The peril of trying to please people
Compromise rarely leads to contentment. But it nearly always leads to costs
For a long time Labour was happy to pick fights when it came to defending planning reform. Sir Keir Starmer was, by his own cautious standards, punchy about making it easier to build in Britain. No longer would NIMBYs (not in my back yard) be able to curtail building projects. No longer would taxpayers have to spend £120m ($160m) on a bat tunnel encasing a high-speed train, as an insurance policy against legal challenge by furry-flying-mammal lovers; newts would hinder housebuilders no more. In short, planning was to be a matter of conviction, not compromise.
Explore more
Blighty newsletter: Can electoral reform fix Britain’s growth?
Matthew Holehouse, our British political correspondent, asks what might happen if Britain made voting compulsory
Why are British doctors so radical?
Their main union has become a platform for activists’ causes
Britain’s water watchdog is to be put down
An overdue overhaul of an unloved industry
Looking to stash a few million away? Try a British military base
Really out-of-the-way places can slip through the financial-reporting cracks
How to solve the backlog in England’s courts
Start with a proper look at what caused the problem
Britain and Germany sign a historic treaty
The two countries hope it will alleviate a set of mutual ailments