I was intrigued when I heard about Michael Gove’s plan to develop Cambridge into a major tech centre like Silicon Valley.
I can see the logic, given the university city is already home to the many of the top minds in the country, alongside Oxford.
While the UK’s influence in the world isn’t what it was, our ability to educate and innovate is something that can set us apart from other countries – so to me it makes sense to build on that.
In general though, I’m just pleased to hear about bold, ambitious policies that could harbour growth.
This is after the UK spent so many years painfully pulling the UK out of the EU, which in my view never made any sense, followed by the economic incompetence of the Liz Truss premiership.
Cambridge plan
Focusing on the Cambridge plan, my question is where would this new infrastructure be built, so it would fit with what’s already there?
Surely you would need to create major new suburbs for it to work, or the city would be swamped with too many residents for its level of infrastructure.
Currently there are 150,000 residents in the city, and the plans could see the creation of 250,000 new homes in two decades, which would irrevocably alter the city.
I’m sure many of the residents of Cambridge are cautious about this talk.
How do you build in Cambridge without desecrating its historic quality? Times have changed and we rarely seem to have the same beauty standards when it comes to buildings compared to times gone by.
On a practical level, you probably also need a new railway station and transport links to correspond with an expanded Cambridge, while you need to find a balance between retaining some green space and building new homes. It’s not an easy task.
Finally it also needs to be funded – could this project spell higher taxes?
Next election
Of course, Gove’s big plan is elementary if the Conservatives lose the next general election, which is scheduled for no later than 28 January 2025.
Unless there’s a big shift in the public mood, I expect Labour to win the election, given that Brexit is now done and Boris Johnson and Liz Truss were among the UK’s worst Prime Ministers in memory.
However plans like this could help the Tories gain more support, as it seems forward-thinking and ambitious, while Labour leader Keir Starmer seems more steady than inspiring.
The question is whether Gove and co could get Cambridge residents on side.
Indeed you wonder whether more of a focus on investment across a wider region would curry more favour, rather than making it all about Cambridge.
If you want to invest in Cambridge, why not also do the same in Oxford for example, given its similar status?
Clearly we’re right at the beginning on discussions around this – the Tories presumably leaked it to see how the public would react – so it could go through many versions before Michael Gove goes public with the plan.
To sum up, I’m intrigued by the level of ambition shown, though I’m unsure if it will be practical. The devil will be in the detail, and I await an official announcement with interest.
