
‘Commanding heights of the economy’: the postwar blueprint that inspires Burnham
In the second of a series on nationalisation, we look at the lessons from Clement Attlee’s administration Will Andy Burnham ‘go big’ in expanding the role of the state? A prime minister with ambitious plans for state ownership. Private companies that put profits before investment. A country struggling with onerous debts. The UK in 2026 with a new prime minister weighing up how and what price public utilities can be nationalised? No, this was Clement Attlee’s government in 1945, committed to ta














