Byrne: A ‘belated acceptance’ of Labour’s plans

Liam Byrne, Labour’s shadow Cabinet Office minister, comments on today’s announcement by the government for publication of departmental ‘business plans’:

“Cameron’s big idea is nothing of the sort. Far from being a ‘revolution’ it is simply a belated acceptance of Labour’s plans for smarter government.

“The power shift in public services was well under way under Labour. Opening up government and bringing in outside experts to help Whitehall is a good thing and we’ll support the government in its efforts to make this work.

“But, ripping up targets without putting in place strong rights for citizens to get the public services they deserve means the Tories are offering a gamble when the public wants a guarantee. Like seeing a cancer specialist in a week or one-to-one tuition for your kids if they’re falling behind. There’s no power shift if the Tories junk the citizen’s rights to good services.”