As voters head to the polls today, here is how Starmer’s six “First Steps for Change” – the Blair-style pledge cards launched in May 2024 – are holding up after almost two years in office:
Deliver economic stability: The OBR has downgraded 2026 GDP growth to 1.1%, with the IMF and OECD cutting their UK forecasts by 0.5 percentage points – the largest 2026 downgrade for any advanced economy. Inflation is 3.1%, well above target and higher than when Starmer entered Number 10. UK gilt yields rose more than any G7 country bar Italy in March, costing the typical first-time buyer an extra £100 a month on their mortgage. Reeves has all but given up on mentioning the word ‘growth’…
Cut NHS waiting times: 7.25 million are still waiting. The interim target of 65% treated within 18 weeks by March was missed at 61.5%. Trusts are now trimming the list by removing patients who fail to reply to text messages. 54,649 patients waited more than 12 hours on trolleys this winter, up 15% on the year. Streeting has at least hit his weekend appointments target. He has not hit much else. And has his eyes on a bigger job now anyway…
Launch a Border Security Command: 41,500 small boat arrivals in 2025, up 13%. Cumulative crossings since 2018 passed 199,920 last week. Crossings up 45% since the general election. Almost 65,000 crossed in Starmer’s first 18 months, just short of Boris Johnson’s 39-month total. The gangs remain un-smashed…
Set up Great British Energy: Bills are higher in cash terms than when Labour took office. Miliband warns voters they will not see all of April’s supposed £150 reduction because of “investment in the network”. The £300 cut by 2030, which was always a fantasy, is obviously unreachable…
Crack down on antisocial behaviour: 3,000 officers redeployed into neighbourhood roles by January, hitting the first-year target. The total number of police officers is down 0.6%. Forces are moving warm bodies between desks rather than adding them. Respect Orders are still working their way through Parliament. Does it feel like antisocial behaviour is in decline?
Recruit 6,500 new teachers: The pledge has been quietly redefined to exclude primary schools, add FE colleges and count retention rather than new recruits. Secondary recruitment remains 11% below target…
Admittedly these ‘first steps’ constituted Starmer’s 16th reset. He is now on 30. Can anyone in Number 10 name even one of these promises anymore?
Speaking to Adam Boulton on Times Radio about kicking the Golders Green suspect, Heidi Alexander said:
“I thought that if I was in the shoes of that police officer, then if I’m honest, given the situation, and the fact that he had a backpack on his back, and they were worried about whether that might go off, I could, if I was a police officer, frankly, I could see myself having taken similar action.”