Their chance to build a freer, fairer nation

WEEK One of the first Tory administration in 18 years, and already a new sense of vigour and purpose grips Whitehall. At the Business Department, Sajid Javid declares allout war on red tape, while proposing urgent reforms to the law on union strike ballots, hitherto blocked by the Lib Dems.

At Work and Pensions, the brakes are off Iain Duncan Smith’s plans for a fairer welfare system that rewards work.

At the Ministry of Justice, Michael Gove sets his formidable intellect to work on restoring sanity to human rights law – while at Education, the vital reforms he began take on a new lease of life.

Indeed, with so many experienced hands, who’ve had five years to learn how to handle Whitehall, this team enjoys a huge advantage over novice governments. Invigorated by new blood and the public’s vote of confidence, it now has the potential to be one of the great reforming administrations. One word of advice: the more David Cameron can achieve in the crucial early months, before loyalties are tested by the European referendum campaign, the greater his chances will be of making a lasting difference.

So let ministers waste no time in lighting that longpromised ‘ bonfire of the quangos’. While they’re at it, they shouldn’t hesitate to put conservativeminded figures in charge of public bodies, in place of the Labour cronies who have lingered on since the Blair years.

There must be no delay, either, in building the promised ‘ Northern Powerhouse’ – or putting bulldozers to work on desperately needed runways in the South East.

Meanwhile, let’s see a concerted drive to improve the NHS (and they could start by redrafting GPs’ contracts).

If we may be so bold, the Prime Minister also needs to work on erasing the toxic perception that the Tories are the party of the rich and privileged.

It’s all very well to say he wants a ‘bluecollar Government’. He should now prove it by cracking down hard on fraud in the City and tackling some of the iniquitous tax practices of the superrich.

As he well realises, with his Bullingdon Club associations, his challenge is to show he is governing for Britons in every walk of life and every region. Unshackled from the Lib Dems – and the threat of obstruction from the Lords aside – he has the power to make this a richer, freer, fairer and more compassionate country. He must use it.