Kemi Badenoch

But what he is doing with Doge is actually something I've been talking about for a long time. And I call it the rise of the bureaucratic class. This is my productivity thesis. If you look at the middle class in the UK 30, 40, 50 years ago, it was people who made things, people who drew things, people who built things as farmers. It's builders, small businessmen made good.

You can see the productivity. You can see what they are doing that is actually adding value to society. The middle class now has changed. It has become a lot more bureaucratic. And we are producing more and more people from universities who are going into a bureaucratic job rather than a genuine producing job where you're adding value.

You can see the productivity. You can see what they are doing that is actually adding value to society. The middle class now has changed. It has become a lot more bureaucratic. And we are producing more and more people from universities who are going into a bureaucratic job rather than a genuine producing job where you're adding value.

You can see the productivity. You can see what they are doing that is actually adding value to society. The middle class now has changed. It has become a lot more bureaucratic. And we are producing more and more people from universities who are going into a bureaucratic job rather than a genuine producing job where you're adding value.

And that, I think, is why the growth is reducing at the same time as we're facing increased competition from other countries that are not spending a lot of time on bureaucracy. The EU is the classic of this genre. It's all about pumping out regulation. So I remember... meeting a guy just after COVID who owned a string of hotels. And I said, business must have been really bad. How have you coped?

And that, I think, is why the growth is reducing at the same time as we're facing increased competition from other countries that are not spending a lot of time on bureaucracy. The EU is the classic of this genre. It's all about pumping out regulation. So I remember... meeting a guy just after COVID who owned a string of hotels. And I said, business must have been really bad. How have you coped?

And that, I think, is why the growth is reducing at the same time as we're facing increased competition from other countries that are not spending a lot of time on bureaucracy. The EU is the classic of this genre. It's all about pumping out regulation. So I remember... meeting a guy just after COVID who owned a string of hotels. And I said, business must have been really bad. How have you coped?

And he said, Kemi, believe it or not, I have never made so much money in my life. And I said, how? And he said, because my hotels are full of asylum seekers. That is not real productivity. That is living off government. Yes, it's private sector, but it's government work. When I did a whole bunch of scrapping of corporate regulations, do you know who complained? KPMG.

And he said, Kemi, believe it or not, I have never made so much money in my life. And I said, how? And he said, because my hotels are full of asylum seekers. That is not real productivity. That is living off government. Yes, it's private sector, but it's government work. When I did a whole bunch of scrapping of corporate regulations, do you know who complained? KPMG.

And he said, Kemi, believe it or not, I have never made so much money in my life. And I said, how? And he said, because my hotels are full of asylum seekers. That is not real productivity. That is living off government. Yes, it's private sector, but it's government work. When I did a whole bunch of scrapping of corporate regulations, do you know who complained? KPMG.

Because they were going to make money from advising on those things. And that, in my view, is not creating productivity. I left banking. People say, why did you leave banking? You know, you were making money. But I left it because I wasn't doing engineering anymore. I was no longer a systems analyst. I was doing compliance because that's where the money was. Lots of banking regulation coming in.

Because they were going to make money from advising on those things. And that, in my view, is not creating productivity. I left banking. People say, why did you leave banking? You know, you were making money. But I left it because I wasn't doing engineering anymore. I was no longer a systems analyst. I was doing compliance because that's where the money was. Lots of banking regulation coming in.

Because they were going to make money from advising on those things. And that, in my view, is not creating productivity. I left banking. People say, why did you leave banking? You know, you were making money. But I left it because I wasn't doing engineering anymore. I was no longer a systems analyst. I was doing compliance because that's where the money was. Lots of banking regulation coming in.

And I just thought, I'm a bureaucrat. This is not what I want to do. And I left. And that is what I think Elon and Vivek are going to try and change in Washington. They're going to try and shrink the size of the state, shrink all of the waste, a lot of the inefficiency. And when that happens, many more people will go out into productive areas. It'll help people getting back to work.

And I just thought, I'm a bureaucrat. This is not what I want to do. And I left. And that is what I think Elon and Vivek are going to try and change in Washington. They're going to try and shrink the size of the state, shrink all of the waste, a lot of the inefficiency. And when that happens, many more people will go out into productive areas. It'll help people getting back to work.

And I just thought, I'm a bureaucrat. This is not what I want to do. And I left. And that is what I think Elon and Vivek are going to try and change in Washington. They're going to try and shrink the size of the state, shrink all of the waste, a lot of the inefficiency. And when that happens, many more people will go out into productive areas. It'll help people getting back to work.

And I think that an element of that is needed across the West, in Europe definitely, but I would like to see that happen in the UK.

And I think that an element of that is needed across the West, in Europe definitely, but I would like to see that happen in the UK.

And I think that an element of that is needed across the West, in Europe definitely, but I would like to see that happen in the UK.

Yes. How do we address that? There is an economic and a cultural malaise. And I think... Once upon a time, that hole was filled with religion and a belief in God. I'm not a religious person, but I do understand it. And when I look at the way things are going wrong, you can see that it's about people looking for that meaning. And, you know, J.D.