Roz Savage sets out how government in the UK could be improved
Roz Savage is the Liberal Democrat MP for South Cotswolds
When I stood for Parliament in 2024, I thought I understood how broken our political system was. I had read the critiques from Rory Stewart, Ian Dunt, and others who describe a Westminster that struggles with long-term thinking, coordination, and delivery. Despite being forewarned, I still find the lived reality endlessly disappointing and depressing.
I meet talented, committed people every day in parliament and the civil service. Many could be earning a lot more for a lot less grief. The problem is not a lack of willingness or ability. It is that they are working inside a system that makes it unnecessarily hard to think clearly, collaborate effectively, or plan beyond the next headline.
If a progressive government wants to deliver lasting change, reforming how government works matters just as much as what policies it announces. From my first eighteen months in Parliament, seven priorities stand out.
1. Breaking down silos
Britain’s biggest challenges do not fit neatly into departmental boxes. Housing, food production, climate, water, energy, and nature are deeply interconnected. Yet Whitehall remains organised in ways that fragment responsibility and obscure trade-offs.
Land use is a clear example. We are a densely populated country – the same population as France with a land mass half the size, and most of us squashed into the bottom half – so we have competing demands on limited land, yet policy is developed in isolation rather than as part of a coherent national framework. Joined-up government cannot just be a slogan. It requires clear cross-departmental ownership of shared outcomes, backed by real authority at the centre.
2. Spending to prevent, not paying for patches
Too often, apparent “savings” simply shift costs elsewhere. Cuts to disability support may reduce welfare spending on paper, but they increase pressure on the NHS, carers, local authorities, and crisis services.
A progressive approach to public spending should take a whole-system view. Investing earlier, whether in social security, public health, or prevention, is not reckless. It is how we reduce long-term costs while improving lives rather than wrecking them.
3. Designing policy with people
Policies are more likely to succeed when the people affected help shape them. Too often, Westminster talks about communities rather than with them.
Recent debates over family farming policy have shown the damage caused when decisions feel imposed from a distance. Consultation that happens late, or not at all, breeds mistrust and resistance. Engagement can save political careers, as Margaret Thatcher discovered with the poll tax. It is not a hurdle – it is how policy becomes workable in the real world.
4. Treating Nature as Infrastructure
Environmental policy still too often treats nature as an optional extra rather than a foundational asset. While technological solutions have a role to play, nature-based solutions remain underfunded and undervalued.
Healthy soils, wetlands, woodlands, and rivers underpin food security, flood prevention, public health, and climate resilience. Planning and infrastructure decisions that ignore ecological reality are not forward-looking. They are short-sighted.
5. Matching targets with delivery
Westminster is not short on ambition. It is short on credible delivery plans. Big promises, such as large-scale housebuilding, require parallel investment in skills, materials, energy capacity, water infrastructure, and transport.
People are not cynical about ambition itself. They are cynical about targets announced without a believable pathway to delivery. Progressive politics must reconnect goals with realism, critical path sequencing, and transparency about constraints.
6. Thinking beyond the electoral cycle
Short electoral cycles encourage short-term decision-making. Policy churn, constant resets, and headline-driven announcements undermine public confidence and business investment.
Long-term challenges, from climate adaptation to infrastructure renewal, require stability. That means stronger institutions for long-term planning, better cross-party cooperation on foundational issues, and clearer communication with the public about long-term direction.
7. A coherent national story
Perhaps most damaging of all is the absence of a clear, guiding narrative about where the country is heading. Governments need more than a collection of policies. They need a story that helps people understand how decisions fit together, and gives them confidence in the future.
A progressive vision should be rooted in fairness, sustainability, and shared prosperity. When people understand the direction of travel, they can plan, invest, and hope again.
Why we need change
These are not abstract concerns. When government lacks clarity and coordination, the consequences are real. Farmers stop investing. Businesses hold back. Families struggle to plan their futures.
As a Lib Dem MP, I could revel in the failures of this Labour government. But as someone who lives in and loves this country, I desperately want them to do better.
Fixing how government works may not grab headlines, but without it progressive change will fail. Reforming the machinery of government is not a technocratic sideshow – it is the political choice that will determine whether this Parliament delivers the change we need – or more failed promises.
Image credit: Diliff – Creative Commons
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