If Labour is to succeed in power, it must fix the Treasury
The finance ministry protects the country from disaster—but also holds it back
When David Cameron resigned as prime minister in June 2016, hours after Britain voted to leave the EU, he said the country needed “fresh leadership”. What it would like now is a nice lie-down. Rishi Sunak is the fourth Conservative to hold the top job since the then Mr Cameron quit. Jeremy Hunt is the sixth chancellor. In the 30 years before the Brexit referendum, big cabinet reshuffles happened about once every two years; since then they have occurred once every six months on average. The latest, to sack Suella Braverman as home secretary and bring the newly ennobled Lord Cameron back as foreign secretary, has triggered another bout of Tory infighting.
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This article appeared in the Leaders section of the print edition under the headline “The Treasury trap”
Leaders November 18th 2023
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From the November 18th 2023 edition
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