Abstract
In her first statement as Prime Minister she announced her intention to lead ‘in the spirit’ of ‘one-nation’ and to address the ‘burning injustices in society’. However, May’s intention to govern as a One Nation conservative failed. After three years as Prime Minister she did not deliver on her promises to tackle the burning injustices of society. This chapter seeks to explain why May was unable to deliver her One Nation agenda in the area of industrial policy, and crucially on her promise to introduce workers on company boards. Drawing on an analytical framework that combines discursive institutionalism and historical institutionalism, the chapter will map May’s proposal to introduce workers on company boards ‘from thought, to word, to deed’ and will show that an unfavourable timing and above all the lack of support from powerful institutional actors were the main reasons why she was unable to deliver on her promises.
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Woodcock, P. (2023). Theresa May and Race Relations Policy. In: Roe-Crines, A.S., Jeffery, D. (eds) Statecraft. Palgrave Studies in Political Leadership. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-32472-7_11
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