Bringing Back the State: Labour's Plans for (Re)Nationalisation

The King’s Speech on 17 July outlined the newly elected Labour government’s plans for the United Kingdom, including 39 Bills that it intends to introduce in this parliamentary session. Among these are included ambitious plans for the re-nationalisation of passenger railway services, the establishment of a publicly owned clean power company, and special measures to force private water companies to improve services and clean up the waterways that have been subjected to environmental degradation in recent years. This post analyses the Labour government’s plans to bring public services back under public control. In doing so, it argues that the proposals provide public lawyers with the opportunity to revisit questions about the role of the state in delivering public services, including the fundamental question: what is ‘public’ about public services?