Making policy in opposition: the Work Programme, 2007-2010

The development of the Conservative Party’s Work Programme between 2007 and 2010 shows how policy development can sometimes be an interaction between government and in opposition. The detail behind the parties’ policies on welfare to work was similar, but the rhetoric was not. The emphasis by the Conservative Party on the speed and scale of their ambitions would become a defining feature. The Work Programme tells us a great deal about the importance of policy presentation and ‘wins’, but also provokes questions about the challenges of preparing policy for implementation.