PM urges ministers to take robust line on "cautionary" legal advice: report

The Prime Minister has told Cabinet colleagues to take a more robust approach to legal advice that gets in the way of economic growth, The Times has claimed.

The newspaper said David Cameron called on ministers to be more circumspect about “cautionary” advice received from government lawyers. The Prime Minister is also reported to have said ministers should not be put off projects where there are claims of a threat to wildlife habitats.

The Times quoted an aide as saying: “You can allow legal advice to become a deal-breaker. Or sometimes the risk is small and it’s worth taking.”

The paper claimed that the special meeting was a sign of Downing Street’s frustrations “with the slow pace of economic recovery and the struggle to force reforms through Whitehall”.