Sacked minister warns Boris Johnson against 'command and control' politics
2 min read
A minister sacked in Boris Johnson's reshuffle has warned Number 10 against adopting a "command and control" style of governing.
Former transport minister George Freeman fired a parting shot at the Prime Minister as he warned against "iron-clad centralisation" of government business.
Mr Freeman, who was minister for the Future of Transport, was booted out of the Government during last week's reshuffle, which also saw the departure of Chancellor Sajid Javid after he refused to bow to Number 10's demands to sack his advisory team.
The ministerial shake-up also saw the removal of fellow transport minister Nus Ghani, who made history as the first Muslim woman to speak from the Commons despatch box, while Transport Secretary Grant Shapps held on to his job.
In a letter to the Prime Minister, published on Saturday, Mr Freeman took a swipe at the Prime Minister's "Take Back Control" Brexit slogan, saying he would fail to "unleash entreprise, innovation and regeneration by centralised command and control".
"To stand a chance of tackling the failures of successive Governments to deliver both infrastructure and lasting local regeneration, we will also need new models of delivery: and a Government that supports its ministers (and Mayors and Council leaders) in driving serious reform," he wrote.
Mr Freemand added: "If 'Taking Back Control' means iron-clad centralisations via Whitehall control it will fail to deliver the real empowerment we need and promised."
He signed off: "I remain 100% committed to supporting your inspiring leadership, and the Government, in delivering reform and economic and democratic renewal, locally and nationally, towards our shared vision of a new golden era of One Nation Global Britain.
"I will continue to do all I can from the back-benches to hel you deliver that for our country, party and most of all for my mid Norfolk constituents."
PoliticsHome Newsletters
PoliticsHome provides the most comprehensive coverage of UK politics anywhere on the web, offering high quality original reporting and analysis: Subscribe
