Five common sense things for the ‘common sense’ minister

After Sunak’s reshuffle extravaganza yesterday, an appointment that was somewhat overshadowed was that of Esther McVey, who took on the so-called role of ‘minister for common sense’. 

She is officially a minister without portfolio, but has been tasked with fighting ‘the scourge of wokery’ and ‘standing up for ‘working people’. It is unclear whether this role will absolve a duty to common sense for all other ministers.

While the title is certainly novel, nobody is denying that Westminster could benefit from a dose more rational thinking. So here are the common sense policies City A.M. thinks McVey ought to prioritise – whilst waiting for the scope of her common sense role to be set out (it is not self evident, apparently).

1. Build more homes

Britain’s housing crisis has been going for over a decade – and no government has succeeded in implementing the glaringly obvious fix: build new homes. In 2007, the average house in the UK cost around £177,000. In 2023 it is nearer £300,000. And real terms wages have been pretty much stagnant since 2008.

For renters, the situation is equally dire. Private rents are now increasing at the fastest rate since records began; more than half private renters in England had their rent put up last year. Over 2m tenants are struggling or behind on their rent.

Britain has a dearth of new homes. We have the lowest number of available properties of all OECD countries – and they’re the most costly of all European nations. But it’s not even just that British homes are expensive. They are also in terrible nick. A report by the Housing Builders Federation, the representative body of the homebuilding industry in England and Wales, found homes in England are in the worst condition of all European countries.

Brits are paying out of their arses – 11.3m people spend over 40 per cent of their income on their homes – for housing and it’s not even up to the continental standard. Building more homes would provide a platform for sustained growth that balances the economy and spreads prosperity widely – it would create jobs and make urban areas more productive, according to a report by think tank Policy Exchange.

There are a lot of excuses as to why Britain hasn’t built: rampant Nimbyism, suffocating planning laws, general ineptitude and ministerial churn (we’ve had 16 housing ministers since 2010 and seven in the last two years). But ultimately it shouldn’t be that hard. Direct businesses to available land. Communicate to residents that high quality housing will enhance their neighbourhood. Get more people off benefits and open up purses for spending. Hey – everyone wins.

2. Clamp down on woke spoons

What’s missing from the King’s speech is often more telling than what’s included. This year we heard about the scourge of pedicabs but one gaping absence? The plague of woke spoons.

If you’re not familiar, hold onto your seatbelts. The House of Commons canteen has reportedly been fighting a mutiny among MPs after replacing its plastic cutlery with paper alternatives. Parliament’s lousy defence? The government has banned single-use plastic cutlery. Presumably said mutineers were somewhat part of the decision-making, but they probably assumed the established precedent of not following one’s own rules would still apply. 

The case goes beyond parliament though, with wooden spoons and even, god forbid, sporks now the norm across our favourite casual dining institutions. While a noble endeavour, nobody can deny a soup eaten with a wooden spoon does not a happy citizen make. It’s time to crack down on woke extremism interrupting our Itsu lunches. 

Harry Cole, the unofficial director of the #antiwokespoons campaign, said: “I would be happy to show the new minister for common sense the havoc wrought upon a silk tie by this dangerous new age fad.”

3. Ditch the tourist tax

A no brainer. Britain’s retail sector was pummelled by the pandemic first and is now being brutalised by an unprecedented harsh economic environment with sky high interest rates and rampant inflation. With British shoppers more squeezed than ever, retailers are in dire need of custom.

And the government’s response is to… Remove a tax break used by wealthy international tourists when taking luxury shopping trips to Bicester Village, the West End and the like? Make it make sense. 

The ‘tourist tax’, as it is known, refers to the extra 20 per cent tourists now have to fork out on their purchases made in the UK. They used to be able to claim 20 per cent VAT back on their purchases – just like Brits can do abroad – but the tax break was scrapped by then-chancellor Rishi Sunak in 2021.

It means foreign shoppers coming to London will face shopping baskets 20 per cent more expensive.  

Businesses have described the decision as a “hammer blow” and have made repeated pleas for the tax break to be reinstalled. The Centre for Economics and Business Research showed the tourist tax is costing the UK almost £11bn in lost GDP and averting 2m tourists from spending in the UK each year. 

Do any other European countries have this tax? No. Are we losing custom to Paris because of it? Yes.

4. Pubs! More!

In a world of growing divisions, there is one thing we can all get behind: the pub. At this point, they’re practically a public service. But sky-high energy bills, interest rates and Brits’ tightening their belts saw the number of pubs calling last orders in the UK reach its highest quarterly figure in over a decade this summer.

Fuller’s boss Simon Emevy yesterday told City A.M. the pub sector was carrying a “disproportionate burden of business rates in the UK” and said more closures were nailed on unless the business rates relief introduced during the pandemic was further extended. Being the government that oversaw the decline of the national psyche? Yeah we wouldn’t want that legacy either. 

Extending trading hours past 11pm would also undoubtedly be a crowd-pleaser, not counting the residents of Soho of course. Now we’re thinking about it, a specialised common sense taskforce for those who sought out a quiet life in London’s nightlife district could go a long way.

5. Abolish the role

After executing City A.M.’s evidently sensible policy suggestions, Esther McVey should press on with abolishing her new role altogether. 

The optics are pretty dire: if you need to appoint a minister specifically in charge of common sense, it suggests a lack of the stuff elsewhere.

Even Jacob Rees-Mogg, formerly the minister for Brexit opportunities and government efficiency, said it was a silly title.