Is anyone in control of Brexit?
At the end of another dramatic week in Parliament – backbench outrage and ministerial resignations over negotiations between Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn, tied votes in the Commons, and the Lords spending most of yesterday’s sitting debating what exactly should be debated – is anyone in control of Brexit? Despite the week’s events and the Prime Minister’s request to extend of Article 50 until 30th June, Parliament still holds most of the cards in terms of guiding the next steps. The Cooper-Letwin Bill, which forces May to seek a further extension, was passed by a majority of just one vote, but MPs’ acceptance of a longer extension – expressed by rejecting an ERG amendment to limit the extension to 22nd May – shows that Parliament is not seeking to restrict the Prime Minister. Instead, she has imposed her own deadline, anticipating the EU pushing for longer; if rejected, she will know that a longer extension will be accepted by MPs, and can be blamed on the EU to placate the sceptical backbenchers in her own party.
Warning over ‘jeopardy’ for NHS Long-Term Plan
The Public Accounts Committee has published a report this week suggesting that local disparities in the finances of hospital trusts and clinical commissioning groups could threaten the future of the NHS Long-Term Plan. The Plan, which was published towards the end of last year, has among its aims that by 2019/20, the number of trusts in deficit would be halved, and no trust would be reporting a deficit by 2023/24, despite the Department of Health and Social Care still awarding more than £3 billion in loans to trusts in financial difficulties. The report particularly notes issues around workforce, and has urged the Government to clarify how it intends to address recruitment and retention issues across the health service while also improving the financial position of local bodies. Businesses in the health sector should be keeping an eye on how the Government and NHS England respond to the report, and what it means for how trusts and CCGs allocate resources, particularly in relation to workforce planning.
Opportunities in Edtech Strategy launch
The Department for Education launched its edtech strategy this week, arguing for greater collaboration between schools and technology providers to solve some of the most pressing issues for leaders, teachers and pupils. Although the £10 million fund may be limited in terms of its reach, there will be opportunities for businesses able to offer tailored solutions in areas such as teacher recruitment, special needs provision and pupil assessment. With ongoing reform to the schools funding system, as well as different funding streams that can finance new technology such as the Pupil Premium, it is vital for businesses and investors with an interest in this space to understand how the different funding pots work, how they are allocated, and where decision-making powers lie. At a time of flux for school funding and increased pressure on budgets, there is plenty of opportunity in light of this week’s announcement for firms offering tech-enabled solutions to schools, but they must be equipped to navigate an evolving policy and commercial landscape.
Jamie Cater, the brains behind a lot of GK’s thinking, leads our policy work across the entire business but with a specialism in providing strategic advice to investors during M&A activity.