A very British dilemma

Any attempt at regional innovation policy faces daunting political obstacles, says Simon Lee

On the 14 November 1977, the leader of the opposition, Margaret Thatcher, was presented with Stepping Stones, a report she had commissioned to explore how policymaking could become more systematic and strategic.

The report asserted: “The task of the next Tory Government—national recovery—will be of a different order from that facing any other post-war government. Recovery requires a sea-change in Britain’s political economy.”