The Government’s Show vs. Tell: A Reflection on Legislative Activity and Political Strategy

I, I think today this government’s done a pretty good job of looking at the kids that know what they’re doing, even though there’s barely been two weeks of formal, normal business in the Commons since they were elected. But I was really struck over the weekend by just how desperate they were to tell us how busy they are. They were briefings and emails about how they had introduced 10 different bits of legislation into the Commons and the laws done 12 different statements. You know, this was meant to be the show, not tell, uh, government that did things, uh, and then boasted about them, rather than the other way around. But now they’re reaching for the Lords Spiritual Women Act 2015 Extension Bill, which they’ve introduced into the Lords as evidence of their industry and activity. It’s almost like they’re a little bit insecure about being seen to be really busy. Um, as one very, very senior minister put it, about that legislative agenda and, and some of the things in that list, it’s not quite up there with Scottish and Welsh devolution and shore start, is it? Yes. Um, I mean, if I was Keir Starmer, I would certainly want to look busy. You can’t be out of power for 14 years and then come in with a landslide victory and then be sort of like, oh, well, we haven’t really got much we want to do. So you can sort of understand them wanting to Put that vibe across, I think. What’s weird, given the Parliament hasn’t sat for a month, I would have expected to see the Prime Minister in the house of Commons take the first opportunity he could to get in front of the cameras, get in front of the new bunch of MPs and make a statement to the house, probably on the riots which dominated so much part of the early part of the summer. We’re not going to see that, or at least that’s what Labour are saying at half past six in the morning. Um, I guess that might change. There is no plans for Keir Starmer to be in Parliament today at all. there’s no plans for a debate on the riots to happen in Parliament. Instead, Keir Starmer’s big thing today is focused on a back to school announcement, uh, a big policy announcement on offstead Labour hoping that will dominate the sort of political news today, rather than the happenings in the house of Commons.