Rishi Sunak should beware the dreaded pointed plan

A list of pledges carries many attractions, but can become a millstone quickly, writes Sean O’Grady

The prime minister about to deliver his five-point plan on Wednesday (AP)

Politicians of all parties love their plans, and Rishi Sunak’s latest set of promises is nothing new. Three point plans. Five point plans. Six point plans. Ten point plans. Perhaps the earliest ancestor of the breed dates back to President Woodrow Wilson’s grand “14 Points” to achieve lasting peace and justice after the First World War.

As the French premier of the day, Georges Clemenceau, remarked of the 14-clause plan for peace: “Even the good Lord had only 10.” Of course President Wilson’s lofty plan didn’t quite work out as planned, and that seems to be the case with most of its descendants.

The pointed plan carries many attractions. First, the convention is that each target tends to be brief, which means there’s no room for detail of specificity. That means a vast prairie of wriggle room once in office.