Optics are just as powerful as policy when rebooting relations. Commitment to the job even when there's not enough to talk about.

For one it would be breaching parliamentary protocol to announce legislation, policies or anything of substance without the Commons hearing it first. This didn't stop the Tories of course but if it's going to be knockout policy, it'd be more effective to announce where the action is happening.

5th proposal: Unitarise Herts and implement a growth-centred combined authority from Watford to Corby, leaving Oxon, while uniting a unitarised Surrey and Berks. Be bold and brilliant.

4th proposal: Oxon, Bucks and Berks. Economically, this would be very inclusive and reflective of the region's university-led growth. But with East-West Rail, not including Beds is a missed trick. Would also risk being incongruous without links to Surrey.

3rd proposal: Northants/Beds. Outside the direct London loop with shared innovation and life sciences vision, plus helped by all being unitaries. Misses the effectiveness of links to hubs in Bucks and Herts though.

2nd proposal (cont.): Similar issue with districts and unitaries as above. Plus some of the south west towns are more likely to treat Hampshire towns as hubs, like Farnborough or Aldershot. West Berkshire is also a bit of an anomaly here.

2nd proposal: Surrey/Berks. The royal counties are perfectly placed to benefit from a suburbia combined authority with strategic planning powers. Economically geography shaped by affluent towns and rural villages, while reflecting the high growth development in Woking, Guildford, Reading.

1st proposal (cont.): It's not impossible to have this system but would make negotiations harder. Further risk is missing out Slough, which is inextricably linked to the south Bucks economy in places like Iver, Wycombe, Beaconsfield and the west Colne Valley.

1st proposal: Bucks, Herts and Beds. The new towns combined authority with a lot of shared infrastructure and economic similarities. Issue is Herts being two-tier. Keeping districts engaged in the process while having a system primarily designed for single tier authorities is not fair.

City of London's Destination City vision is responding to this challenge with a clear sense of knowing that offices can't be box rooms and glass panes anymore. It's like developers don't know the basics of human nature or something...