Leaders | Not like that, minister

The machinery, structure and output of the British state need reform

From productivity to the public services, the case for change is clear

A dose of competence goes a long way in British politics. Last week the budget provided a welcome contrast to its chaotic predecessor. This week Boris Johnson’s blustering testimony to Parliament’s privileges committee reminded Britons just what they have not been missing. Ministers who know what they are doing and care about detail can make a big difference. But that should not obscure a set of underlying problems with how the British state functions. Those problems are at the core of a series of articles that The Economist intends to publish this year.

This article appeared in the Leaders section of the print edition under the headline “Reforming the British state”

From the March 25th 2023 edition

Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents

Explore the edition

More from Leaders

Four test tubes in the shape of human figures, connected hand in hand, partially filled with a blue liquid. A dropper adds some liquid to the last figure

How to improve clinical trials

Involving more participants can lead to new medical insights

Container ship at sunrise in the Red Sea

Houthi Inc: the pirates who weaponised globalisation

Their Red Sea protection racket is a disturbing glimpse into an anarchic world


Donald Trump will upend 80 years of American foreign policy

A superpower’s approach to the world is about to be turned on its head


Rising bond yields should spur governments to go for growth

The bond sell-off may partly reflect America’s productivity boom

Much of the damage from the LA fires could have been averted

The lesson of the tragedy is that better incentives will keep people safe