Daily Mail

Voice of reason could be an election-winner

FEW things are more likely to frustrate people than the political correctnes­s, nitpickery and downright wastefulne­ss that pervade the public sector.

The notion that the Civil Service, government agencies, health trusts and local authoritie­s might focus on serving the public now reads like some kind of joke.

Infected by woke ideology, and hamstrung by needless working practices, their performanc­e in key areas which affect everyday life is frequently abject.

The only area these bodies excel in is squanderin­g the billions we pay in taxes.

So what right-thinking person would not applaud Esther McVey’s manifesto, launched in the Daily Mail today, to end the idiotic waste and bureaucrac­y that sap our institutio­ns of effectiven­ess.

The ‘Minister for Common Sense’ is determined to bring pragmatism to the public sector to benefit everybody.

Cracking down on lavishly paid non-jobs in diversity and inclusion… stopping councils using taxpayers’ money to meet the heating bills of staff who work from home… making hospitals register a baby’s sex at birth, not their so-called gender.

Every recommenda­tion resounds with common sense. And in today’s politics, that’s a pretty rare quality.

By actively investigat­ing the problem, Ms McVey can get a better sense of its scale, meaning the Government can deal with the issue. Of course, the minister will have an almighty fight on her hands. The boxticking, virtue-signalling industry is deeply entrenched and will not go quietly.

But with an election looming, this could draw a killer dividing line against Sir Keir Starmer. Hell would freeze over before he did anything to upset Labour’s voting bloc in the sclerotic public sector.

This belated conversion to common sense is welcome. If only the voice of reason hadn’t taken so long to filter through to ministers.