*UKHotViewsExtra* Boris, tech & short-termism

Since new Prime Minister Boris Johnson took office, much of the emphasis has been on his commitment to leaving the EU by 31^st October. The other focus has been on his pledge to ditch austerity and start “delivering on people’s priorities”. Over the last couple of weeks, we have seen a cocktail of announcements, which have led to speculation that Johnson is posturing for a General Election in the autumn. As Shadow party leader Jeremy Corbyn threatens to call a no-confidence vote to try and scupper a ‘No Deal’ Brexit, a General Election later this year is looking like a certainty.

Johnson’s spending commitments are best summed up as electorate pleasers. He has stated he is determined to focus on dealing with issues that have been left on the back burner for the last three years, i.e. since the 2016 Brexit referendum. We have already commented on his £1.8bn NHS pledge (see What does NHS £1.8b funding boost mean for tech?) The other clear focus has been on returning the Conservatives to “the party of law and order” with announcements related to both the police and prison services. Johnson has committed to extend stop and search powers and putting in place 20K new police officers within three years under a £1.1bn plan. He has also promised a £100m prison crackdown to create 10,000 more prison spaces and ensure tougher sentencing. Other notable moves have been the decision to abolish visa caps for the most skilled scientists, engineers and mathematicians and put a fast track process in place. He has also talked about reversing the real-terms cuts to schools.

The spending commitments are, predominantly focused around people and infrastructure. They are designed to have short-term impact and be vote winners. Technology spending commitments have not been front and centre; however… Read More.

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Posted by: Georgina O'Toole at 15:51

Tags: publicsector   police   health   policy   government   prison  

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