UK govt task force to be headed by Haldane

Former Bank of England Chief Economist Andy Haldane is appointed as the head of a British government taskforce. The government says that this taskforce is aimed at tackling regional inequality. Tackling economic inequality across the country was one of Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s central pledges. Haldane will be a permanent secretary in the Cabinet Office. This drives the implementation of policy. He joins on a six-month secondment from the Royal Society of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce.

Johnson said in a statement that Andy is uniquely qualified to lead their efforts to raise living standards, spread opportunity, improve their public services and restore people’s sense of pride in their communities. The government said that it was renaming the Housing, Communities and Local Government ministry. Michael Gove is heading this up. Haldane will head the new Levelling up Taskforce, which will report jointly to Johnson and Gove.

Haldane also stated that levelling up the UK is one of the signature challenges of their time. It has also been a personal passion throughout his career, as per his statement. He looks forward to working with colleagues across government, local and national, and with the private and voluntary sectors. This is to design and deliver an economy that works for every part of the UK.