No Slogans. No Ideology. Just Numbers and Choices | CCM Accountants

I try not to do politics publicly, because shouting in all caps doesn’t pay anyone’s mortgage. 

But if we’re going to talk about tax rises and “fiscal black holes”, let’s have an actual adult conversation. 

Here’s the truth most of Westminster won’t say out loud: 

You cannot fix the UK’s finances through tax rises alone, and you cannot fix them through cuts alone. 

You need a mix: 

• disciplined spending 
• targeted and fair tax measures 
• growth and productivity 
• stability and confidence 

The UK doesn’t have a tax collection problem. It has a spending discipline, productivity and value-for-money problem. 

So, instead of vague slogans or “just tax the rich harder”, here’s a realistic, costed programme of savings and efficiencies – not fantasy – that together could create £30–£50bn a year of fiscal space over a Parliament. 

That’s not ideology. That’s arithmetic. 

Part 1 – Core Savings & Efficiency Options 

1) Overseas Aid: hold at 0.5% of GNI 

The legal target is 0.7%. 

While interest on government debt is high, hold at 0.5% temporarily. 

£3–4bn/yr 

Not isolationism – just sequencing priorities. 

2) Net Zero spend pacing 

Keep net-zero commitments. 

But re-timetable expensive capital subsidies, kill weak programmes, prioritise proved value (like offshore wind CfDs). 

£2–3bn/yr 

Climate responsibility + economic responsibility. Both can exist. 

3) Asylum accommodation cost reform 

Hotels cost a fortune. 

Faster case decisions, more returns agreements, capped hotel use, dedicated lower-cost accommodation. 

£1–2bn/yr once running 

4) Central government overhead & quango rationalisation 

Freeze headcount. Natural attrition. Merge back-office functions. 

Sunset clauses for quangos unless renewed on performance. 

£3–5bn/yr 

5) Procurement efficiency (NHS, MoD, Local Govt) 

The UK overspends through fragmented contracts and weak renewal discipline. 

A hard 1% efficiency target across the big spenders. 

£4–6bn/yr 

Realistic. The private sector does this constantly. 

6) Trim discretionary central budgets 

• Public comms pots consolidated 
• Reduce vanity pilots unless proven 
• Digital-first translation services 

£0.1–0.3bn/yr 

Tiny by comparison, but useful signal of discipline. 

7) Recover overseas healthcare costs properly 

Strengthen eligibility checks (front-door), enforce reciprocal charging. 

£0.3–0.5bn/yr 

Not ideology – just basic admin. 

8) Better return-to-work pathways 

Focus on support, CBT, and Individual Placement Support. 

Sanctions theatre doesn’t get people working; support does. 

£1–2bn/yr net over time 

Part 2 – Additional Realistic Efficiency Measures 

9) Digital government, properly done 

End legacy systems and paper processes in HMRC, HMCTS, DWP. 

£2–4bn/yr once built 

10) NHS workforce reform + agency controls 

Domestic training pipeline + regional staffing pools + cap agency rates. 

£2–3bn/yr 

11) Government estate modernisation 

Less empty office space; sell surplus; hub working. 

£1–2bn/yr 

12) Defence procurement discipline 

Fixed-price contracts, milestone funding, more shared NATO procurement. 

£1–2bn/yr 

More deence power per pound – not cuts. 

13) Fraud & error reduction (benefits + tax) 

Better data matching, identity verification, faster clawback. 

£4–5bn/yr realistic stretch 

14) Skills & training reform 

Too many pots, too many schemes. Consolidate, measure outcomes. 

£0.5–1bn/yr 

15) Consultancy spend discipline 

Bring capability in-house for long-term transformation work. 

£0.5–1bn/yr 

16) Strike productivity protection 

Rapid binding arbitration for essential services; protect operations. 

Savings via continuity and efficiency – not ideology. 

£0.3–0.6bn/yr equivalent 

17) Major capital project audit 

Pause and independently challenge overruns. UK megaprojects routinely overshoot. 

Avoid multiple billions of waste over cycle 

Not a cut – a safeguard. 

18) Defence land release 

Sell redundant MOD land; reinvest near bases. 

£0.5–1bn/yr (time-limited) 

Total potential space 

Recurring, scalable measures: 

£30–£50bn per year once fully implemented 

Plus avoided future waste 

worth billions more 

This isn’t austerity. 

It’s prioritisation, sequencing and competence. 

Why this matters 

Tax rises alone don’t fix the UK. 

Cutting services alone doesn’t fix the UK. 

We need: 

• fiscal discipline 
• growth investment 
• regulatory stability 
• planning reform 
• skills + productivity focus 
• pro-SME policy (stop treating small businesses like ATMs) 

This is not left or right. 

It’s what responsible adults do when running a country – or running a business. 

Stop arguing ideology. 

Start demanding competence. 

Final thought 

 If more of our national debate moved from slogans to spreadsheets, the country would be in far better shape. 

Grown-up policy isn’t sexy. 

But it’s how you save a nation.