In an article in the FT this morning George Parker and Jim Pickard report that a Downing Street ‘Big Society’ guru – Strategy Director Steve Hilton has proposed to Prime Minister David Cameron boosting the UK’s faltering economy by scrapping maternity laws; closing down job centres, paying the unemployed through community groups, scrapping consumer legislation and ignoring European employment rights on agency and temporary workers by simply ignoring them!
The report says the “enigmatic” Hilton had to be told by another official that the PM could not break the law as he “would be put in prison”.
Mr Hilton is said to be “highly admired by Mr Cameron” for his “original thinking”.
The FT says that when Mr Hilton was looking at ways to cut the deficit, he suggested replacing hundreds of government press officers with a single person in each department who would convey all necessary information via a blog!
On maternity leave laws one Downing Street insider said: “Steve thinks that they are the biggest obstacle to women finding work, because companies know they are required by law to offer maternity leave”.
Hilton has not denied making these suggestions. It is also suggests that since Andy Coulson left Hilton’s influence has grown in No. 10.
The FT says that one of his hair-brained ideas to the Tories – in opposition – was to buy cloudbusting technology to provide Britain with more sunshine.
And these people are running the government – frightening ain’t it?
Update: Tories rush to disown barmy “blues skies thinker”
