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Carum Basra @carumbasra.bsky.social · Feb 27

"You know, taking out a chainsaw isn’t quite my style but we are stripping away red tape and bureaucracy". Starmer in DC on the Musk and Milei moment at CPAC. Not sure DOGE minus the theatrics is much of a vote winner back home.

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Carum Basra @carumbasra.bsky.social · Feb 20

An excellent piece by @alanbeattie.bsky.social highlighting the dangers of Labour embracing the deregulatory cult - seems such a far cry from the securonomics agenda Labour ran on in the summer

Alan Beattie @alanbeattie.bsky.social · Feb 20

My Trade Secrets today. Someone had to do the "in praise of regulation" column, and here it is. Or at least against boneheaded deregulation, where the UK for one risks going in the name of growth.

Ironically, Britain's best growth strategy would be to rejoin the regulatory superstate of the EU.

Britain should beware the cult of deregulation

[FREE TO READ] Unthinking campaigns against ‘red tape’ are not the way to promote growth

on.ft.com

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Carum Basra @carumbasra.bsky.social · Feb 18

We’ve tracked a lot of these initiatives @unchecked-uk.bsky.social and hard not to come to this conclusion

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Peter Stefanovic @peterstefanovic.bsky.social · Feb 17

“Deregulation is the wrong approach - better regulation can drive growth AND fight inequality”

Spot on from @fairness.bsky.social

Fairness Foundation @fairness.bsky.social · Feb 17

Regulate to accumulate: Deregulation is the wrong approach - better regulation can drive growth AND fight inequality

Regulate to accumulate

Deregulation is the wrong approach - better regulation can drive growth AND fight inequality

www.faircomment.co.uk

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James Murray @james-bg.bsky.social · Feb 14

Interesting report from IPPR suggests that to meet clean power and housing goals the UK needs more and better resourced planning, not a bonfire of 'red tape'. www.businessgreen.com/news/4409759...

Report: Bonfire of planning red tape will fail to deliver clean power and housing boost

IPPR warns simply slashing planning rules will fail to unlock necessary infrastructure investment, arguing better planning rules and resourcing holds key to government's growth mission

www.businessgreen.com

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Positive Money UK @positivemoneyuk.bsky.social · Feb 13

0.1% growth is hardly cause for the govt to pat itself on the back.

As our Head of Campaigns told LBC News today:

❌ Deregulation - especially of the banks - won't deliver GDP growth

❌Even when GDP does grow, most of this doesn't trickle down to households

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Unchecked UK @unchecked-uk.bsky.social · Feb 14

1/5 🚨 Open Letter 🚨

Labour is turning to a failed playbook to deliver growth: deregulation. A model which has driven instability for over a decade.

We’ve written to the gov with @fairness.bsky.social and 24 business leaders, investors and legal experts to demand a re-think.
shorturl.at/w7jxB

Morning Call: Who scotches the watchmen?

Labour’s deregulation plan is a risk to the economy.

shorturl.at

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Alan Beattie @alanbeattie.bsky.social · Feb 12

Nothing that repeatedly intoning the word “deregulation” while burning product standards rulebooks in a giant wicker man won’t fix.

Paul J Davies @pauljdavies.bsky.social · Feb 12

And no surprise really…

UK Recession Fears Mount With Data Set to Show GDP Shrinking www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

UK Recession Fears Mount With Data Set to Show Economy Shrinking

The UK economy may have shrunk in the fourth quarter, putting Britain back on the brink of recession and piling more pressure on Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves and her promise to turbo-char...

www.bloomberg.com

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Carum Basra @carumbasra.bsky.social · Feb 11

Very much the case we’ve been making at @unchecked-uk.bsky.social - happy to share any research - raised similar concerns here - www.lbc.co.uk/opinion/labo...

Well-designed protections don't block progress - they enable it

The Prime Minister's announcement today to limit legal challenges to major infrastructure projects reveals a concerning misdiagnosis of what really holds back sustainable development in the UK.

www.lbc.co.uk

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George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · Feb 11

One moment the Labour government launches a Trumpian culture war against the regulators. The next, it launches a huge and complex strategy that is entirely reliant on them.
No one is thinking this through.
No one seems to know what they are doing.
No one seems to know what they want.

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George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · Feb 11

It's utter madness.
In today's column I discuss how Labour in the UK, just like Trump in the US, is dismantling the administrative state. And how this makes its other plans, including the good things it's trying to do, impossible to implement.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

It’s straight from the Trump playbook: Labour is tearing up the machinery of government | George Monbiot

If Starmer and Reeves really want a greener, cleaner, wilder nation, then why attack vital state bodies that are already on their knees?, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot

www.theguardian.com

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Diane Coyle @dianecoyle1859.bsky.social · Feb 8

I’m getting really fed up of these abstract attacks on ‘regulation’ - why is Andy Haldane advocating the Doge approach for UK - blanket halving the number of regulators and their budgets? on.ft.com/416pqlx 1/2

How to dismantle the UK’s regulatory Tower of Babel

Labour’s erratic, piecemeal approach will not deliver lasting change

on.ft.com

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RSPB @rspb.bsky.social · Jan 29

Stop worrying about bats and newts? No Rachel Reeves MP – start worrying about the future of our economy if we tear down the nature it depends on.

Nature isn’t a blocker; it’s the foundation of growth.

Screenshot of a BBC Politics tweet shows Chancellor Rachel Reeves speaking at a podium during a live broadcast of her speech. The quote at the top reads, “We are reducing the environmental requirements placed on developers when they pay into a nature restoration fund… they can focus on getting things built and stop worrying about the bats and the newts,” as she addresses the audience. In the background, there are large screens displaying the live stream of the speech, with a banner at the bottom reading “Kickstarting Economic Growth.”

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Unchecked UK @unchecked-uk.bsky.social · Jan 29

We all want living standards to improve, but the governments growth-at-any-cost strategy is not the way to do this. Regulators ensure we have responsible growth that doesn't come at the cost of social and environmental protection.

Unchecked UK's @carumbasra.bsky.social on @lbc.co.uk this morning.

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bylinepodcast.bsky.social @bylinepodcast.bsky.social · Dec 20

NEW EPISODE: Musk, Farage - and buying influence in UK politics...

@goldbergradio.bsky.social hears from Tom Brake @unlockdemocracy.bsky.social and @carumbasra.bsky.social from Unchecked UK

From @bylinetimes.bsky.social

podfollow.com/1747192337/e...

Byline Podcast: Musk, Farage and Buying Influence in UK Politics

Adrian Goldberg explores the implications of Elon Musk's reported interest in making a $100 donation to Nigel Farage's reform Party, with Carum Basra, Deputy Director for Engagement of Unchecked ...

podfollow.com

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Rebecca Florisson @rebeccaflorisson.bsky.social · Oct 15

6/6: The new Fair Work Agency could be a game-changer, improving enforcement across and between areas. But without more resources, impact may be limited. Better monitoring and funding are essential to ensure workers get their rightful pay and protections.

www.lancaster.ac.uk/work-foundat...

Stability in some areas of this month’s labour market — but more action needed to make work pay - Lancaster University

This month’s labour market statistics show that despite wages still rising faster than inflation, today’s workers are hardly better off than they were nearly twenty years ago.

www.lancaster.ac.uk

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Carum Basra @carumbasra.bsky.social · Nov 20

Interesting - "the rhetoric that that regulatory system’s efforts to eliminate risk are holding back the economy isn’t helpful. This is the typical argument that drives the regulatory cycle and leads to too loose regulation after a period in which financial crises have been averted"

UCL Policy Lab @uclpolicylab.bsky.social · Nov 20

Reeves will be judged on who she speaks 'for'.

The Chancellor set out wide-ranging reforms in her Mansion House speech. But can her measures deliver on the economic and political aims of the government?

Our latest anylsis:
www.ucl.ac.uk/policy-lab/n...

Reeves will be judged on who she speaks 'for'

The Chancellor set out wide-ranging reforms in her Mansion House speech. But can her measures deliver on the economic and political aims of this Labour government? The latest analysis from the UCL Pol...

www.ucl.ac.uk

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Carum Basra @carumbasra.bsky.social · Nov 20

That’s the choice before us:
Trump 2.0’s deregulated chaos—or a high-standards UK, trusted and strong.

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Carum Basra @carumbasra.bsky.social · Nov 20

Trump and his deregulation circus are coming.
But Britain doesn’t have to be dragged into the race to the bottom. Labour has the chance to offer a bold, stable alternative.
It’s time to own quiet alignment and build a stronger, fairer economy.

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Carum Basra @carumbasra.bsky.social · Nov 20

Alignment isn’t a weakness. It’s a strength.
By standing firm, we safeguard what matters most:
✅ Families’ safety.
✅ Communities’ wellbeing.
✅ Britain’s reputation for doing things properly.
Let’s stop whispering about it. Let’s lead with it.

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Carum Basra @carumbasra.bsky.social · Nov 20

Trump’s return makes the choice starker, but simpler:
🇬🇧 Britain’s future lies in being a high-standards economy aligned with Europe.
📈 This is smart policy and smart politics.
The public is ready. It’s time for Labour to embrace this vision with confidence.

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Carum Basra @carumbasra.bsky.social · Nov 20

This isn’t just about trade deals.
It’s about what kind of economy—and society—we want. Do we protect workers, consumers, and the environment? Or cave to a deregulation agenda that enriches the powerful at everyone else’s expense?

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Carum Basra @carumbasra.bsky.social · Nov 20

Labour’s quiet alignment with Europe offers the best way forward.
The Product Safety and Metrology Bill? A subtle move towards EU standards.
This isn’t retreat—it’s strength. Stability. Trust.

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Carum Basra @carumbasra.bsky.social · Nov 20

The stakes are even higher now.
Trump 2.0 isn’t just trade wars—it’s full-blown deregulation on steroids. His "Department of Government Efficiency" promises to tear up rules in finance, agriculture, and tech.
The UK will face fresh pressure to follow suit.

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Carum Basra @carumbasra.bsky.social · Nov 20

The public gets it.
79% of voters believe strong regulation creates a strong economy and stable society.
And Red Wall focus groups consistently see US trade standards—chlorinated chicken, anyone?—as a threat to British values.
People want trust, not chaos.

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