Sir Keir Starmer will pledge to slash the costs of regulation with an “active government” in a speech later. He will take aim at a “cottage industry of checkers and blockers slowing down delivery for working people”, as he argues the state has become bigger but weaker. New AI and tech teams will be sent into public sector departments to drive improvements in efficiencies. It comes after Sir Keir told his ministers they should take more responsibility for decisions, rather than “outsourcing” them to regulators. A push to reduce the role of quangos – or non-governmental bodies – is expected to be part of the prime minister’s plan. Quango stands for Quasi-Autonomous Non-Governmental Organisation but the government calls them “arm’s length bodies”. They are organisations funded by taxpayers but not directly controlled by central government, such as regulators, cultural institutions and advisory bodies. The number of quangos has fallen by more than half since 2010 but there are still more than 300 across the UK. Under the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition, nearly 300 were axed – dubbed the “bonfire of the quangos” – in an attempt to improve accountability and cut costs. Despite Sir Keir indicating he would also like to reduce the role of quangos, the new Labour government has set up more than 20 since winning power.
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