'Give decision making back to politicians'

CONSERVATIVES have been urged to use the election run-up to take back control of decision-making powers from unelected “ideological activists”.

- David Williamson

There is anger that successive governments have given “undemocratic bodies” the capability to wield huge influence over daily life.

And last week, Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch warned that politicians have “outsourced power” to “so-called independent institutions” in a misguided attempt to “take the politics out of decision-making”.

She claims many of these organisations are no longer impartial and have been “captured by a minority of ideological activists”.

The Government is being pushed to scrap arms-length bodies and ensure decisions are taken by ministers accountable to the electorate.

Stephen Webb, of the influential Policy Exchange think-tank, said: “Kemi Badenoch’s criticism of the accountability and impartiality of arms-length bodies is right in all too many cases.

“Over the past year, we have seen the National Police Chiefs’ Council forced to withdraw guidance it had approved allowing biologically male officers identifying as female to carry out intimate searches of women.