who made the case for the government in Parliament and the moral case for a Brexit that protects workers and rights at the Institute for Government, Ms Dean has a great deal to offer. Rumours abound suggest she may be in the running to chair the Public Services Select Committee - perhaps she can use this role to encourage action in the government.

Achieving the goals that Labour laid out in the Queen's Speech will require action. The departure of Steffan Lewis and the promotion of Mr West leaves McCrimmon without his closest ally in the Treasury. Perhaps that is a good thing. A former special advisor, Mr West has demonstrated that he can navigate the corridors of power in his short time in office. His counterpart at the Foreign Office, Anthony Clarke, has reportedly performed well in his work with foreign leaders. However, inaction elsewhere can potentially be explained by the ideological nature of Mr McCrimmon. He has appointed the youngest, least experienced team of junior ministers in history. An ideological project is not necessarily a governing project.

To reclaim the narrative, McCrimmon must act. Until the promotion of Mr West, Tories were seen as driving the agenda in Westminster - a terrible look for a governing party. That is slowly starting to change. It would change faster if McCrimmon were more of a presence. People, rightly, like to see their Prime Minister working. They don't see that right now. Perhaps more direct ownership and engagement of the government's plans by McCrimmon would see the plans Labour championed move forward faster. That was the goal of this radical government. It is not living up to it.

The manifesto Labour was elected on, at 123 pages, was a significant, necessary, and radical plan for government. However, as many are now learning, the most radical document is only worth the paper it's printed on if the politics of governing are ignored. Even radicalism requires action.