Win Tracker
Brutally honest assessment of recent “reforms”. No spin, no celebration. Just the truth about what actually changed - and what didn't.
On a 1-10 scale, recent “reforms” score an average of 2.3/10. The gap between announcement and reality remains vast.
9 Reforms Tracked
Showing all reforms
Fingleton Nuclear Regulatory Reform Accepted
Government accepted all 47 Fingleton recommendations in one go. Real structural win - but now the clock is ticking. 2-year implementation window before political circumstances change. Speed of execution is everything.
Planning & Infrastructure Bill
Best version of the current system - real improvements to judicial review and NSIP process. But still fundamentally discretionary. A genuine partial win, not radical transformation. The system should be scrapped, not optimised.
State Pension Triple Lock Retained
Presented as protecting pensioners. Actually locks in £11bn/year cost increase with no fiscal headroom. Maintains largest intergenerational wealth transfer in OECD.
Onshore Wind Ban Lifted
Removed planning footnote blocking onshore wind, but grid connection delays (5+ years) and local veto powers remain. Planning reform addressed the symptom, not the disease.
Planning Fees Increased 35%
Increased fees to fund planning departments. But no hiring surge, no performance targets, no accountability. Councils still refuse 10% of applications.
HS2 Northern Leg Cancelled
Presented as reallocation to "Network North". £36bn diverted to unfunded local projects with no delivery mechanism. Birmingham-Manchester connectivity gap remains.
NHS Waiting List Recovery Plan
Promised to eliminate 18-month waits. Waiting list grew from 6.6M to 7.6M. No capacity increase, no workforce plan, no productivity reform.
Levelling Up Fund
Announced £4.8bn for regeneration. Political pork barrel with allocation determined by marginal seat heatmap. Riddled with procurement scandals, delayed projects, and zero accountability. Textbook example of how not to do regional policy.
Points-Based Immigration System
Replaced free movement with uncapped skilled worker visas. Net migration tripled from 220k (2019) to 685k (2023). No infrastructure planning for population growth.
About This Tracker
This is not a celebration page. It's an accountability board. Every “reform” announced by government is assessed against a simple question: Did it actually change the underlying constraint?
We categorize reforms into three types:
- ✓Real Wins: Structural change that removes a binding constraint. Example: abolishing nutrient neutrality rules that blocked 100k homes.
- ~Partial Wins: Removes one blocker but leaves others intact. Example: lifting onshore wind planning ban while grid connection delays remain.
- ✗Fake Wins: Announcement-only reforms that change nothing. Example: “planning reform” that still allows unlimited judicial review.
Impact scores (1-10) reflect real-world consequences, not government press releases. A score of 1 means “theatre”. A score of 10 would mean “structural transformation” - we're still waiting for one of those.
The Point
Britain's core constraints - planning gridlock, ECHR deportation blocks, NHS productivity collapse - remain untouched. Until we see reforms that remove these binding constraints, not just rebrand them, the stagnation tracker will keep counting.
Days since last real reform: 26