Keir Starmer’s Britain: a mixed verdict after one year
Keir Starmer came to power in July 2024 promising stability, growth, and a clean break from years of Conservative chaos. Nearly a year on, Britain’s report card is complicated — some green shoots, plenty of stubborn weeds, and a public that’s growing impatient.
The economy: progress, but not the kind people feel
GDP grew by 0.7% in the first quarter of 2025, beating forecasts and offering Labour some genuine bragging rights. But real wages are still being squeezed by elevated prices, and the Bank of England has been cautious about cutting interest rates too fast. Mortgage holders haven’t caught much of a break. That gap — between the headline numbers and kitchen-table reality — is where Starmer is politically vulnerable. His Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, has stuck to a tight fiscal framework, but critics argue her October budget, which raised employer National Insurance contributions, spooked businesses and dampened hiring. Unemployment has crept up to 4.5%.
Public services: the NHS remains the defining test
Labour staked a huge amount of political capital on fixing the National Health Service. Waiting lists, which peaked at over 7.6 million in late 2023, have inched down but remain stubbornly high — around 6.3 million as of early 2025. The government has poured additional funding into the system and launched a 10-year reform plan, but meaningful change takes time that voters aren’t always willing to give.
Still, there are visible signs of effort. The number of weekend elective surgeries has increased, and some regional trusts have reported their fastest appointment throughput in years.
“We inherited a broken system and we’re rebuilding it from the ground up — that doesn’t happen overnight,” a government spokesperson said last week.
Immigration and law and order: thorny terrain
Small boat crossings in the English Channel hit roughly 30,000 in 2024, down slightly from the prior year but still politically toxic. Starmer ditched the Rwanda deportation scheme — widely mocked as unworkable — but hasn’t yet found a durable replacement that satisfies either wing of his party. His critics on the right say he’s soft. His critics on the left say his rhetoric on borders is uncomfortably harsh. It’s a tight rope and so far he hasn’t fallen off it, but he hasn’t crossed it either.
Where things stand politically
Labour’s poll lead has narrowed considerably. The party held a commanding 20-point advantage after the election; that’s now closer to 6 or 7 points, depending on the pollster. Reform UK, Nigel Farage’s hard-right vehicle, is pulling real support, particularly in post-industrial England.
And yet Starmer’s personal approval ratings, while not impressive, remain higher than those of Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader still struggling to rebuild her fractured party.
The next general election is years away, which means Starmer has time — but not unlimited time — to shift the narrative. Whether Britain starts to feel better governed before voters get another say will be the central story of his premiership.
