Carum Basra
@carumbasra.bsky.social
Corporate governance nerd turned protections advocate. Deputy Director at Unchecked UK. Making the case for strong social and environmental protections and robust enforcement.
"You know, taking out a chainsaw isn’t quite my style but we are stripping away red tape and bureaucracy". Starmer in DC on the Musk and Milei moment at CPAC. Not sure DOGE minus the theatrics is much of a vote winner back home.
February 27, 2025 at 10:15 AM
"You know, taking out a chainsaw isn’t quite my style but we are stripping away red tape and bureaucracy". Starmer in DC on the Musk and Milei moment at CPAC. Not sure DOGE minus the theatrics is much of a vote winner back home.
An excellent piece by @alanbeattie.bsky.social highlighting the dangers of Labour embracing the deregulatory cult - seems such a far cry from the securonomics agenda Labour ran on in the summer
My Trade Secrets today. Someone had to do the "in praise of regulation" column, and here it is. Or at least against boneheaded deregulation, where the UK for one risks going in the name of growth.
Ironically, Britain's best growth strategy would be to rejoin the regulatory superstate of the EU.
Ironically, Britain's best growth strategy would be to rejoin the regulatory superstate of the EU.
Britain should beware the cult of deregulation
[FREE TO READ] Unthinking campaigns against ‘red tape’ are not the way to promote growth
on.ft.com
February 20, 2025 at 12:16 PM
An excellent piece by @alanbeattie.bsky.social highlighting the dangers of Labour embracing the deregulatory cult - seems such a far cry from the securonomics agenda Labour ran on in the summer
Reposted by Carum Basra
“Deregulation is the wrong approach - better regulation can drive growth AND fight inequality”
Spot on from @fairness.bsky.social
Spot on from @fairness.bsky.social
Regulate to accumulate: Deregulation is the wrong approach - better regulation can drive growth AND fight inequality
Regulate to accumulate
Deregulation is the wrong approach - better regulation can drive growth AND fight inequality
www.faircomment.co.uk
February 17, 2025 at 9:13 AM
“Deregulation is the wrong approach - better regulation can drive growth AND fight inequality”
Spot on from @fairness.bsky.social
Spot on from @fairness.bsky.social
Reposted by Carum Basra
Interesting report from IPPR suggests that to meet clean power and housing goals the UK needs more and better resourced planning, not a bonfire of 'red tape'. www.businessgreen.com/news/4409759...
Report: Bonfire of planning red tape will fail to deliver clean power and housing boost
IPPR warns simply slashing planning rules will fail to unlock necessary infrastructure investment, arguing better planning rules and resourcing holds key to government's growth mission
www.businessgreen.com
February 14, 2025 at 12:28 PM
Interesting report from IPPR suggests that to meet clean power and housing goals the UK needs more and better resourced planning, not a bonfire of 'red tape'. www.businessgreen.com/news/4409759...
Reposted by Carum Basra
0.1% growth is hardly cause for the govt to pat itself on the back.
As our Head of Campaigns told LBC News today:
❌ Deregulation - especially of the banks - won't deliver GDP growth
❌Even when GDP does grow, most of this doesn't trickle down to households
As our Head of Campaigns told LBC News today:
❌ Deregulation - especially of the banks - won't deliver GDP growth
❌Even when GDP does grow, most of this doesn't trickle down to households
February 13, 2025 at 12:36 PM
0.1% growth is hardly cause for the govt to pat itself on the back.
As our Head of Campaigns told LBC News today:
❌ Deregulation - especially of the banks - won't deliver GDP growth
❌Even when GDP does grow, most of this doesn't trickle down to households
As our Head of Campaigns told LBC News today:
❌ Deregulation - especially of the banks - won't deliver GDP growth
❌Even when GDP does grow, most of this doesn't trickle down to households
Reposted by Carum Basra
1/5 🚨 Open Letter 🚨
Labour is turning to a failed playbook to deliver growth: deregulation. A model which has driven instability for over a decade.
We’ve written to the gov with @fairness.bsky.social and 24 business leaders, investors and legal experts to demand a re-think.
shorturl.at/w7jxB
Labour is turning to a failed playbook to deliver growth: deregulation. A model which has driven instability for over a decade.
We’ve written to the gov with @fairness.bsky.social and 24 business leaders, investors and legal experts to demand a re-think.
shorturl.at/w7jxB
Morning Call: Who scotches the watchmen?
Labour’s deregulation plan is a risk to the economy.
shorturl.at
February 14, 2025 at 12:21 PM
1/5 🚨 Open Letter 🚨
Labour is turning to a failed playbook to deliver growth: deregulation. A model which has driven instability for over a decade.
We’ve written to the gov with @fairness.bsky.social and 24 business leaders, investors and legal experts to demand a re-think.
shorturl.at/w7jxB
Labour is turning to a failed playbook to deliver growth: deregulation. A model which has driven instability for over a decade.
We’ve written to the gov with @fairness.bsky.social and 24 business leaders, investors and legal experts to demand a re-think.
shorturl.at/w7jxB
Reposted by Carum Basra
Nothing that repeatedly intoning the word “deregulation” while burning product standards rulebooks in a giant wicker man won’t fix.
And no surprise really…
UK Recession Fears Mount With Data Set to Show GDP Shrinking www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
UK Recession Fears Mount With Data Set to Show GDP Shrinking www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
UK Recession Fears Mount With Data Set to Show Economy Shrinking
The UK economy may have shrunk in the fourth quarter, putting Britain back on the brink of recession and piling more pressure on Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves and her promise to turbo-char...
www.bloomberg.com
February 12, 2025 at 8:08 AM
Nothing that repeatedly intoning the word “deregulation” while burning product standards rulebooks in a giant wicker man won’t fix.
Reposted by Carum Basra
One moment the Labour government launches a Trumpian culture war against the regulators. The next, it launches a huge and complex strategy that is entirely reliant on them.
No one is thinking this through.
No one seems to know what they are doing.
No one seems to know what they want.
No one is thinking this through.
No one seems to know what they are doing.
No one seems to know what they want.
February 11, 2025 at 7:52 AM
One moment the Labour government launches a Trumpian culture war against the regulators. The next, it launches a huge and complex strategy that is entirely reliant on them.
No one is thinking this through.
No one seems to know what they are doing.
No one seems to know what they want.
No one is thinking this through.
No one seems to know what they are doing.
No one seems to know what they want.
Reposted by Carum Basra
It's utter madness.
In today's column I discuss how Labour in the UK, just like Trump in the US, is dismantling the administrative state. And how this makes its other plans, including the good things it's trying to do, impossible to implement.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
In today's column I discuss how Labour in the UK, just like Trump in the US, is dismantling the administrative state. And how this makes its other plans, including the good things it's trying to do, impossible to implement.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
It’s straight from the Trump playbook: Labour is tearing up the machinery of government | George Monbiot
If Starmer and Reeves really want a greener, cleaner, wilder nation, then why attack vital state bodies that are already on their knees?, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot
www.theguardian.com
February 11, 2025 at 7:47 AM
It's utter madness.
In today's column I discuss how Labour in the UK, just like Trump in the US, is dismantling the administrative state. And how this makes its other plans, including the good things it's trying to do, impossible to implement.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
In today's column I discuss how Labour in the UK, just like Trump in the US, is dismantling the administrative state. And how this makes its other plans, including the good things it's trying to do, impossible to implement.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Reposted by Carum Basra
I’m getting really fed up of these abstract attacks on ‘regulation’ - why is Andy Haldane advocating the Doge approach for UK - blanket halving the number of regulators and their budgets? on.ft.com/416pqlx 1/2
How to dismantle the UK’s regulatory Tower of Babel
Labour’s erratic, piecemeal approach will not deliver lasting change
on.ft.com
February 8, 2025 at 8:09 AM
I’m getting really fed up of these abstract attacks on ‘regulation’ - why is Andy Haldane advocating the Doge approach for UK - blanket halving the number of regulators and their budgets? on.ft.com/416pqlx 1/2
Reposted by Carum Basra
Stop worrying about bats and newts? No Rachel Reeves MP – start worrying about the future of our economy if we tear down the nature it depends on.
Nature isn’t a blocker; it’s the foundation of growth.
Nature isn’t a blocker; it’s the foundation of growth.
January 29, 2025 at 3:11 PM
Stop worrying about bats and newts? No Rachel Reeves MP – start worrying about the future of our economy if we tear down the nature it depends on.
Nature isn’t a blocker; it’s the foundation of growth.
Nature isn’t a blocker; it’s the foundation of growth.
Reposted by Carum Basra
We all want living standards to improve, but the governments growth-at-any-cost strategy is not the way to do this. Regulators ensure we have responsible growth that doesn't come at the cost of social and environmental protection.
Unchecked UK's @carumbasra.bsky.social on @lbc.co.uk this morning.
Unchecked UK's @carumbasra.bsky.social on @lbc.co.uk this morning.
January 29, 2025 at 9:51 AM
We all want living standards to improve, but the governments growth-at-any-cost strategy is not the way to do this. Regulators ensure we have responsible growth that doesn't come at the cost of social and environmental protection.
Unchecked UK's @carumbasra.bsky.social on @lbc.co.uk this morning.
Unchecked UK's @carumbasra.bsky.social on @lbc.co.uk this morning.
Reposted by Carum Basra
NEW EPISODE: Musk, Farage - and buying influence in UK politics...
@goldbergradio.bsky.social hears from Tom Brake @unlockdemocracy.bsky.social and @carumbasra.bsky.social from Unchecked UK
From @bylinetimes.bsky.social
podfollow.com/1747192337/e...
@goldbergradio.bsky.social hears from Tom Brake @unlockdemocracy.bsky.social and @carumbasra.bsky.social from Unchecked UK
From @bylinetimes.bsky.social
podfollow.com/1747192337/e...
Byline Podcast: Musk, Farage and Buying Influence in UK Politics
Adrian Goldberg explores the implications of Elon Musk's reported interest in making a $100 donation to Nigel Farage's reform Party, with Carum Basra, Deputy Director for Engagement of Unchecked ...
podfollow.com
December 20, 2024 at 7:10 AM
NEW EPISODE: Musk, Farage - and buying influence in UK politics...
@goldbergradio.bsky.social hears from Tom Brake @unlockdemocracy.bsky.social and @carumbasra.bsky.social from Unchecked UK
From @bylinetimes.bsky.social
podfollow.com/1747192337/e...
@goldbergradio.bsky.social hears from Tom Brake @unlockdemocracy.bsky.social and @carumbasra.bsky.social from Unchecked UK
From @bylinetimes.bsky.social
podfollow.com/1747192337/e...
Reposted by Carum Basra
6/6: The new Fair Work Agency could be a game-changer, improving enforcement across and between areas. But without more resources, impact may be limited. Better monitoring and funding are essential to ensure workers get their rightful pay and protections.
www.lancaster.ac.uk/work-foundat...
www.lancaster.ac.uk/work-foundat...
Stability in some areas of this month’s labour market — but more action needed to make work pay - Lancaster University
This month’s labour market statistics show that despite wages still rising faster than inflation, today’s workers are hardly better off than they were nearly twenty years ago.
www.lancaster.ac.uk
October 15, 2024 at 1:37 PM
6/6: The new Fair Work Agency could be a game-changer, improving enforcement across and between areas. But without more resources, impact may be limited. Better monitoring and funding are essential to ensure workers get their rightful pay and protections.
www.lancaster.ac.uk/work-foundat...
www.lancaster.ac.uk/work-foundat...
Interesting - "the rhetoric that that regulatory system’s efforts to eliminate risk are holding back the economy isn’t helpful. This is the typical argument that drives the regulatory cycle and leads to too loose regulation after a period in which financial crises have been averted"
Reeves will be judged on who she speaks 'for'.
The Chancellor set out wide-ranging reforms in her Mansion House speech. But can her measures deliver on the economic and political aims of the government?
Our latest anylsis:
www.ucl.ac.uk/policy-lab/n...
The Chancellor set out wide-ranging reforms in her Mansion House speech. But can her measures deliver on the economic and political aims of the government?
Our latest anylsis:
www.ucl.ac.uk/policy-lab/n...
Reeves will be judged on who she speaks 'for'
The Chancellor set out wide-ranging reforms in her Mansion House speech. But can her measures deliver on the economic and political aims of this Labour government? The latest analysis from the UCL Pol...
www.ucl.ac.uk
November 20, 2024 at 4:17 PM
Interesting - "the rhetoric that that regulatory system’s efforts to eliminate risk are holding back the economy isn’t helpful. This is the typical argument that drives the regulatory cycle and leads to too loose regulation after a period in which financial crises have been averted"
Trump’s return to the White House isn’t just America’s problem—it’s forcing Britain to confront its regulatory future. 🇬🇧
Do we double down on being a trusted, high-standards economy? Or do we sell out for a US trade deal built on deregulation?
A 🧵.
Do we double down on being a trusted, high-standards economy? Or do we sell out for a US trade deal built on deregulation?
A 🧵.
November 20, 2024 at 10:31 AM
Trump’s return to the White House isn’t just America’s problem—it’s forcing Britain to confront its regulatory future. 🇬🇧
Do we double down on being a trusted, high-standards economy? Or do we sell out for a US trade deal built on deregulation?
A 🧵.
Do we double down on being a trusted, high-standards economy? Or do we sell out for a US trade deal built on deregulation?
A 🧵.
Encouraging to see Peter Kyle recognise “keeping people safe is the first duty of government” as he sets out a strategic steer for Ofcom. Need to see this acknowledged more consistently.
November 20, 2024 at 8:08 AM
Encouraging to see Peter Kyle recognise “keeping people safe is the first duty of government” as he sets out a strategic steer for Ofcom. Need to see this acknowledged more consistently.
Interesting to see leading lawyer argue govt should present clear and consistent message on regulation's role and benefits after PM falls back on tired red tape tropes at last month's Investment Summit. Effective competition and consumer policy enforcement is a driver of growth not a barrier to it.
Competition watchdog is part of the solution, not the problem
The government should present a clear and consistent message on the authority’s role
www.thetimes.com
November 19, 2024 at 3:50 PM
Interesting to see leading lawyer argue govt should present clear and consistent message on regulation's role and benefits after PM falls back on tired red tape tropes at last month's Investment Summit. Effective competition and consumer policy enforcement is a driver of growth not a barrier to it.
"Reeves’ deregulation drive will only succeed in unlocking the kind of short-term, extractive investment that has undermined the UK’s growth and productivity for many years now" writes @graceblakeley.bsky.social in response to last week's Mansion House speech
Refusing to Learn Lessons
Rachel Reeves has pledged to deregulate the financial sector, arguing there is too much focus on ‘risk’ and not enough on ‘growth’. For working people, it’s a recipe for disaster.
tribunemag.co.uk
November 19, 2024 at 11:23 AM
"Reeves’ deregulation drive will only succeed in unlocking the kind of short-term, extractive investment that has undermined the UK’s growth and productivity for many years now" writes @graceblakeley.bsky.social in response to last week's Mansion House speech
Why do I feel like I’ve seen this movie before?
November 16, 2024 at 1:01 PM
Why do I feel like I’ve seen this movie before?
On @lbc.co.uk earlier today questioning the Chancellor's view that measures brought in response to 2008 had "gone too far". We've learned important lessons - let's not forget them in a dash for growth.
November 15, 2024 at 2:23 PM
On @lbc.co.uk earlier today questioning the Chancellor's view that measures brought in response to 2008 had "gone too far". We've learned important lessons - let's not forget them in a dash for growth.
Reposted by Carum Basra
Rachel Reeves thinks the post-financial crisis reforms went too far, and wants to roll some of them back.
When enough time has passed for governments to have forgotten why discouraging risk taking was important, that is -- IMO -- precisely when we really want to discourage risk taking.
When enough time has passed for governments to have forgotten why discouraging risk taking was important, that is -- IMO -- precisely when we really want to discourage risk taking.
November 15, 2024 at 10:19 AM
Rachel Reeves thinks the post-financial crisis reforms went too far, and wants to roll some of them back.
When enough time has passed for governments to have forgotten why discouraging risk taking was important, that is -- IMO -- precisely when we really want to discourage risk taking.
When enough time has passed for governments to have forgotten why discouraging risk taking was important, that is -- IMO -- precisely when we really want to discourage risk taking.
Strange to hear a Labour Chancellor echoing bankers' talking points about "dynamic" markets. They used the same pitch before 2008 and we know how that ended.
The City's memory might be conveniently short, but families who lost everything haven't forgotten. 🏦💭
news.sky.com/story/chance...
The City's memory might be conveniently short, but families who lost everything haven't forgotten. 🏦💭
news.sky.com/story/chance...
Chancellor's Mansion House speech vows to rip up red tape - saying post-financial crash rules went 'too far'
Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey also warned Brexit has consequences for the UK economy and that the government should seize opportunities to rebuild relations with the EU.
news.sky.com
November 15, 2024 at 8:02 AM
Strange to hear a Labour Chancellor echoing bankers' talking points about "dynamic" markets. They used the same pitch before 2008 and we know how that ended.
The City's memory might be conveniently short, but families who lost everything haven't forgotten. 🏦💭
news.sky.com/story/chance...
The City's memory might be conveniently short, but families who lost everything haven't forgotten. 🏦💭
news.sky.com/story/chance...
Reposted by Carum Basra
I expect deregulation to unleash unprecedented growth*
*in workplace accidents and foodborne illness
*in workplace accidents and foodborne illness
November 12, 2024 at 5:23 PM
I expect deregulation to unleash unprecedented growth*
*in workplace accidents and foodborne illness
*in workplace accidents and foodborne illness