Onward’s Nick Timothy and Gavin Rice argued last week that our old economic consensus needs to be replaced by a new ‘conservative economics‘ that answers the challenges of the 2050s, not the 1970s. This week, Onward is talking quantum — a game-changing technology many have never heard of.
Quantum technologies have the potential to supercharge computing, create hack-proof communications, and develop sensors so sensitive they can detect the faintest signals across the universe. Although it’s still nascent, Britain hopes to lead as part of this new technology frontier.
Tim Leunig, Onward’s Chief Economist, published his first paper this week on England’s growing dentistry crisis. Fewer than half of us see a dentist when we should, and parts of the country are becoming dental deserts where as few as one in ten find a dentist locally.
Smiles All Round argues that England needs to move away from its dentist-led model. Instead, people should see dental therapists for regular check-ups and routine procedures like fillings, and be referred to fully qualified dentists for more complex treatments. That means liberalising dentistry so dental therapists can run their own practices, bill the NHS and administer local anaesthetics for treatments they are trained and licensed to do.
Onward also argues for a new approach to training that would double the number of university dentistry places at no extra cost to the taxpayer. Over time, these proposals would expand the workforce, tackle dental deserts, and improve people’s health.
📰 Media Mentions
Onward’s Director Sebastian Payne wrote in the i about what Rishi Sunak can do in the six months before a likely general election.
City AM backed Onward’s call for a British Library for Data from our upcoming paper, Future Frontiers.
🌐 Onward Online
Children don’t feel safe in schools, what’s going wrong? Senior Researcher Callum Newton talks through new data on school safety.
Overlooked during last week’s local elections was the worrying data about school safety.@educationgovuk polling shows only 39% of pupils felt safe in schools everyday last year. A short thread 🧵👇https://t.co/BFJ6v0evuO
Strong digital connectivity is essential to fully participate in today’s economy. Much progress has been made on broadband connections and mobile coverage in rural areas over the last decade. But for too many rural households and businesses, the lack of quality digital infrastructure continues to hinder productivity and cut people off from society.
Several initiatives aim to close the rural connectivity gap. The Shared Rural Network is helping to deliver 4G coverage across the countryside, while the Government’s Wireless Infrastructure Strategy aims to provide nationwide 5G coverage by 2030, including in rural areas. And the Government also targets supplying 1.5 million more rural premises with gigabit broadband by the end of next year.
This event, led by Environment Secretary Steve Barclay MP, will bring together a panel of experts to debate how the private and public sectors can collaborate to enhance digital connectivity for rural communities and help boost their economies.
Onward After Hours is our event series for under 35s, connecting the next generation of centre-right political thinkers. These events bring together journalists, special advisers, parliamentary staffers and more, to inspire fresh thinking and build connections.
This evening will be a great opportunity for a casual drink and a chance to discuss the policy agenda and what matters most for young voters.
