Caroline Voaden: 'If Mr Starmer is reaching for his chainsaw, axe this commission'

Across the pond, we’ve seen mass job layoffs in the federal government.

Thousands have been fired, services have been cut, and according to experts, it’s only a matter of time until the benefits of the most disadvantaged US citizens are delayed or disrupted.

For some, watching this may raise questions... Are such deep cuts necessary? Is there a strategy to all this? And what does it mean for the role of the government in people’s lives?

Perfectly valid questions. But in Number 10, a different interpretation is taking place.

Rather than seeing Musk’s cuts as dangerous, they seem to be aping them through something that’s been dubbed ‘Project Chainsaw’.

The project kicked off this month with the abolition of NHS England – the world’s largest quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisation (quango) – and it won’t stop there.

In a speech, the Prime Minister accused politicians of hiding behind quangos and expressed his desire to create a “strong, agile and active state that delivers for working people”.

As part of that, it’s reported that the Care Quality Commission (CQC), UK Health Security Agency, and water regulator Ofwat might be next for the cut.

What’s interesting is the contrast between what the Prime Minister has been saying over the last month and the actions his government has taken since coming into office in July.

Back in August, just one month after winning the election, the Prime Minister announced plans to set up more than a dozen new quangos, including GB Energy, Skills England, and the Fair Work Agency.

Since then, more have been added, along with multiple commissions. Some have been necessary; others not so much.

Falling firmly into the latter camp is the Casey Commission, set up in January this year to explore the issues in adult social care.

While I have no doubt Baroness Casey will deliver a thoughtful, well-considered report, the truth is we don’t need it. We know what the issues are in adult social care; it’s time to act.

According to the King's Fund, “Since 1997 we’ve had two independent commissions, five White and Green Papers, three consultations, and enough reports to fill a library”.

One of these was the Dilnot Commission, which reported in 2011 that the adult social care system is “confusing, unfair, and unsustainable” and included among its recommendations a cap on care costs and a reduction in the postcode lottery for care services.

It’s more likely than not that the Casey Commission will find something similar, so I ask the Prime Minister, given the government’s appetite for delivering for working people, will he scrap the Casey Commission and get to work fixing our care system?

We cannot afford to spend three more years talking, waiting for another plan. Our NHS cannot afford to wait, families cannot afford to wait, and most of all, patients cannot afford to wait.

We have a literal library full of ideas. The time has come to bring them to life. The Liberal Democrats have led the conversation on this issue for years now, and we’ll continue to push the government into acting.

The government scrapped NHS England partly to improve our healthcare. The truth is there’s no chance of doing so until you address the crisis in social care. By scrapping the Casey Commission and beginning to act, we can take a huge step forward in doing this.

If you wish to contact me about this or another issue you are facing, please do so at: caroline.voaden.mp@parliament.uk 

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