Special Reports
P.F. Eye
P.F. Eye

An Idiot's Guide to the PFI

By Paul Foot

Norman Lamont tinkered with it. John Major approved it. But the intellectual thrust for the idea of the Private Finance Initiative (PFI) came from David Willetts, the Tory frontbencher nicknamed 'Two Brains'.

This is the story of the PFI: how it became a jewel in the crown of New Labour, its savings, its costs, its pitfalls and windfalls, and how it changed the face of British accountancy and British politics.






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Private Eye Issue 1634
In This Issue
Rock attack solves Middle East crisis once and for all… Netanyahu popularity rockets after missile attacks… US politics hit new low… The Sound of Music, re-jack-booted… Who will replace Gary Lineker as non-controversial host of Match of the Day?… Conspiracy update: Second moon special… Small island given away… Pin the Chagos archipelago on the Indian Ocean… Down the centuries with ITV's Loose Women, as told to Craig Brown

Friendless zones
The UK's freeports are hives of inactivity

Rogue landlord
The Duchy of Cornwall's "feudal rule" on the Scilly Isles

Sunday worst
Turmoil at the Guardian over the Observer sale

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Private Eye Issue 1633
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