Quango upon quango. Yes, indeed, a veritable smorgasbord of self-important busybodies with egos bigger than the bureaucracies they bungle—Labour’s pièce de résistance. Classic Labour!
Since coming into power, Labour have been churning out these unelected, taxpayer-funded monstrosities at a rate that would make Usain Bolt blush. And who’s picking up the tab? That’s right: you, me, and every other hardworking Brit.
Every week, without fail, another quango slithers forth, as inevitable as rain at Wimbledon. These “quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations” (a term as clunky as their inefficiency) siphon off public funds, avoid scrutiny like it’s a contact sport, and deliver… well, not much at all.
Since Labour took the reins, they’ve unleashed a staggering 25 of these creatures. Twenty-five! Each one more stuffed with red tape than the last, all while the economy wheezes under the weight of Labour’s £40 billion tax hike.
Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg, our ever-eloquent conservative conscience, summed it up beautifully:
“We need a great cull of quangos. In government I was trying to close them down because we need to return decision-making to elected ministers.
“Instead, Labour seem bent on giving us government by the quango, for the quango… They want government done by their friends and they want it done away from prying eyes by organisations that are simply not accountable in the same way as elected ministers. It is not only anti-democratic but it also leads to worse government.”
Spot on, Sir Jacob. Spot on.
Richard Holden, another valiant Tory warrior, reminded us of the classic Labour playbook:
“It’s a tale as old as time. Labour establishes a quango to duplicate work already under way in the public sector and the outcome is all-too predictable: more bureaucracy, more regulation and higher taxes for working Brits.”
But let’s not forget what we’re up against. Take Ed Miliband for example—Labour’s eco-crusader, armed with a clipboard and an endless stream of ideas for state-run ventures. He’s already birthed no fewer than four new quangos under the banner of saving the planet. Great British Energy, Mission Control, the National Energy System Operator, the Solar Taskforce—names that belong in a Bond movie but, sadly, come with fewer thrills. Do they achieve anything? Don’t hold your breath.
Worse still, these shiny new quangos are often just reheated leftovers. The Border Security Command? A remix of the Small Boats Operational Command. The Jet Zero Taskforce? Just the Jet Zero Council in a new frock. Taxpayers are funding déjà vu on a monumental scale.
So who’s really running Britain? The sheer number of these unaccountable, unelected quangos leaves taxpayers scratching their heads… and their wallets.
As John O’Connell of the TaxPayers’ Alliance so aptly put it:
“Taxpayers will wonder who actually governs Britain given the proliferation of unelected, unaccountable quangos.
“But what’s worse is that these have all been created by politicians who then recoil with horror when they realise that they are completely powerless in the face of this web of organisations, rules and procedures.
“Labour ministers should stop creating a rod for their own back by further handing over power to those that may end up working against them.”
And just when you think it couldn’t get worse, Labour has also gone quango consultation crazy. Sixty-seven reviews in five months! Keir Starmer compares it to a business doing its due diligence, but as Priti Patel says:
“Socialism thrives on bureaucracy—more state spending, more regulation, more suffocating of our freedoms. That’s Labour’s playbook.”
So as Keir Starmer flounders in his own sea of red tape and Ed Miliband’s Great British Energy looks unlikely to power so much as a desk lamp, Labour’s endless reviews only underscore their paralysis. The verdict is unmistakable: Labour’s fixation on bureaucracy is choking the life out of this great nation.
It’s time to clear the decks, bin the quangos, and let Britain breathe again. Roll on 2029—we’ll be ready to sweep Labour and their bureaucratic bunglers out the door. Onward!
Claire Bullivant
If you aren’t a member already, please join our Great British PAC for free.
Main Photo: Illustration only. Created with AI. Credit: Grok.
No good blaming Labour for being Labour.
Quangos have been a problem for a long time. Failure to deal with them while in office for 14 years is just another item to add to the litany of failures of the last Conservative government.