Flickr
First results of Keir Starmer’s government
It is a tradition to evaluate the first steps of leaders at various levels after 100 days. By this time, the true popularity of a political figure, as opposed to the pre-election one, is usually clear, and in the vast majority of cases, it is declining. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has lost half of his support — currently only 24 percent of Britons approve of his policies.
In opposition, as we know, you tend to be more popular than when you are in power. But if you look closely, many of Labour’s initiatives are a continuation of Conservative policies. Take, for example, the promised partial nationalization of the railways. The franchises to run them have already been sold to the private sector. There’s no buyback; the government is simply waiting for these contracts to expire so that these sections can return to government control, a process the Conservatives have been pursuing since 2018.
At one point, members of the Scottish National Party in Parliament proposed lifting the cap on child benefit for the second child. The proposal passed, but the Labour Party opposed it, arguing that 250,000 children would be pushed into poverty. When he came to power, Starmer did not repeal the measure, despite considerable opposition within the Labour Party itself. Seven MPs in the House of Commons, who were the most vocal in calling for its repeal, were even suspended from participating in the parliamentary party.
A similar scenario occurred with the well-known winter heating benefits for pensioners. These benefits, introduced in 1997 by Gordon Brown’s government, are considered such a major achievement of the left that they’re often referred to as «Tony Blair’s New Labour legacy». In 2017, Theresa May’s Conservative government proposed scrapping these benefits, but Labour was quick to point out that around 4,000 pensioners could die without them.
Starmer has not directly addressed the issue of benefits in his speeches. Only the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, briefly touched on the idea in June. But the issue was soon dropped amid protests, holidays and other distractions. Winter fuel payments remain a highly sensitive issue in British society. In reality, abolishing them would save just over £1 billion, or just 0.08 percent of the country’s budget.
Like any government, Starmer’s cabinet criticizes its predecessors, claiming they left an inexplicable £22 billion deficit. A meme has even circulated in the press suggesting that on her first day in office, Chancellor Reeves found a note in her Treasury desk drawer saying, «There seems to be no money. Good luck». Of that £22 billion, nine was earmarked for public sector pay rises introduced by Labour in its early days — but who’s counting now?
Reeves is expected to introduce significant tax changes aimed at raising tens of billions of pounds. Taxes on corporate profits, inheritance and employer National Insurance contributions are expected to increase. The Bank of England interest rate will be cut. Starmer has promised that Britain will have the strongest growth in the G7, although it is currently in the middle of the pack.
According to the Prime Minister’s promises, the National Health Service (NHS) must «reform or perish». Health Secretary Wes Streeting has described the system as «broken». The proposed reform involves creating a more locally focused system that integrates the latest advances in digital and scientific fields.
The main goal is to reduce hospital admissions — the most costly aspect of health care by emphasizing preventive care. Hospital budgets, however, cannot be cut. This ambitious program is expected to take five years, but will likely require a full decade. As a result, detailed reform planning has been postponed until next year, pending a ten-year national development plan.
Meanwhile, Streeting is considering measures such as banning smoking near pubs or introducing a tax on unhealthy food (which, incidentally, has already been introduced elsewhere), while nearly 6.5 million people are waiting for hospital treatment — the highest number this year — with no reduction in the waiting list.
In tackling illegal immigration, Starmer has decided not to continue the Conservative approach of temporarily relocating asylum seekers to Rwanda, an idea they had been working on for years and which he immediately abandoned. Instead, he wants to crack down on smugglers organizing crossings from France. All officials have been reassigned to deal with the existing backlog of cases (currently around 120,000), and hundreds of staff, including intelligence officers, have been assigned to the new border command.
During Starmer’s first 100 days, illegal immigration has fallen by nine percent, but the number of migrant deaths has risen. Smugglers, realizing that they’re now the target, have begun to operate less frequently, but to pack the boats to maximum capacity. These vessels, barely seaworthy to begin with, now risk every voyage as if it’s the last.
On legal migration, Starmer promised to reduce dependence on foreign workers by introducing training programs for British citizens. Although he didn’t go into detail, it is now clear that there has been a sharp reduction, firstly in the number of foreign students and secondly in the number of workers in the service and care sectors, where the situation is critical. The projection shows that legal migration will actually decrease and stabilize at around 250,000–350,000 people, which is still higher than pre-Brexit levels.
Another major issue for the UK is its prison system, which is severely overcrowded. The prison population is growing by about 4,500 inmates a year, and the government has committed to creating 14,000 additional prison places. However, construction of new prisons has been slow, so they have decided to release those eligible for parole after serving 40 percent of their sentence instead of half.
The first group of 1,700 was released in the first half of September to public astonishment as family and associates greeted them at the prison gates in Rolls-Royces, Bentleys, Mercedes G-Wagons or Lamborghini Uruses. Champagne corks popped and smoke billowed from the windows of the luxury cars. The second group of 2,000 prisoners had just been released. Unfortunately, 37 were released in error, one reoffended almost immediately, and five remain at large.
Starmer’s foreign policy promises seem to have been largely fulfilled. One of his promises was to reset relations with the EU. Following his visits to Germany and France, new agreements are in sight. However, two obstacles remain: agreements on the free (or at least facilitated) movement of young people and on the return of illegal migrants to the EU. These documents have yet to be drafted.
Starmer supports Israel’s right to self-defense, but at the same time decided to suspend the supply of certain weapons, provoking a sharp reaction from Tel Aviv. Relations with the United States are similarly nuanced. While he clearly supports the Democratic Party, he also sought and secured a meeting with Trump, signaling a willingness to work together regardless of the election outcome.