Written by Ben Yardley, Learning Coordinator
In February of 2023, then-opposition leader Keir Starmer announced his plan for government. Labour, if elected, would devote its efforts to five main priorities, or missions:
- Highest sustained growth in the G7
- Make Britain a clean energy superpower
- Build an NHS fit for the future
- Make Britain’s streets safer
- Break down barriers to opportunity
The announcement drew headlines not only for what Starmer promised to deliver, but how he intended to govern. By setting his ambitions within the framework of mission-driven government, an approach to governing adopted from academia and tested in local government, Starmer gave an early indication of what the first Labour government in over a decade would look like.
Two years on, following a change of government and a majority which could provide the bedrock for stability and long-term planning, we are beginning to see what mission-driven government looks like in practice.
Mission-driven government, in its current form, refers to the idea that governments should aim to solve the 21st century’s most pressing issues by focusing their efforts on a small number of long-term, clearly-defined goals. The approach was developed by economist Mariana Mazzucato, an academic at UCL who would later go on to advise Camden Council in their ambition to put theory into practice.
The basic idea is that by focusing on the challenges that a government intends to solve, leaders in the public sector can collaborate more effectively and break out of a siloed approach. As one example, the goal of reducing carbon emissions is not solely the responsibility of a designated department, but a whole-system approach that involves policymaking in many different areas across transport, housing, education, energy and industrial strategy.
Keeping the priorities of a government to a smaller number of stated missions helps to concentrate efforts on what is deemed important and makes sure that a government’s attentions are not spread too thin. It also encourages longer-term thinking, as opposed to reactive governing that focuses predominantly on responding to crises while not doing enough to tackle underlying problems.
Mission-driven government is also a call for a more ambitious public sector that is willing to be bold, to take risks and to see the role of the state beyond repairing the shortcomings of the private sector. Mazzucato uses the analogy of the Apollo landings: a remarkable scientific achievement which was achieved through long-term planning, sustained political will towards a singular goal and the willingness of the US government to invest in its research and development capabilities, bringing together the public and private sectors. While she acknowledges that the challenges governments face today - maintaining the health of aging populations, the climate crisis, social wellbeing- are very different, Mazzucato maintains that learning from this achievement can be the key to good governance in the 21st century.
Much of the discussion surrounding mission-driven government has focused on its vision and its potential for more effective governance. However, mission-driven government has another, less discussed benefit: greater accountability.
This new approach could therefore be a valuable bulwark against one of the most alarming issues facing the UK; a lack of trust in politics. Despite Labour’s convincing win at the polls last Summer, research shows that underlying issues remain; net favourability of all party leaders is low, electoral turnout was at its lowest for two decades and overall levels of trust in politicians continue to decline. One of the biggest issues is a perceived lack of honesty; according to the British Social Attitudes Survey in June, 58% of Britons answered they would “almost never” trust politicians of any party to tell the truth when in a tight corner.
If embraced, mission-driven government can help to restore trust in the political system. Setting clear and transparent goals for a government early is not only helpful for direction-setting but also means there are objective metrics for the success and failure of a government’s policy priorities.
This is, of course, politically risky. Keeping your targets vague keeps alive the option of “controlling the narrative” and declaring victory even if very little progress has been made. Conversely, as with any goal-setting from New Year’s Resolutions to national economic agendas, setting specific and measurable targets leaves you with nowhere to hide if you do not succeed. Mission-driven government is about embracing that risk and accepting that, no matter how good your messaging, people will remain unconvinced if they do not feel an improvement in their day-to-day lives.
Camden, one of the first local councils to embrace the mission-driven government approach, is also leading the way on transparency. The annual State of the Borough report also contains “State of the Missions”, which tracks the progress of the Camden Missions set out in 2022. This document explains clearly why each mission was selected as a priority and honestly evaluates the progress made in the previous year.
Central to Camden’s approach has been the willingness to adapt and learn; to treat failure not as something to be explained away but adapted as part of a continuous cycle of testing and improving. By embracing the challenge of setting ambitious targets and taking accountability even if they are not met, the government has the opportunity to govern more effectively and restore trust with the electorate.
