Next week at Conservative Party conference, Philip Hammond will announce that the speed limit on motoways is to be raised from 70mph to 80mph, the Independent’s Oliver Wright is reporting.
It’s a great conference policy – popular, affects everyone and easy to get across in a soundbite. It’s the kind of policy special advisers dream of being able to pull out of the hat for a high-profile occasion like a party conference.
I’m sure Jeremy Clarkson and his gang will be jumping for joy when they hear about it, but of more interest than the policy itself is the way it’s being packaged. With a coalition government, and commensurately more people and interests to appease, these straightforward ‘everybody wins’-type announcements are few and far between.
For the Tories, the benefit is clear. They can spin this limit as being a measure intended to boost the economy, help businesses cut costs, increase full efficiency and generally demonstrate that they are straining every sinew to help people save money in these difficult economic times.
For the Lib Dems, the motive for lending weight to this idea is less clear, particularly as it isn’t of such great interest to their traditional base. But, conveniently, bundled with the speed limit increase is to be an increase in the number of 20mph zones in urban areas. Lib Dem-controlled Portsmouth was the first UK city to introduce this measure in 2009. It appeals to the party’s green and localist credentials, and being able to put their name on a nationwide deployment of it will be a useful asset for Lib Dem ministers and MPs come future elections.
Throughout Lib Dem conference last week in Birmingham, we kept hearing from Nick Clegg and others that coalition is all about compromise and that just because the Lib Dems are the junior partner doesn’t mean they aren’t making their mark on the legislative agenda. This speed limit package, containing as it does something for everyone, is a perfect example of how the detail of policy is being thrashed out inside coalition Whitehall.
Comments
David James / September 29 2011 10:20pm
The speed limit on motorways is already, widely ignored. I would be in favour of a 10 mph increase in the limit, in exchange for many more 'average speed' cameras.
S Pickeh / September 30 2011 1:18pm
Another embarrassing article from Caroline. Just like the Tories you always come from the hindsight. Naturally people drive above 100mph and the economy is plunging deeper, the bring 80mph takes the economy into bottomless pit. So why be a praise singer in a pointless policy.
Just look at the childish example you quoted, what has top gear got to do with the economy.
This article is a disgrace and not fit for purpose