If you were PM for a day what law would you enact that most would deem controversial?

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Current-Highway-4784@reddit

I'd ban smart meters and direct debits.

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So many people have smart meters and pay their bills by direct debit, and yet they're always saying they're hundreds of pounds in credit and they need to speak to the supplier to get their money back. Surely if the utility company knows how much you've used they can just take the money for that, but they don't.

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chingness@reddit

Fair

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royalblue1982@reddit

I'd arrange a plan to build 5 million new homes over the next 10 years. This would be based on building new towns/villages in greenbelt areas rather than making existing ones more overcrowded.

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ashyjay@reddit

With a guaranteed requirement amenities are also constructed (GP practices, shops, dentist practices)?

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royalblue1982@reddit

Yes. I think it could be done by the government purchasing land at its current value and auctioning it off to developers with guaranteed planning permission. That might raise enough capital to pay for the new infrastructure and public services.

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Funguswoman@reddit

Abolish ISA's. People who've got £20,000 a year spare to put in are rich enough already and don't need a tax break. Those who aren't rich wouldn't have paid tax on the interest anyway. It grates so much that income from wealth is taxed so much less than wages are.

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NandosCEO@reddit

I'd make buy-to-let illegal and cap rent increases at 3% per year (or whatever it is) country-wide like they have in Scotland.

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GlitchingGecko@reddit

Curious, what would happen if you inherit a second property? Or you move in with a new partner and you both own a home, and decide to rent out the other one? 🤔

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NandosCEO@reddit

BtL is when somebody buys a home but the the monthly repayments will only pay off the interest. They then rent out the property for as much as possible, pay off the interest, and the rest is essentially for profit. There's more to it than that but you get the idea.

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GlitchingGecko@reddit

Ah okay, thanks for clarification. I like your idea.

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Ok_Calendar6882@reddit

That wouldn’t count as buy to let, as you wouldn’t be buying the property with the intention of letting it out. You’d already own it.

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LettuceforPM@reddit

Just completely abolish buy to let

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GlitchingGecko@reddit

All STEM degrees are fully funded with paid work-place placements during the summer break. All other degrees have their prices doubled.

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imminentmailing463@reddit

Putting aside my moral objections to the idea in principle, in practice it quite possibly have the reverse impact of what you want. You'd see universities going out of business or cutting STEM courses. STEM students are subsidised by non-STEM students. Doing this would probably see a massive drop in applications for non STEM subjects. Therefore, less ability to subsidise and inevitable cuts to STEM subjects.

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GlitchingGecko@reddit

I'm not saying that the STEM degrees are funded by the universities. They should be funded by the government at least partially, hence it being a law.

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Redditor274929@reddit

The country needs social workers, lawyers, psychologists, teacher etc. All if these are essential jobs we need that require non stem degrees. I live in Scotland so tuition is free so I can already get behind that and paid work placements for stem subjects but let's not pretend they are the only degrees that matter

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GlitchingGecko@reddit

I'm not saying ban them entirely. Just fund them yourself. Psychologist would surely fall under science, and unless you're going to be teaching high level, you can get any degree, doesn't have to be in the subject you teach in. We'd have more social workers if social workers were paid better and were less overwhelmed. That's not necessarily going to change by having less tuition for the degree. My proposition funnels more people into STEM, especially people who previously wouldn't have been able to afford to do a degree. Sure, ideally ALL tuition should be free; but that wouldn't have made it a controversial take.

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Redditor274929@reddit

Psychology is considered more of a pseudoscience. It's not exact like chemistry. Primary school teachers need a degree in primary teaching, secondary teachers need a degree in the subject they teach and a teaching qualification. English and primary school teachers by your law would need to pay double. Increasing the costs for these degrees including social services excludes these degrees to more people and therefore means we will have less graduates. Even if graduates stay the same, you'll either have to pay them a lot more to so they can pay off their much higher student loans or lose a bunch of money paying their student loans off for them. Free tuition is actually controversial to a lot of people bc they don't want all their money going on "useless degrees". Don't get me wrong, there's plenty useless degrees but STEM degrees aren't inherently better.

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GlitchingGecko@reddit

They're inherently more useful that a lot of other degrees though. Are they the ONLY useful degrees? Hell no.

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Redditor274929@reddit

I disagree. I'd say a social work degree is more useful than say a physics degree or engineering degrees where you can do an apprenticeship. Sure something like genetics is more useful than a fashion degree. I love stem subjects and intend to go to uni next year to study pharmacology. I was a huge fan of science all through school and got advanced highers in biology and chemistry. I am passionate about science but stem degrees are overhyped and there are way more useful degrees out there that deserve the funding more imo

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merrycrow@reddit

Fine, I'll do the reverse. If people want to learn how to use a calculator really well they can get an NVQ

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GlitchingGecko@reddit

Yeah, cause we really need more Drama majors starting TikTok channels in the world. 👍🏻

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Illustrious_Hat_9177@reddit

No power tools to be used on Sundays. Manual tools only for gardening and DIY.

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thierry_ennui_@reddit

All pavements to be split into two lanes, one for dawdlers and one for people who like to walk at a normal pace like a proper human being

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Funguswoman@reddit

I like this! I used to be the overtaker and am now (not through choice) the slow coach. I would feel much less stressed if I had my own lane to go slow in without the stress of knowing there are people behind me that I'm holding up.

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thierry_ennui_@reddit

Realised my comment might have sounded insensitive to people who have no choice but to walk slowly, but glad to hear it's be beneficial to all!

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Funguswoman@reddit

Not insensitive at all! I would've loved a fast lane in the past and I'd love a slow lane now - it's a fab idea!

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treeseacar@reddit

I support this. I'd add vapourizers above ticket gates in the station so if you are too slow getting your ticket out you disappear. There will be a few slow people gates for the elderly, disabled and children.

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thierry_ennui_@reddit

YES. I've got my ticket ready before I even enter the station.

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SelfSufficientHub@reddit

I’d make council tax rates be applied with a multiplier based on how many properties you own. Own one house? Council tax = your tax band X 1 Own two houses? X 2 Own twelve? X12 On each house you own. And I’d attach houses owned by companies to the tally of the company directors to avoid fuckery. Company has 6 directors? Every house in that company gets added to each directors tally.

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laissezfaireHand@reddit

I would either scrap corporate tax or make sure UK has the lowest rate in the advanced economies. I would check it out these regulations meticulously specifically the ones that cause lots of headaches to businesses and get rid of them. Make sure UK is the best place to invest in so that people can benefit higher salaries and better benefit packages.

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WatermelonCandy5@reddit

Universal basic income. We don’t have to live like this. Working your arse off for 50 years to make someone else more wealthy. All the great inventions have been made by wealthy people who had the fortune and leisure to do what they want. Imagine what we could achieve if everyone could afford to try. Breaking your back till your seventy isn’t virtuous. It just makes you a mug who wasted their life for someone else.

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Kat8844@reddit

Reorganise into the First Galactic Empire.

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Particular-Echo347@reddit

Tax the big corporations the amount they should be taxed. Then use that money to restructure the NHS. If that works, charge a slight increase in normal tax and actually invest in the countries rotting infrastructure

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NoSuchWordAsGullible@reddit

Everyone earning over, say, £150k would pay 50% tax - on all of their earnings, not banded like currently. Stamp duty goes up 5-10 fold for buy to let, including retroactively. Might be difficult to achieve. Companies that own blocks of flats would be unable to pass on costs of recladding to their tenants. Either re-clad at your company costs, or put the tenants up elsewhere at your cost. Or you can sell. There’s no other way. Independent body to enforce ethics on MP’s. I read today a study from a few years ago that said over 40% of MP’s have past criminal convictions, I think, and that’s too high to not have proper oversight. This independent body would have the power to fire any MP, including the PM, with immediate effect. Speed cameras to be adjusted to pick up on darkened number plates/illegal fonts. Issue automatic fines. If you tackle small crimes, people are less likely to commit the bigger ones.

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Iamamancalledrobert@reddit

I would not succeed in enacting a law in a day, for a lot of reasons really

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moreglumthanplum@reddit

I’d publish everyone’s tax returns, as they do in many Scandi countries

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user-a7hw66@reddit

What does this gain?

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ashyjay@reddit

Makes it harder to hide income and easier to report if someone is living beyond their reported means.

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NealR2000@reddit

If someone is hiding income, it doesn't get included in their tax return.

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kunstlich@reddit

_Controversy_.

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ashyjay@reddit

Ban all outsourcing for government departments and projects. bye bye Serco, G4S, Atos, Maximus, Capita, staffing agencies.

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Gallen1975@reddit

Nationalise railway reduce prices so it actually costs more to fly to Spain than a ticket from Brighton to London and do away with royal mail (snail)

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afungalmirror@reddit

No driving anywhere, all day.

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breaded_skateboard@reddit

Ensure the NHS is properly funded

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Fishfilteredcoffee@reddit

I'd ban the use of iPads as cameras in public places. It's to everyone's benefit that I don't crave power in any way.

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Sufficient_Pin_9595@reddit

Legalise weed, obvs.

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TheNotSpecialOne@reddit

I'd raise VAT to 50% and watch the whole country riot

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