Boris Johnson to roll out string of new policies in bid to reset government
Boris Johnson will roll out a series of policy announcements over the next two weeks in a bid to reset his government after the tumultuous exit of his top two advisers.
Number 10 announced last night that Johnson – who is currently self-isolating after having had a meeting with an MP who tested positive – would start to splash the cash on policies that would “invest in education, improve skills, create jobs, and build back better and greener”.
This will include announcing infrastructure policies with chancellor Rishi Sunak from the government’s spending review and on Wednesday unveiling Johnson’s “ten point plan” for Britain to reach net zero emissions by 2050.
The Prime Minister tries to win back restless backbench MPs, and make plans for the country’s “regionalised approach [to Covid] after 2 December”.
Johnson’s top two advisers Lee Cain and Dominic Cummings – both prominent figures in the Vote Leave campaign – were ousted from Number 10 this week after a bitter factional war exploded to the surface on Thursday.
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Their exit sounds the end of the so-called “Vote Leave government” and will usher in a new era at Number 10.
A part of that reset will be mending poor relations with backbench MPs, refocusing on “levelling up” the Midlands and the North and managing the UK’s post-Brexit future from 1 January.
A Downing Street spokesperson said: “This government is determined to improve opportunities for people across the country, regardless of their background or where they live in the UK.
“We were elected on an ambitious manifesto to deliver this agenda, investing in education, skills and our NHS, tackling crime and introducing tougher sentencing for those who commit the most heinous crimes, as well as concluding our trade negotiations with the EU.
“Our agenda remains focused on this and we will never veer off this course, as we build back better from the coronavirus pandemic.”