One year of Keir: How’s Labour doing after 12 months in power?
The UK has had a Labour government for 12 months, but how successful has Keir Starmer’s first year as Prime Minister been?
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In brief…
- The News Agents reflect on the first year of a Labour government, and look back on the “toxic” political playing-field it entered on 4 July 2024.
- Jon Sopel and Lewis Goodall praise Starmer and his cabinet for dealing with huge problems which would have occupied any government on their own.
- They say the big concern now is whether Labour can govern in the way that is needed in 2025, with “agility” and clear communications that demonstrate their mission to the British public.
What’s the story?
On 4 July 2024, 14 years of Conservative government came to an end in the UK.
The Labour Party, led by Sir Keir Starmer, swept to victory in a general election, called by former Tory leader Rishi Sunak, with 412 seats in the House of Commons. The beleaguered blues took just 121 seats.
“We hadn't seen a government with a majority like that for almost 20 years, and it felt as if politics might finally be different or at least more stable,” says Lewis Goodall.
“But it's not the early 2000s, and so much has structurally changed, and there are so many profound problems afflicting British politics that the sort of majorities that would once have bought you solidity and stability now don't necessarily guarantee those things in the way they used to. “
For many, Labour’s election win signalled a welcome time of change, with many disillusioned by years of austerity and chaotic leadership under the previous government.
But after 12 months of a Labour government, is the UK any different?
It's certainly not been an easy ride for Starmer and his MPs. Some proposed policies – such as cutting winter fuel payments for pensioners and welfare reforms – have seen the government make u-turns after proving deeply unpopular with backbenchers and the public alike.
Others, such as changes to inheritance tax for farmers and increased National Insurance contributions for employers have also resulted in protests and backlash.
These have been driven by the need to plug a £55 billion “fiscal black hole” of unfunded spending inherited from the Tory government, which has resulted in Labour focusing its first year in power of cost-cutting measures.
What has Labour achieved and overcome?
Labour walked into power to find a deeply damaged political structure, far worse than it seemed their MPs expected. Dealing with that, The News Agents say, has been what has occupied its first year in Downing Street.
“The in-tray they had when they came into office was so difficult and toxic in many areas,” says Lewis.
“Whether it was the collapse of funding, the international scene, the economy – any one of these things could have preoccupied a government in normal times.
“They've had to deal with all of it all at once.”
Lewis adds that Labour have brought a more “mature” tone back to British politics – especially when compared to the leadership of previous prime ministers such as Boris Johnson and Liz Truss.
“There was something so corrosive and toxic and tiresome about the endless attempts to start culture wars in those years,” he says.
“There were endless attempts every day to find enemies and pursue that politically every single day.
“There was a politics of aggression in those years that I think was really difficult and problematic. Starmer doesn't have that to some extent.”
Jon Sopel says he welcomes what Starmer has brought back to British politics – and that alongside the maturity he works with, there is also a sense of honesty.
“It hasn't been the populist style of Trump and Farage to say there are really simple solutions to complex problems,” Jon says.
“I like the fact that Starmer says, we've got to roll up our sleeves, some of this is going to take time. We've got to build in change. It's not going to happen overnight.”
He says the real problem with Starmer is how he fails to communicate that honesty properly, in the social media age, when information is shared in many more ways than it was under the last Labour leadership, 15 years ago.
Where does Starmer go from here?
The News Agents believe Starmer has proven himself a capable politician in the most traditional sense, but say for the rest of his time in power to be a success, the big question is whether an old dog can learn new tricks.
“He has been frequently underestimated – very few people would ever have thought that he would have achieved what he did achieve, but how adaptable is he?” Lewis says.
“And can he keep going and keep being adaptable and changing and find that extra gear in terms of his communication style and his political thinking. I don't know the answer.
Jon Sopel says that while Starmer has proven himself to be “tough, and resilient” in the face of the challenges he’s faced, his concern is whether Starmer has the “agility” needed to succeed in a “hyper-political” age.
“The scale of the problems are such that you do need titanic political figures with a first class strategic sense, a first class communication sense, and a genuine first class connection with the British public,” Lewis says.
“Even then, it might not be possible to overcome the political problems. I think it's fair to say that on all of those so far, Labour and Starmer are falling short of the mark.”