Politicians ‘must stop nannying the public’

POLITICIANS and quangos should stop “virtue signalling” by telling people how much pizza and alcohol they should be allowed, a Cabinet minister has said.

Liz Truss, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, said there was an “increasing quangocracy” making unwelcome pronouncements on things like portion sizes.

She said: “[Voters] resent being told how big their pizza should be or how much alcohol they should drink per week. At the moment, we have got an increasing quangocracy that does seem to be prepared to say those things.

“I think what we should focus on is intervening ... to make sure people are capable of making their own decisions, rather than micromanaging their lives.”

Asked if Matt Hancock was the Cabinet’s biggest “nanny”, Ms Truss replied that she had eaten a fry-up with the Health Secretary earlier this week, adding: “He did have a black pudding. I think that’s a promising sight.” She also said that the Tories must be ready to take on “nimby” homeowners to get more houses built and drive prices down.

Ms Truss called for the liberalisation of “rigid” planning rules to make it harder for developments to be blocked by “nimbies”, who she described as “the worst vested interest we’ve got”.

She identified the shortage of affordable housing for young people as a key issue driving voters into the arms

‘Voters resent being told how big their pizza should be or [what] they drink’

of Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour, that Tories must tackle if they are to spread their appeal. Speaking to the Resolution Foundation think tank in London, Ms Truss said this year’s Spending Review – setting out budgets for 2020-23 – is an opportunity for the Conservatives to set out a “popular free market agenda”.

She said the party should take a cue from brands such as Aldi and Netflix, which “deliver what people want, when they want it at a price that they want”.