Callum Price: We need not a British DOGE, but a British Afuera!

Callum Price is Director of Communications at the Institute of Economic Affairs.

Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in the US has sparked much excitement this side of the pond. There have been multiple calls to set up a British DOGE, and attempts to do exactly that – from individual campaign groups to media organisations and even some Government departments.

The idea of a dedicated team rooting out government waste, cutting inefficiency, and exposing excess spending has natural appeal,especially to those of us who have long warned of the dangers of an ever-expanding state. The fact that even government departments are taking inspiration from it is a promising development.

It is right that we have more transparency about how taxpayers’ money is being spent, and that ministers and officials’ feet are held to the fire over every penny. But while baring down on wasteful spending and driving efficiencies in government is necessary, it is not sufficient.

If Britain is to escape its current economic sclerosis, it needs a more radical approach. It is time to follow the example of Javier Milei’s ‘Afuera’ model in Argentina: not just trimming the fat, but taking a chainsaw to the state itself.

Since taking office, Javier Milei has wasted no time in delivering on his promise to shrink the Argentine state. On day one of his administration he abolished half of his government’s departments. He has scrapped thousands of burdensome regulations and cut unnecessary bureaucracy at an unprecedented scale.

It remains to be seen whether he can keep up at this pace, but what is clear is that this isn’t just about making government ‘more efficient’; it’s about fundamentally questioning whether the government should be involved in certain areas at all.

As Ian Vasquez of the Cato Institute has pointed out, Milei’s team – led by Federico Sturzenegger,  his Minister for Deregulation – has a clear sense of mission. Their job is not to improve government efficiency like Musk, but to increase individual freedom.

The results are still unfolding, and it is early days yet, but they are already striking. The early signs are that Argentina is finally tackling its chronic inflation problem, restoring confidence in its economy, and attracting investment.

Crucially, Milei has demonstrated that a strong political mandate, coupled with a willingness to challenge the status quo, can allow for a dramatic rollback of the state. The UK should watch with interest how this approach develops further, and learn from both its successes and failures.

Britain’s bloated state is in desperate need of a similar radical approach. Cutting civil servants’ away days or trimming expenses here and there may generate good headlines, but it is wholly inadequate given the scale of the problem.

Public spending in the UK has ballooned to over 44 per cent of GDP, with debt exceeding £2.6 trillion. The tax and regulatory burden has suffocated business investment, while an army of quangos and bureaucratic agencies continue to expand their remit, often with little democratic oversight. Successive Conservative governments have promised to reverse this tide but have too often lacked the willpower to follow through.

The current Labour administration have talked a good game about tackling the quangos, but there’s not much action to get excited about yet. ‘Abolishing’ NHS England without decentralising healthcare in a serious way amounts to moving offices in Whitehall – or rearranging deck chairs on the titanic. We can’t get too excited about a bonfire of the quangos by a government that remains committed to setting up a football regulator.

The clock is ticking. We are currently on an unsustainable path. Our growth rates are barely keeping pace with what we need just to keep our head above water with an ever-ageing population. Fewer and fewer people working in the private sector are having to pick up more and more of the burden for those who rely on the state.

To truly address the problem, the UK needs to embrace the spirit of Afuera. This means not just cutting inefficiencies but reassessing layers of government, for example the Sentencing Council. Why should taxpayers fund countless regulatory and arms-length bodies that often serve as barriers to enterprise, or justice, rather than protectors of the public interest? As Marcus Aurelius said, we should be asking at every moment: is this necessary?

It is fair to point out that Britain is not Argentina. We do not have a particular problem with corruption and our inflation issues have paled in comparison. But look again, and the similarities are more than we might think. Our GDP per capita is as close to Argentina as it is to the USA. We can’t go on pretending like our model is working.

The British centre-right has an opportunity to embrace the solution. They should make the case for a radical reduction in the size and scope of the state, to set a plan for government that will actually deliver on the noises that the Prime Minister is making – to remove the blockers and the bloat, increase economic and individual freedom, and get the economy moving again.

That means abolishing redundant quangos, repealing damaging regulations, and shifting power away from bureaucrats and back to individuals and businesses.

Milei’s success in Argentina has shown that a bold approach to governance can work, even in a country with deep economic dysfunction. The UK, with its strong institutions and history of market-driven growth, has no excuse for not following suit.

This isn’t just about saving money, though the fiscal benefits would be substantial. It is about restoring the fundamental principle that government should only do what is absolutely necessary and nothing more.

Britain does not need another round of bureaucratic reshuffling. It needs a revolution in the role of government. That requires leadership, conviction, and a willingness to challenge the sacred cows of Whitehall. We should not be afraid to wield the chainsaw.

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