When the UK Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, told private equity bosses she plans to “take out more regulators,” she was clear: oversight is no longer a priority. Growth is.
In recent months, Reeves has:
- Sacked the Chair of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA),
- Shut down the Payments Regulator,
- “Severely constrained” the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS),
- And signalled that more regulatory bodies are in the government’s crosshairs.
Her message to business was stark: “We will make it easier to do business in Britain, ripping out those things that have been blocking growth.”
For investors and corporations, this may sound like liberation. But for citizens and consumers, it looks like abandonment.
What This Means for Financial Planning (AoLP perspective)
The Academy of Life Planning (AoLP) was founded on one central truth: trust is the foundation of financial planning. Without it, people disengage, defer, and ultimately lose confidence in their financial future.
Reeves’ policy direction risks deepening the Trust Gap:
- When oversight weakens, suspicion grows.
- When regulators are captured or cut, the public loses confidence.
- When redress is harder to access, harm is harder to heal.
In this environment, the Academy’s mission becomes even more urgent. We are not here to celebrate deregulation. We are here to champion planning over products, empowerment over extraction, and conscience over compliance.
If regulators retreat, financial planning must stand on its own moral authority. That means cultivating a profession rooted in values, transparency, and integrity — not simply an industry supplying financial products.
What This Means for Victims (Get SAFE perspective)
For those already harmed by financial misconduct, Reeves’ stance is chilling. The Financial Ombudsman Service was never perfect, but constraining it removes even the limited avenues victims had to seek justice.
This is where Get SAFE (Support After Financial Exploitation) steps in. If the state weakens protection, citizens must strengthen their own.
- We train victims to become citizen investigators.
- We provide AI-powered playbooks to organise evidence, generate professional correspondence, and pursue accountability.
- We create a community of peers who support each other when institutions fail them.
The Chancellor’s message is clear: government will prioritise growth over consumer rights. Our message is equally clear: victims will not be silenced, and ordinary people will not be left defenceless.
A Turning Point
What we are witnessing is not just deregulation. It is a rebalancing of power — away from the public, towards private capital.
For the Academy of Life Planning, this is a call to rebuild structural trust from the ground up.
For Get SAFE, it is a call to equip ordinary people with the tools to fight back.
Together, our movements stand for a simple principle:
➡️ If regulators won’t protect the people, the people must protect themselves.
Your Voice Matters
We’d love to hear your perspective:
- Should the UK prioritise business growth over public protection?
- How can planners and citizens organise to fill the vacuum regulators leave behind?
- What role should independent, values-led communities like AoLP and Get SAFE play in shaping the future?
📣 The regulators may retreat, but empowerment must rise. Join the conversation.
#FinancialPlanning #ConsumerRights #AoLP #GetSAFE #TrustGap #Empowerment #Justice
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