“Build, build, build”
20 June 2020
There’s a striking article in The Times this morning, hinting at some significant developments concerning the Covid-19 restrictions in the next fortnight.
It suggests that the government will announce next week a relaxation of the 2m distancing rule, to be effective from early July. Perhaps more importantly, it says that Boris Johnson plans to make a major speech the week after next “to kickstart the economy”.
Apparently, his theme will be encapsulated by a slogan, “Build, build, build”, focused on jobs, health and homes. This, according to the article (paywall) would involve major infrastructure projects, new houses and investment rather than austerity.
The government has previously leaked ideas but subsequently backtracked, such as the suggestion in early May - splashed extensively in the press - that lockdown restrictions were to be lifted imminently. That didn’t happen.
However, this story reinforces earlier suggestions reported in this blog that infrastructure projects should be at the heart of the recovery. If the prime minister’s speech does indeed deliver this message, it will be very positive indeed for construction and the hire industry.
This is a theme I will return to in future posts.
(Image by Engin Akyurt from Pixabay)