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Premiership of Keir Starmer

Period of the Government of the United Kingdom since 2024 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Premiership of Keir Starmer
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This article is about Keir Starmer's tenure as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. For the people in his ministry, see Starmer ministry.

Keir Starmer's tenure as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom began on 5 July 2024 when he accepted an invitation from King Charles III to form a government, succeeding Rishi Sunak of the Conservative Party. As prime minister he is serving concurrently as First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Minister for the Union.

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Starmer, who has been Leader of the Labour Party since 2020, was appointed prime minister after the Labour Party had won a landslide victory at the 2024 general election, ending fourteen years of Conservative governance, becoming the first Labour prime minister since Gordon Brown in 2010 and the first Labour leader to win a general election since Tony Blair in 2005, but with the smallest share of the electoral vote of any majority government since record-keeping of the popular vote began in 1830. The 2025 local elections in England were the first local elections of Starmer's premiership, and in them both Labour and the Conservatives suffered significant losses, with major gains achieved by Reform UK and the Liberal Democrats.

Under Starmer's premiership His Majesty's Government has ended certain Winter Fuel Payments for around 10 million people, implemented an early-release scheme for thousands of prisoners to reduce prison overcrowding, settled a number of public-sector strikes and announced the establishment of Great British Energy. The chancellor of the exchequer, Rachel Reeves, introduced the largest tax rises at a budget since March 1993 in her October 2024 budget, which is forecast to set the tax burden to its highest level in recorded history. Starmer announced the Border Security Command to replace the defunct Rwanda asylum plan and the National Violent Disorder Programme in response to the 2024 riots, as well as reforms to workers' rights. In foreign policy Starmer has supported Ukraine against the Russian invasion and initially supported Israel in the Gaza war, but has since called for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and condemned Israel's actions.

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Background

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Labour leadership bid

Main article: 2020 Labour Party leadership election (UK)

On 4 January 2020 Keir Starmer announced his candidacy for the Labour Party leadership election.[1] By 8 January it was reported that he had gained enough nominations from Labour members of Parliament (MPs) and members of the European Parliament (MEPs) to get onto the ballot paper, and that the trade union Unison was backing him. Unison, with 1.3 million members, said Starmer was the best-placed candidate to unite the party and regain public trust.[2] He was also supported by the former prime minister Gordon Brown and the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan.[3]

During the leadership election, Starmer stood on a left-wing platform. He positioned himself in opposition to austerity, stating that the outgoing leader, Jeremy Corbyn, was "right" to position Labour as the "party of anti-austerity".[4][5] He indicated he would continue with the Labour policy of scrapping tuition fees as well as pledging "common ownership" of rail, mail, energy and water companies and called for ending outsourcing in the National Health Service (NHS), local governments and the justice system.[6] Starmer was announced as the winner of the leadership contest on 4 April 2020, defeating his rivals, Rebecca Long-Bailey and Lisa Nandy, with 56.2% of the vote in the first round.[7] As Leader of the Opposition, contrary to his leadership campaign, he moved the party towards the political centre, and also emphasised the project of eliminating antisemitism within the party. In 2023 he set out five missions for his government, targeting issues such as economic growth, health, clean energy, crime and education.

2024 general election

Main article: 2024 United Kingdom general election

On 22 May 2024 Rishi Sunak unexpectedly announced that a general election would be held on 4 July 2024. Labour entered the general election with a large lead over the Conservative Party in opinion polls, and the potential scale of the party's victory was a topic of discussion during the campaign period.[8][9] In June 2024 Starmer released the Labour Party's manifesto, Change, which focuses on economic growth, planning system reforms, infrastructure, what Starmer describes as "clean energy", healthcare, education, childcare and strengthening workers' rights.[10][11] It pledges a new publicly owned energy company (Great British Energy), a "Green Prosperity Plan", reducing patient waiting times in the NHS, and renationalisation of the railway network (Great British Railways).[12] It includes wealth creation and "pro-business and pro-worker" policies.[13] The manifesto also pledged to give votes to 16 year olds, reform the House of Lords, and to tax private schools, with money generated going into improving state education.[14][15]

In July 2024 Starmer led Labour to a landslide victory in the general election, ending fourteen years of Conservative government with Labour becoming the largest party in the House of Commons.[16] Labour achieved a 174-seat simple majority and a total of 411 seats,[a] the party's third-best result in terms of seat share following the 1997 and 2001 general elections. The party had the most seats in England for the first time since 2005, in Scotland for the first time since 2010, and retained its status as the largest party in Wales.[17]

In his victory speech Starmer thanked party workers for their work – including nearly five years of revamping and rebranding Labour in the face of Conservative dominance – and urged them to savour the moment, but warned them of challenges ahead and pledged his government would work for "national renewal":[18][19]

We did it! You campaigned for it, you fought for it, you voted for it and now it has arrived. Change begins now. And it feels good, I have to be honest. Four-and-a-half years of work changing the party. This is what it is for – a changed Labour Party ready to serve our country, ready to restore Britain to the service of working people. And across our country people will be waking up to the news, relieved that a weight has been lifted, a burden finally removed from the shoulders of this great nation. And now we can look forward. Walk into the morning, the sunlight of hope, pale at first but getting stronger through the day, shining once again, on a country with the opportunity after 14 years to get its future back. We said we would end the chaos and we will. We said we would turn the page and we have. Today we start the next chapter, begin the work of change, the mission of national renewal and start to rebuild our country.

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Premiership

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Appointment as prime minister

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Starmer giving his first speech as prime minister at 10 Downing Street, 5 July 2024

As the leader of the majority party in the House of Commons, Starmer was appointed as prime minister by King Charles III on 5 July 2024, becoming the first Labour prime minister since Gordon Brown, the first Labour leader to win a general election since Tony Blair, and the first Labour government formed during the reign of Charles III.[20] He and his wife, Victoria Starmer, were driven from Buckingham Palace to Downing Street. Starmer stopped the car on the way back from the palace and went on a walkabout outside Downing Street to meet cheering crowds. In his first speech as prime minister, Starmer paid tribute to the previous prime minister Rishi Sunak, saying "His achievement as the first British Asian Prime Minister of our country should not be underestimated by anyone," and also recognised "the dedication and hard work he brought to his leadership" but said that the people of Britain had voted for change:[21][19]

You have given us a clear mandate, and we will use it to deliver change. To restore service and respect to politics, end the era of noisy performance, tread more lightly on your lives, and unite our country. Four nations, standing together again, facing down, as we have so often in our past, the challenges of an insecure world. Committed to a calm and patient rebuilding. So with respect and humility, I invite you all to join this government of service in the mission of national renewal. Our work is urgent and we begin it today.

State Opening of Parliament

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Starmer at Prime Minister's Questions, 11 September 2024

The 2024 State Opening of Parliament outlined 39 pieces of legislation that Labour proposed to introduced in the months ahead, including bills to renationalise the railways, to strengthen the rights of workers, tackle illegal immigration, reform the House of Lords and undertake a programme to hasten the delivery of "high quality infrastructure" and housing. In addition, a number of bills proposed by Sunak's Conservative administration were also included, particularly the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which had appeared in the 2023 King's Speech, but had been abandoned after the election was called.[22][23]

Bills

  • The Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Bill enabling the government to renationalise the railways.[23]
  • The Railways Bill to establish Great British Railways, a body overseeing the rail network.[23]
  • The Better Buses Bill allowing greater scope for local government to take over the running of bus services.[23]
  • The High Speed Rail (Crewe - Manchester) Bill to enable powers to improve rail services in northern England.[23]
  • The English Devolution Bill to facilitate the devolvement of power to elected mayors of combined authorities.[23]
  • Reform of the House of Lords. Two separate bills: to phase out the remaining hereditary peers in the House of Lords (House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill), and to increase the number of female bishops in the House (Lords Spiritual (Women) Act 2015 (Extension) Bill).[23]
  • The Budget Responsibility Bill requiring an official budget forecast to take place ahead of a government budget.[23] Given royal assent on 10 September 2024.[24][25]
  • The Pension Schemes Bill introducing new rules and requirements for private sector pension schemes.[23]
  • The Planning and Infrastructure Bill to simplify the approval process for critical infrastructure, and update compulsory purchase rules.[23]
  • The Renters' Rights Bill banning no-fault evictions and extending building safety requirements to the private sector.[23][26]
  • The Leasehold and Commonhold Reform Bill curbing ground rent costs and banning forfeiture.[23]
  • The Great British Energy Bill to establish GB Energy, a state owned energy investment and generation company.[23]
  • The National Wealth Fund Bill establishing a £7.3bn fund to be invested over five years in infrastructure and green industry.[23]
  • The Water (Special Measures) Bill giving the water regulator Ofwat greater powers to prevent water company bosses from receiving bonuses, and to make water company bosses liable for any illegal activity.[23]
  • The Crime and Policing Bill to give police greater powers to deal with antisocial behaviour. The bill will also make assaulting retail workers a specific offence.[23]
  • The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill to require venues to establish procedures for dealing with terrorist threats, enacting Martyn's Law.[23]
  • The Victims, Courts and Public Protection Bill requiring offenders to attend sentencing hearings and removing parental rights from convicted sex offenders.[23]
  • The Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill enabling police to use anti-terrorism laws to tackle gangs who smuggle asylum seekers to the UK.[23]
  • The Employment Rights Bill introducing a number new rights for workers, and banning the "exploitative" use of zero hour contracts.[23]
  • The Equality (Race and Disability) Bill extending the right to make a claim for equal pay under the Equality Act to people from ethnic minorities and people with disabilities.[23]
  • The Tobacco and Vapes Bill to bring in a phased ban on smoking.[23][27]
  • The Mental Health Bill to tighten rules on sectioning people, and change the rules on care for people with learning difficulties.[23]
  • The Children's Wellbeing Bill requiring local authorities to keep a register of children not in full time education at school, and establish breakfast clubs for all primary schools in England.[23]
  • The Skills England Bill to establish a public body to improve and devolve skills training.[23]
  • The Conversion Practices Bill restricting "abusive" practices designed to change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity.[23]
  • The Digital Information and Smart Data Bill enabling people to use a digital ID to buy age-restricted content and for pre-employment checks.[23]
  • The Cyber Security and Resilience Bill establishing new rules to protect critical infrastructure from cyber attacks.[23]
  • Hillsborough law: A piece of legislation requiring public servants to be truthful during public inquiries.[23]
  • A bill allowing the Crown Estate to borrow from the government in order to invest in new infrastructure projects.[23]
  • The Football Governance Bill to establish a regulator for the top five tiers of English football.[23]
  • A bill to establish an Armed Forces Commissioner with powers to inspect faulty kit and equipment.[23]

Skills England is a new government agency that will be created by the Skills England Bill. The agency will increase flexibility within the skills training area, to properly cater for skills shortages within regional economies, and to ensure the UK trains its own workforce.[28] Starmer launched a Child Poverty Taskforce, in which expert officials from across government would work together on how best to support more than four-million children living in poverty.[29]

Domestic affairs

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Starmer meets with Scottish First Minister John Swinney at Bute House.

Starmer went on a tour of the four countries of the UK and met with the leader of Scottish Labour, Anas Sarwar, and also met with the first minister of Scotland, John Swinney, at Bute House.[30] He also met with mayors including Andy Burnham and Khan.[31] On 18 July 2024 Starmer chaired the 4th European Political Community Summit.[32] On 24 July 2024 he attended his first Prime Minister's Questions.

Immigration

Main article: Border Security Command

One of Starmer's first acts as prime minister was cancelling the controversial Rwanda asylum plan, claiming it to be "dead and buried."[33][34] The home secretary, Yvette Cooper, set out the first steps towards establishing a Border Security Command, to tackle smuggling gangs which facilitate illegal migrant crossings over the English Channel.[33][35] The command would be funded by money previously earmarked for the Rwanda plan and would be responsible for coordinating the activities of Immigration Enforcement, MI5, the Border Force and the National Crime Agency in tackling smuggling gangs which facilitate illegal migrant crossings over the English Channel.[36][37] The new office of Border Security Commander was also established, whose remit would be to lead the new command and its members, with the government expecting the appointment of the first officeholder to be made in the coming weeks.[37][38] A team in the Home Office was tasked with setting out the remit of the command, as well as its governance structure and its strategic direction.[37][39]

In May 2025, following Reform UK's electoral success at the local elections, Starmer gave a press conference where he promised a significant fall in net migration by the end of the parliament and unveiled plans to curb judges' powers to block deportations under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).[40] Starmer promised to reduce the number of migrants coming to the UK "significantly", by around 100,000 per year,[41] stating: "Make no mistake, this plan means migration will fall. That is a promise." Starmer refused to commit to an annual cap or target as he argued such an approach would not be "sensible". Asked to give voters more than just a promise, he said: "We do want to significantly reduce migration. I am absolutely making clear that is what it will do and that if we need to go further, we will." He also cast doubt on any threat from Reform's electoral success, claiming: "I know on a day like today, people who like politics will try to make this all about politics, about this or that strategy, targeting these voters, responding to that party. No. I am doing this because it is right, because it is fair and because it is what I believe in." Starmer's line "we risk becoming an island of strangers" when discussing tighter immigration controls was criticised by media outlets and Labour backbencher Zarah Sultana as echoing Enoch Powell's "strangers in their own country" line from his "rivers of blood" speech. He was also criticised for using the phrase "take back control" five times, which had been used as Vote Leave's slogan during the 2016 European Union membership referendum.[42] Farage accused Starmer of being "insincere" and warned he was "playing catch up" on the issue of immigration, stating "I was using take back control in 2004. Keir Starmer has spent his whole career campaigning for free movement of people wholly unconcerned about this subject, so much so that their massive parliamentary majority was gained without immigration even being one of their five main priorities. Now, of course, he knows that amongst the great British public, this issue rates even higher than the health service. And he's just basically playing catch up with Reform."[43]

Economy

Main article: Chancellorship of Rachel Reeves
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Starmer with his Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, 6 July 2024

Starmer has suggested that he favours green policies to tackle climate change and decarbonise the British economy. He has committed to eliminate fossil fuels from the UK electricity grid by 2030.[44] In 2021 Starmer and Rachel Reeves pledged that a Labour government would invest an extra £28 billion per year in green industries; in June 2023 this was changed to £28 billion per year by the middle of their first term of government.[45]

Since 2022 Reeves has adhered to "modern supply-side economics", an economic policy which focuses on infrastructure, education and labour supply by rejecting tax cuts and deregulation.[46][47] In May 2023, Reeves coined the term "securonomics" to refer to her version of this economic policy, originally in a public address at the Peterson Institute for International Economics.[48][49] It was heavily inspired by the economic policy of Joe Biden, the former president of the United States, particularly his Inflation Reduction Act.[50][51]

Securonomics is based on the belief that globalisation has failed to achieve its stated aims and that economies in the Western world must adapt in response.[52] Reeves suggested that the active state is part of an "emerging global consensus" which will replace the neoliberal economic consensus, and that economic policy must be driven by the need for security.[48][53]

On taking office as Chancellor of the Exchequer, Reeves stated that since there is "not a huge amount of money" her focus will be on "unlocking" private-sector investment, as she believes "private-sector investment is the lifeblood of a successful economy."[54][55][56] She made her first statement as Chancellor two days later, announcing measures she said were aimed to grow the economy. On 29 July 2024 Reeves conducted a spending review, arguing there was a need to make "necessary and urgent decisions" because of an "unfunded" and "undisclosed" overspending of £21.9 billion by the previous Conservative government. Among the decisions she made were to axe winter fuel payments for pensioners not receiving pension credit (roughly around 10 million people), which received widespread criticism. She also announced the cancellation of several infrastructure projects, and selling surplus public sector buildings and land.[57] Reeves' first budget took place on 30 October 2024, which introduced the largest tax rises at a budget since March 1993 and is forecast to set the tax burden to its highest level in recorded history.[57][58]

In January 2025 Reeves announced plans for a new runway at Heathrow Airport as part of a push for "growth".[59] Regulators were also asked to "tear down regulatory barriers" to promote economic growth.[60] On 25 February 2025, Starmer announced plans to increase the defence budget to 2.5 per cent of the British gross domestic product (GDP) by 2027—paid for by cutting the UK's international aid budget to 0.3 per cent.[61] Save the Children described the cuts as "a betrayal of the world's most vulnerable children and the UK's national interest".[62]

In April 2025 Starmer recalled Parliament from recess for a Saturday sitting to debate the Steel Industry (Special Measures) Bill, emergency legislation to prevent the closure of Scunthorpe Steelworks.[63] The bill is seen as a first step towards the nationalisation of British Steel.[64]

Budget

Main article: October 2024 United Kingdom budget
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Reeves holding the red box

The October 2024 budget was presented by Reeves on 30 October 2024. In it she announced tax rises worth £40 billion, the biggest tax rise at a budget since March 1993.[65] Amongst the measures she announced were an increase in employers' National Insurance to 15 per cent on salaries above £5,000 from April 2025,[66] income tax thresholds to rise in-line with inflation after 2028, changes to farm inheritance tax meaning that the inheritance tax of 20 per cent would effectively apply to rural estates above the value of £1,000,000 from April 2026,[67] and a rise in the single bus fare cap to £3 from January 2025.[68] The forecast from the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) stated that the budget would mean the tax burden would be set to its highest ever level in recorded history.[69][70][71][72] The director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, Paul Johnson, accused Reeves of further undermining trust in politicians.[73] Reeves later said that it was not a budget she would want to repeat,[74] and accepted that the tax rises would likely hit wage growth for workers.[75]

2025 spring statement

Main article: March 2025 United Kingdom spring statement

The 2025 spring budget statement was delivered to the House of Commons by Reeves on 26 March 2025.[76] There was emphasis on increasing defence spending.[77] Major welfare announcements included restrictions on universal credit and its health-related element in particular, and eligibility for personal independence payments. The health-related element of universal credit will no longer be available to young people aged under 22.[78] 10,000 Civil Service jobs are set to be cut.[79] Late payment penalties related to VAT and self-assessed income tax liabilities will be increased from 6 April 2025: the new rates will be 3% of the tax outstanding where tax is overdue by 15 days, a further 3% where either tax is overdue by 30 days, and an additional 10% per annum where either tax is overdue by 31 days or more.[80]

Early release of prisoners

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Starmer gives his Inheritance speech in the garden of 10 Downing Street, 27 August 2024

Shortly after taking office, Starmer said that there were "too many prisoners",[81] and described the previous government as having acted with "almost beyond recklessness".[82] In order to manage the prison overcrowding, his Justice Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, announced the implementation of an early release scheme which allowed for prisoners in England and Wales to be released after serving 40 per cent of their sentences rather than the 50 per cent previously introduced under the last government.[83] Over 1,700 prisoners were released in September, with further releases expected in the following year.[84] One prisoner released early under the scheme was charged with sexual assault relating to an alleged offence against a woman on the same day he was freed.[85] Starmer has defended the releasing of prisoners, and accused the previous government of having "broke the prison system."[86]

Tobacco and Vapes Bill

Main article: Tobacco and Vapes Bill

On 24 October 2024 the government announced a ban on the sale of single-use electronic cigarettes (vapes), effective from June 2025, in an effort to address environmental concerns and the rising prevalence of vaping amongst children.[87] On 5 November 2024 the government introduced the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, aiming to protect public health and reduce the harm caused by smoking. The bill proposed measures to phase out tobacco sales for those under 15, extend the indoor smoking ban to outdoor areas and introduce stricter regulations on vaping, including a ban on vape advertising and limitations on flavours and packaging.[88]

The bill was supported by health organisations,[89] including Cancer Research UK, Action on Smoking and Health and Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health.[90] In a poll conducted by YouGov in August 2024, 61 per cent of UK adults supported the efforts to phase out smoking by banning it for people born after 1 January 2009, while 27 per cent opposed it. 81 per cent supported the banning of disposable vapes, while 13 per cent opposed it.[91]

Assisted dying bill

Main article: Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill

Starmer is a longtime supporter of the campaign for assisted dying or doctor-assisted voluntary euthanasia in the UK. On 13 March 2024 he pledged to give MPs a vote on assisted suicide if Labour won the 2024 general election.[92] He phoned the pro-assisted dying campaigner Esther Rantzen and said to her: "I'm personally in favour of changing the law. I think we need to make time. We will make the commitment. Esther, I can give you that commitment right now... For people who are going through this or are likely to go through it in the next few months or years, this matters hugely and delay just prolongs the agony."[92]

In September 2024 Kim Leadbeater, the Labour MP for Spen Valley, was drawn first in the ballot for private members' bills. She announced on 3 October 2024 that she would introduce a bill on assisted dying, and on 16 October 2024 the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill was introduced to the House of Commons. The full text of the bill (as presented for second reading) was published on 11 November 2024. Starmer acknowledged the vote for Leadbeater's bill as being "very important".[93] Additionally, Starmer noted Parliament's future intentions to strengthen NHS care for all needs, "including end-of-life care."[94]

Healthcare

In Government, Starmer reaffirmed the outgoing Conservative government's commitment of no new HIV cases in the United Kingdom by 2030. On 10 February 2025 Starmer, alongside the singer and HIV activist Beverley Knight and the Terrence Higgins Trust chief executive Richard Angell, recorded himself taking a rapid HIV home test. This made Starmer the first serving British prime minister and serving leader of a G7 nation to take a test on camera.[95][96]

Law and order

Main articles: 2024 Southport stabbing and 2024 United Kingdom riots
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Starmer speaks to the media following an earlier Cobra meeting to discuss the violent disorder across the country, 6 August 2024

On 29 July 2024, following a mass stabbing occurred at a dance studio in Southport in which a 17-year-old boy named Axel Rudakubana killed three children and injured ten others – eight of whom were children at a Taylor Swift–themed yoga and dance workshop. Starmer described the murders as horrendous and shocking and thanked emergency services for their swift response.[97] He later wrote amidst the riots across the country following the stabbing that those who had "hijacked the vigil for the victims" had "insulted the community as it grieves" and that rioters would feel the full force of the law.[98] On 1 August, following a meeting with senior police officers, Starmer announced the establishment of the National Violent Disorder Programme to facilitate greater cooperation between police forces when dealing with violent disorder.[99] On 4 August Starmer said that rioters "will feel the full force of the law" and told them "You will regret taking part in this, whether directly or those whipping up this action online and then running away themselves". He added "I won't shy away from calling it what it is – far-right thuggery".[100][101] Starmer later called an emergency response meeting of Cobra.[102] After the Cobra meeting he announced the establishment of a "standing army" of specialist police officers to address the violence, and help bring it to an end.[103]

Starmer rejected calls from some MPs – including Labour MP Diane Abbott, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage and Conservative Priti Patel – to recall Parliament to Westminster.[104] Farage condemned the violence as having "no place in a functioning democracy" but suggested "soft policing" during Black Lives Matter protests had contributed to a "sense of injustice" and an impression of "two-tier policing".[105] Patel called Farage's comments deeply misleading and "simply not relevant". She said: "There's a clear difference between effectively blocking streets or roads being closed to burning down libraries, hotels, food banks and attacking places of worship. What we have seen is thuggery, violence, racism." Patel also wrote to the Prime Minister and Home Secretary, asking them to recall parliament.[106]

After Starmer said "large social media companies and those who run them" were contributing to the disorder, the American businessman and political figure Elon Musk, the owner of Twitter, criticised him for not condemning all participants in the riots and only blaming the far-right.[107][108] Musk also responded to a tweet which said the riots were due to "mass migration and open borders" by tweeting, "Civil war is inevitable". His comments were condemned by Starmer's official spokesman.[109][110][111] Musk further said Starmer was responsible for a "two-tier" policing system which did not protect all communities in the United Kingdom,[112][113][114] and subsequently shared a conspiracy theory that Starmer's government was planning to build detainment camps in the Falkland Islands to hold far-right rioters. In response, Starmer said: "my focus is on ensuring our communities are safe. That is my sole focus. I think it's very important for us all to support the police in what they're doing".[115][116]

After Rudakubana's guilty plea on 20 January 2025, Cooper announced a public inquiry, stating that the victims' families "needed answers about what had happened leading up to the attack".[117] This was followed by Starmer's promise to overhaul terrorism laws to reflect the type of non-ideological killings characterised by individuals like Rudakubana, stressing the threat from "acts of extreme violence perpetrated by loners, misfits, young men in their bedroom, accessing all manner of material online, desperate for notoriety, sometimes inspired by traditional terrorist groups, but fixated on that extreme violence, seemingly for its own sake".[118] Significant attention was drawn to Prevent for failing to accept referrals of Rudakubana on the basis of him lacking a terrorist ideology. Although an emergency review found that Prevent had followed correct procedures on each referral, Cooper concluded "that too much weight was placed on the absence of ideology" in the programme. Cooper announced that there would be a review on the threshold at which Prevent intervenes, with the senior lawyer David Anderson being assigned by Starmer as the Independent Prevent Commissioner to perform the review.[118][119]

Historical scandals

Main articles: Oldham Council and Grenfell Tower Inquiry
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Jess Phillips, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls

In October 2024 Jess Phillips, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls, rejected Oldham Council's request for an independent public inquiry into the Oldham child sexual exploitation scandal, favouring a locally-run inquiry instead.[120] On 2 January 2025, the leader of the opposition, Kemi Badenoch, called for a national inquiry into group-based child sexual exploitation, criticising the Labour government for not supporting a government-led inquiry into Oldham.[121][122] Phillips said that the previous Conservative government, of which Badenoch was a part, had also supported a local inquiry in Oldham.[123]

Musk called Phillips a "rape genocide apologist" and suggested she was attempting to shield Starmer from blame since he led the Crown Prosecution Service when the abuse occurred.[124][125][126] Starmer was head of the CPS in 2009 when a decision was made not to prosecute an individual who was part of the Rochdale child sex abuse ring; however, there is no evidence Starmer was personally involved in the decision.[127] In response, Starmer said politicians and activists were "spreading lies and misinformation" over grooming gangs, and were appealing to the far-right.[b][128][129][126] Professor Alexis Jay, who chaired the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse said: "It doesn't need more consultation, it does not need more research or discussion, it just needs to be done."[120] Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced a government-backed Oldham inquiry, and a nationwide review of evidence, on 16 January 2025.[130][131]

In May 2025, Leader of the House of Commons Lucy Powell described discussion of rape gangs as a "dog whistle", which was condemned by survivors of the abuse.[132] Reform UK called her comments "abhorrent" and asked the Prime Minister to consider sacking Powell[133] while the Conservatives called on her to resign.[134] She subsequently apologised.[135]

On 5 February 2025, Angela Rayner, the Deputy Prime Minister, told bereaved relatives and survivors of the 2017 Grenfell Tower fire that a decision had been made to demolish Grenfell Tower.[136] The plans were confirmed on 7 February 2025, with dismantling of the tower expected to take two years.[137] Rayner said that regulators had failed and that her department had "failed to act on known risks and ignored, delayed, or disregarded matters affecting the safety of life".[138] Starmer previously made a statement about the Grenfell Tower Inquiry's final report on 4 September 2024, stating the bereaved relatives and survivors had "been let down so badly" and there must be "full accountability" for the "decades of failure by central government."[139]

Proposed disability benefits reforms

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Liz Kendall, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions

Since her appointment as Work and Pensions Secretary, Liz Kendall has initiated a series of reforms aimed at reshaping the UK's welfare system. One of her primary objectives has been to shift the Department for Work and Pensions from merely administering benefits to actively promoting employment. In a speech in Barnsley, Kendall said the need to address factors such as health, skills, childcare, and transport, which significantly influence individuals ability to secure and maintain employment.[140]

Kendall proposed the "Youth Guarantee" for 18 to 21-year-olds, designed to ensure that young people are either earning or learning. This program offers opportunities for training or employment, with the stipulation that refusal to participate could result in benefit reductions. Kendall noted the importance of early career engagement, saying that unemployment during youth can have long-term detrimental effects on job prospects and earning potential.[141]

A significant aspect of Kendall's reform agenda involves tightening eligibility criteria for Personal Independence Payments (PIP) and incapacity benefits. These measures aim to save approximately £5 billion annually by the end of the decade. The proposed changes are expected to affect around one million people, particularly those with mental health conditions and minor physical difficulties.[142]

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Protest against disability welfare cuts at Portsmouth Pride 2025

The proposed disability benefits reforms have sparked considerable debate. Disability charities and opposition parties have criticized the cuts, labeling them as devastating and immoral. Organisations such as the Disability Benefits Consortium, Scope, and Mind argue that these changes could push disabled individuals further into poverty and exacerbate health issues, highlighting the potential social impact of the reforms.[143]

In response to the backlash, Kendall has emphasised the need for a balanced approach that ensures fiscal responsibility while protecting vulnerable populations. She acknowledges the concerns raised by disability advocates and noted the importance of reinvesting savings into employment programs to support those on health-related benefits, aiming to create a more equitable system.[144]

Kendall's tenure has also been marked by internal party challenges. Some Labour MPs have expressed apprehension regarding the impact of welfare reforms on disadvantaged communities. The historical context of previous welfare cuts serves as a cautionary backdrop, prompting calls for the party to uphold its commitment to social justice while pursuing necessary fiscal reforms.[145] On 26 June 2025, the government, following extensive pressure from over 120 backbench Labour MPs,[146] announced it would soften its plans for new welfare legislation by confirming that new qualification criteria for receiving Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and the health aspect of Universal Credit (UC) would only apply to prospective new claimants rather than pre-existing claimants who can continue to claim under the pre-existing qualification system.[147]

Railways

On 25 May 2025, Labour's renationalisation of the UK's railways began as the train operator South Western Railway was taken into public ownership.[148]

Passenger train operators continue to be renationalised, with services to be managed at some future time by Great British Railways, with c2c the next to be taken back into public ownership on 20 July 2025.[149]

Parliamentary business

Following the general election, chairs and member of select committees were due to be appointed.[150] The House of Commons allocated which parties held each chair in advance of the summer recess on 30 July 2024.[151] Nominations for Chairs and memberships ran until 9 September, and ballots took place on 11 September.[152]

Foreign affairs

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Starmer meets with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, March 2025

The first foreign meeting that Starmer attended as prime minister was the 2024 NATO summit.[153][154] On the flight to the summit, he laid out a "cast iron" commitment to increase defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP, following a "root and branch" review of the UK's defences.[155][156] In July 2024 Starmer and Joe Biden discussed their shared commitment to the Special Relationship and mutual support of Ukraine. Biden also congratulated Starmer on "a hell of a victory".[157]

At the 2024 NATO summit, Starmer signaled that Ukraine could use Britain's Storm Shadow missile donations to strike military targets inside Russia.[158] In a meeting with Zelensky, Starmer called for an "irreversible" membership strategy for Ukraine to join NATO.[159] In July 2024, Starmer told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the UK would continue its "vital cooperation to deter malign threats" with Israel.[160]

In May 2025, the UK and India agreed a trade deal to make it cheaper and easier to buy and sell goods and services to one another. Starmer described this as the UK's best trade deal since Brexit.[161]

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Starmer with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, February 2025

Later in May, the UK and the EU agreed on a deal in London to 'reset' relations between them following Brexit. The deal included provisions on defence, fishing rights and youth mobility.[162]

Following the Israeli strikes on Iran in July 2025, Starmer said the UK had "long held concerns" about Iran's nuclear programme, and that he "absolutely recognize[s] Israel's right to self-defence." At the same time, he stressed the need for "de-escalation."[163] Starmer reiterated those messages during a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu.[164]

United States

Following the attempted assassination of Donald Trump in Pennsylvania, Starmer tweeted "Political violence in any form has no place in our societies" and offered Donald Trump and his family his best wishes.[165] He later deflected allegations from the Trump campaign that Labour had undertaken unlawful electoral interference by providing support to Kamala Harris' campaign, and had a meeting with Trump during the 79th session of the UN general assembly in New York.

In November 2024, Starmer offered his congratulations to Trump on a phone call after he won the 2024 United States presidential election, along with other world leaders, saying "I look forward to working with you in the years ahead. I know that the UK-US special relationship will continue to prosper on both sides of the Atlantic for years to come."[166] Starmer also congratulated Trump on his victory in his first Prime Minister's Questions since the election result.[167]

Following Trump's second inauguration, Starmer met Trump at the White House in February 2025, and upon arrival presented to Trump an invitation letter from King Charles III for an 'unprecedented' second state visit for a US president.[168] Trump endorsed the Starmer government's proposed deal to relinquish the British Indian Ocean Territory to Mauritius by ceding sovereignty of the Chagos Islands, in exchange for a 99-year lease of Diego Garcia – including the UK-US military base.[169] Starmer and Trump agreed to work towards a trade deal.[170] Trump avoided Starmer's primary request of committing to a US backstop in any security guarantees for Ukraine.[171] Starmer toured the Washington offices of Palantir Technologies, he spoke to Chief Executive Officer Alex Karp and was shown some of the company's defence-related AI technology.[172]

Starmer's office confirmed that the United Kingdom provided support for United States strikes in Yemen in March 2025 through "routine allied air-to-air refuelling".[173]

Trump import tariffs
Further information: Tariffs in the second Trump administration
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Starmer with US President Donald Trump at the White House, February 2025

In April 2025, Trump announced a number of tariffs on foreign imports into the United States. English products were affected by a 10 per cent tariff. Starmer said that he planned on negotiating for a trade deal with the United States and that he did not want his country to be in a trade war.[174] The United Kingdom chose not to retaliate against President Trump's metal tariffs.[175]

Reeves stated that discussions were "ongoing" regarding a potential reduction of the UK's Digital Services Tax (DST) to prevent further trade disputes with the United States. Introduced in 2020, the UK's DST imposes a 2% levy on large digital companies, generating approximately £800 million annually. The proposal to reduce the tax faced criticism from the Liberal Democrats, who condemned it as a "tax handout to Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, and other US tech barons" and instead advocated for an increase to 6%.[176]

On 3 April 2025, the UK government published a 417-page list, which asked British businesses to point to products where tariffs would hurt British companies the least.[177]

On 15 April 2025, Vice President JD Vance stated that there was a "'Good chance" of a US-UK trade deal to be signed.[178]

In May 2025, Starmer agreed on a 'tariff deal' with the US which reduced the import tax on cars, from 25% to 10% and the 25% tariff on steel and aluminium were scrapped. Under this deal, the 20% tariff on US beef exports to the UK was also scrapped and the quota was raised by 12,000 metric tonnes.[179]

China

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Starmer and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the G20 summit in Brazil, 18 November 2024

In July 2024 Starmer pledged to take a tougher approach to China on human rights and security issues, including China's support for Russia during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[180] In November 2024, Starmer met Chinese leader Xi Jinping at the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro and told him he wanted to build a 'consistent, durable, respectful' relationship with China.[181]

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Starmer with international leaders at the 2025 London Summit on Ukraine

Russian invasion of Ukraine

On 16 February 2025 Starmer said he is ready to deploy British peacekeeping units in Ukraine if there is a peace deal to end the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[182] In addition, Starmer hosted the 2025 London Summit on Ukraine with 18 world leaders, and announced the creation of a Coalition of the willing to support peace in Ukraine and to end the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The stated aim of the initiative is to facilitate the peace negotiation attempts launched and mediated by the United States between Ukraine and Russia in February 2025, by helping to build up strong enough security guarantees for Ukraine to ensure that a potential reached ceasefire or peace deal would be lasting.[183] Besides serving the role as building up a potential peacekeeping force, the coalition have also expressed readiness to increase military support for Ukraine and strengthen economic sanctions against Russia, in the event that the ongoing negotiations for a "comprehensive ceasefire" or "peace deal" would fail. As of 20 March 2025, the exact shape and function of the coalition was described as still being subject to ongoing planning, but moved into an "operational phase".[184][185]

Israel-Palestine conflict

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Starmer meeting with Mahmoud Abbas, President of Palestine, September 2024
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Starmer calling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, October 2024

Starmer's government supports Israel's right to self-defence and has not blocked the sale of weapons and military equipment to Israel. Starmer has also condemned some of Israel's actions and called for a ceasefire in the Gaza war, sent humanitarian aid to Gaza, and supported a two-state solution.

Under Starmer's premiership, the licences of some British arms sales to Israel were suspended in September 2024 because of a "clear risk" that the weapons could be used to violate international law. Lammy announced the suspension of 30 out of 350 arms export licences to Israel, affecting equipment such as parts for fighter jets, helicopters and drones.[186] However, the value of arms exports to Israel rose in the three months after the partial ban. A spokesman for the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) said that most of these licenses were "for items being produced in Israel for third countries".[187][188][189]

After Israel's parliament banned UNRWA in October 2024,[190] Starmer issued a statement saying he was "gravely concerned". He said "The humanitarian situation in Gaza is simply unacceptable" and "Only UNRWA can deliver humanitarian aid at the scale and pace needed".[191][192]

In November 2024, Starmer refused to call Israel's actions in Gaza "genocide".[193] Later that month, Starmer's government stated that Netanyahu would be arrested if he travels to the UK, after the International Criminal Court issued an international arrest warrant for him for alleged war crimes.[194]

On 18 March 2025 Foreign Secretary David Lammy said that Israel had breached international law by blocking aid to the Gaza Strip. However, Starmer's government rejected Lammy's statement. A spokesman for Starmer's government said: "Our position remains that Israel's actions in Gaza are at clear risk of breaching international humanitarian law ... The government is not an international court, and, therefore, it is up to courts to make judgments". Asked whether Lammy should apologise, they added: "I'll leave that to the Foreign Office".[195]

Starmer issued a joint statement in May 2025 condemning Israel's renewed offensive against Gaza. It was also signed by Emmanuel Macron of France and Mark Carney of Canada. The statement called for Israel to immediately stop its military operations and to immediately allow humanitarian aid into Gaza. The statement condemned Israel's plan to ethnically cleanse the Gaza Strip as "abhorrent" and against international law. He said his government would take "concrete actions" if Israel continued its "egregious actions".[196] Netanyahu accused Starmer of siding with Hamas, saying "you're on the wrong side of justice, you're on the wrong side of humanity and you're on the wrong side of history".[197]

On 20 May 2025, the UK suspended talks on a trade deal with Israel, summoned the country's ambassador, and imposed new sanctions against Israeli West Bank settlers. Foreign Secretary David Lammy called Israel's renewed offensive "morally unjustifiable". Referring to Israeli plans to ethnically cleanse the Gaza Strip, Lammy said "It is extremism, it is dangerous, it is repellent, it is monstrous, and I condemn it in the strongest possible terms".[198]

Agreement on the return of the Chagos Archipelago to Mauritius

In May 2025, Keir Starmer defended before the House of Commons the agreement to return the Chagos Archipelago to Mauritius, located in the British Indian Ocean Territory, which notably houses a British and American military base.[199]

Scandals

Suspension of rebel Labour MPs

Main article: 2024 suspension of rebel Labour MPs
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Stephen Flynn, who supported an amendment by the SNP to scrap the two child benefit cap, leading to Labour withdrawing the whip from 7 of its MPs who had supported it

Starmer and Reeves have refused to scrap the benefit cap introduced by the Cameron–Clegg coalition, citing financial reasons.[200][201][202] The cap was introduced in 2013 as part of the coalition government's wide-reaching welfare reform agenda which included the introduction of Universal Credit and reforms of housing benefit and disability benefits.[203] Starmer's government cited wide public support for the measure, despite it being highly controversial.[204][failed verification] The benefit cap primarily affects families with children, high rents, or both.[205][relevant?] By 2024, the year Starmer and Reeves entered government, two-thirds of the families affected by the cap were single-parent families, half of which had a child under five.[206]

On 23 July 2024 Labour withdrew the whip from 7 of its MPs who had supported an amendment tabled by the Scottish National Party (SNP)'s Westminster leader, Stephen Flynn, to scrap it, with Flynn stating that scrapping the cap would immediately raise 300,000 children out of poverty. MPs rejected the SNP amendment by 363 votes to 103.[207] The seven Labour MPs suspended for six months were John McDonnell, Richard Burgon, Ian Byrne, Rebecca Long-Bailey, Imran Hussain, Apsana Begum and Zarah Sultana, all of whom then sat as independents. Burgon, Byrne, Long-Bailey and Hussain had the Labour whip restored on 5 February 2025, while Sultana, McDonnell and Begum continue to sit as independents. Starmer launched a Child Poverty Taskforce, in which expert officials from across government would work together on how best to support more than four million children living in poverty.[29]

Conversion of Winter Fuel Payment to a means-tested benefit

Main article: Winter Fuel Payment
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Gordon Brown (then chancellor) introduced the policy.

In July 2024, Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced that the Winter Fuel Payment, a welfare payment for elderly people introduced in 1997 by former chancellor and prime minister Gordon Brown intended to cover the additional costs of heating over the winter months, would only be given to those in receipt of Pension Credit or other means-tested benefits. This removed the benefit from around 10 million pensioners.[208] The announcement of this policy to remove fuel payments from pensioners took the nation by surprise as it had not been publicised in advance or included in Labour's manifesto for the election. With the announcement being made shortly before the Commons party conference season recess, there was only a limited initial response. However, several Labour MPs returned to Westminster complaining that their constituents were "furious and, in some cases, deeply worried".[209]

On 5 September, Starmer conceded to demands and promised a binding vote in the Commons on whether the changes to the fuel payment would be implemented. The change of heart came after unease amongst Labour MPs, with many of them signing an early day motion challenging the changes, and the opposition Conservative Party submitted a motion to annul the government's change to regulations.[210] The Conservative motion was debated on 10 September, and in the vote that followed, 348 MPs backed the government and 228 supported the opposition motion. With a majority of 120 to the government, the policy was implemented. A total of 52 Labour MPs, including seven ministers, did not participate in the vote. Labour MP Jon Trickett voted against the government. BBC News said that around 20 of the Labour MPs who did not participate had publicly expressed opposition to the policy previously.[211]

The government was put under pressure to abandon this policy by the Trades Union Congress (TUC) as it started its annual conference on 9 September. The TUC general secretary, Paul Nowak, said that he was concerned about the removal of the universal payment for all but the poorest pensioners. The general secretary of Unite, Sharon Graham, repeated her call for the decision to be reversed. Fran Heathcote of the PCS union said that the plan was a "misstep" and it needed to be "put right".[212][213] At the Labour Party conference, held between 23 and 25 September, Unite and the Communication Workers Union, managed to reserve time for a motion opposing the government's fuel payment policy to be debated and a non-binding vote taken.[214] The motion was scheduled to be debated on the first day of the conference, but on the day, the same day that Reeves was due to give a speech, the vote was postponed until the last day of the conference – after Starmer had left. The announcement of the move was greeted with loud boos and jeers from the conference attendees.[214][215][216] The Unite union said that by rescheduling their motion to the very end of the conference, the conference organisers had sought to silence them.[217] The Labour leadership lost the vote, with delegates supporting the motion to scrap the government's policy.[218]

The announcement of this policy to remove fuel payments from pensioners took the nation by surprise as it had not been publicised in advance or included in Labour's manifesto for the election. With the announcement being made shortly before the Commons party conference season recess, there was only a limited initial response. However, several Labour MPs returned to Westminster complaining that their constituents were "furious and, in some cases, deeply worried".[209] In August, consumer journalist and founder of MoneySavingExpert, Martin Lewis, suggested that the government should rethink their plans to restrict who would get the payment saying they had gone too far by limiting it to only the "absolute poorest pensioners on the very lowest income".[219] Labour MP Rachael Maskell said, "Being cold at home can lead to stroke, heart attack, hypothermia, pneumonia and other such illnesses" and recommended that the government should read the work of Professor Sir Michael Marmot and Sir Chris Whitty with respect to this "so that we can take a public health approach to people being warm at home, to mitigate the cost that could come without putting right mitigation around the winter fuel payments".[210] On 9 September it was reported that Labour MPs, including frontbenchers, were worried that Reeves's "brutal" plan for the fuel allowance would result in more older people ending up in hospital over the winter.[220]The UK's leading charity for older people, Age UK, wrote to Reeves with its proposal which it says would prevent around two million pensioners, for whom the payment is badly needed, from having the payment stopped.[221] At Prime Minister's Questions on 11 September, the former prime minister, leader of the opposition, Rishi Sunak, accused Starmer of covering up the impact assessment for the policy, asking him if the estimate for the number of deaths was higher or lower than the 3,850 Labour had previously forecast would result from this policy. Starmer did not answer that question directly.[222]

Free gifts and hospitality controversy

Main article: 2024 Labour Party freebies controversy
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Waheed Alli, Baron Alli pictured in 2010

On 24 August 2024 The Times reported that, shortly after Starmer became the prime minister, Waheed Alli, Baron Alli, Starmer's biggest personal donor, had been given a security pass. The pass gave Alli unrestricted access to Downing Street, and he then hosted a party there for other Labour Party donors. This gave rise to suspicions of "cash for access" and claims of "cronyism".[223][224] On 15 September 2024 reports emerged in the British media that Starmer had initially failed to declare £5,000 of gifts used to purchase clothes for his wife, Victoria Starmer.[225] The gifts had been given by Alli, who had also given Starmer a number of clothing-related gifts, including £2,435 worth of eyeglasses, and had given Labour Deputy Leader Angela Rayner gifts worth £3,550 of clothes in June 2024.[226] It was subsequently reported that Starmer had accepted over £107,145 worth of gifts, benefits, and hospitality since the 2019 general election, including tickets to Arsenal F.C. matches and Taylor Swift concerts, two-and-a-half times more than any other MP.[227][228] It was also reported that Health Secretary Wes Streeting had been gifted four Taylor Swift concert tickets, worth a total of £1,160, by The Football Association,[229] and that Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves had accepted £7,500 worth of clothes in 2024 from Juliet Rosenfeld,[226] which were registered as donations "to support the shadow chancellor's office".[230] On 17 September 10 Downing Street announced that Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards Daniel Greenberg would not investigate the gifts.[231]

On 20 September 2024, as the Labour Party Conference was set to begin, Starmer as well as Reeves and Rayner announced they would no longer accept clothes from donors.[232] That weekend, The Mail on Sunday reported that Secretary of State for Education Bridget Phillipson had received a £14,000 gift from Alli for her 40th birthday party. Phillipson defended the gift, saying that it had been used "to get people together in a professional context" ahead of her birthday party and that it had been properly declared in the register of interests.[233] Phillipson also admitted to accepting Taylor Swift concert tickets, saying that it was "hard to say no".[234] When Alli was asked about the controversy at the Conference by a Sky News reporter, he stated that he didn't want to be asked about it, saying that the questions were "not very nice."[235] That same weekend, Leader of the House of Commons Lucy Powell stated that the government had "no plans" to change the rules on MP accepting gifts.[235] Starmer subsequently admitted to accepting accommodation worth £20,000 from Alli between May and July 2024, stating that the offer was for somewhere his son could study peacefully for his GCSEs.[236] The exams that year finished in mid-June. Starmer's use of accommodation provided by Alli sparked further controversy when it was reported that a video calling for Brits to stay at home that Starmer had filmed in December 2021, during the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, had been filmed in a flat belonging to Alli.[237] On 27 September The Guardian reported that Starmer had received an additional £16,000 worth of clothes as a gift from Alli in late 2023 and early 2024. Although those gifts had been declared in time, they had been declared as money "for the private office" of Starmer, and not as clothing.[238]

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In October 2024, it was reported that the Special Escort Group would be provided for Taylor Swift for the remainder of The Eras Tour shows in London.

In October 2024 it was reported that the Metropolitan Police's Special Escort Group—a top-level security usually provided for members of the British royal family and heads of state—would be provided for Swift and crew for the remainder of The Eras Tour shows in London. A political scandal soon developed in the United Kingdom as the politicians of opposition Conservative Party accused the ruling Labour Party of receiving free tickets to the Eras Tour in exchange of the security grant. It was alleged that Labour politicians, ranging from Starmer to London mayor Sadiq Khan, had received around £20,000 in free tickets, after Swift's demand for the security was initially denied, with the politicians subsequently pressuring the police to give in.[239] The prime minister's office denied that the free tickets were connected to security demands, however admitted that Starmer meeting Swift at the concert could have created a perception of a conflict of interest.[240] The former Conservative prime minister Boris Johnson said Swift has made the United Kingdom "look like a banana republic"; Rebecca Reid of i said "the Eras tour has been dragged into a tangential political row" and criticised Johnson, writing that he did not care about women's safety; Reid opined that Swift deserves the police convoy in light of the Vienna threat and the Southport stabbing.[241]

Although no Parliamentary rules were broken nor was there clear evidence that any improper favour had been sought by those who offered Starmer gifts, the controversy still posed a political problem for Labour, as it left them facing accusations of hypocrisy and that it risked conflicting with the government's message of budget austerity.[242][243][244] Starmer stated that there was a "massive difference between declarations and corruption," saying that "all MPs get gifts" and that as Prime Minister, he "can't go into the stands because of security reasons. Therefore, if I don't accept a gift of hospitality, I can't go to a game."[245] Members of Starmer's cabinet defended his actions. Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden said that Starmer "will, and does, conduct himself with integrity" and that the controversy was "because of taking advice and trying to make sure you abide by the rules."[246] Foreign Secretary David Lammy stated that successive prime ministers "do rely on political donations so they can look their best both in the hope of representing the country, if you're in the opposition, or as prime minister."[247] Health Secretary Wes Streeting stated that he was "proud" of people who contributed "their money to our politics," describing it as "a noble pursuit just like giving to charity."[248] Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said that he had "no problem" with the acceptance of gifts that can be of "a more personal nature" opining that hard-working politicians were entitled to "a bit of relaxation".[249]

Labour backbencher Rosie Duffield resigned the Labour whip over the row, accusing her government of pursuing "cruel and unnecessary" policies and accused Starmer of "hypocrisy" for accepting gifts. In her resignation letter she accused Starmer and senior Labour MPs of "sleaze, nepotism and apparent avarice" which are "off the scale". She added "I'm so ashamed of what you and your inner circle have done to tarnish and humiliate our once proud party".[250] Another Labour backbencher, and Mother of the House, former Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott said that under the leadership of Starmer, the Labour Party is now "in the pocket of millionaires".[251] Former Labour Party Deputy Leader Baroness Harman criticised Starmer's response to the controversy, saying that Starmer was "not a sort of money focused, greedy type person," but that "doubling down and trying to justify it is making things worse."[252] Former Labour Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer John McDonnell criticised Starmer for accepting the gifts while "talking about tough decisions and painful policies coming and possibly a new wave of austerity," adding that Labour Party founder Keir Hardie attended Parliament in "an ordinary working man's suit instead of the usual formal dress and he did so because he wanted to make the point that we represent working people."[253] The Guardian published an editorial warning that the Labour government did not have the benefit of a political honeymoon and that it was "hard to believe that a leader who laid such stress on the need to rebuild trust in politics should behave so naively."[254]

Farmers' protests

Main article: 2024–2025 United Kingdom farmers' protests
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Tractors on the streets of London during a farmers' protest in November 2024

In response to changes to inheritance tax law for family farms announced in the October budget, mass protests organised by farmer organisations, against new inheritance tax laws on agricultural assets, have taken place around the United Kingdom since November 2024. The new laws were proposed in the October 2024 budget, and have led to thousands of British farmers protesting, including in Parliament Square and addressing MPs directly in parliament.[255][256]

The protests were a response to proposed changes to inheritance tax on agricultural assets, which media outlets dubbed as a "tractor tax". Previously, the intergenerational transfer of farms had been exempt from taxation as a result of 1992 tax break by the Conservative Major ministry intended to protect food security.[257][258] In November 2024, the newly elected Labour Starmer ministry announced plans to remove the exemption from inheritance tax for farms valued over at least £1,000,000 in order to generate revenue for public services.[258] Set to take effect in April 2026, the new policy would see a 20% inheritance tax on farm valued over that threshold, half the standard rate of inheritance tax, and could be paid interest-free across ten years.[258]

Opposition to the change from farmers stemmed from their claim that farmers, while asset rich, are cash poor, which they said created a situation where heirs would have to sell farm land to meet tax obligations.[257] Supporters of the change claimed it would mitigate and prevent wealthy individuals from buying farmland to avoid inheritance tax.[259][260][261] Starmer responded to concerns by saying that the actual threshold for inheritance tax liability could reach up to as high as £3,000,000 once various exemptions were applied, including considerations for couples and specific agricultural property relief.[257][262] The secretary of state for environment, food and rural affairs, Steve Reed, defended the tax changes as a measure to counter wealthy investors using agricultural land for tax avoidance, stating it had become "the most effective way for the super rich to avoid paying their inheritance tax."[259] Since 2024, television presenter, journalist, farmer, and author Jeremy Clarkson has been extremely critical of Starmer and the Labour Party.[263][264][265][266] Clarkson attended the England farmers' protests in London where he called tax hikes a "hammer blow to the back of the head" of British agriculture.[262] Clarkson later labelled Starmer "a nightmare for farmers".[267]

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Local election results and opinion polling

Summarize
Perspective
Main articles: 2025 United Kingdom local elections and Leadership approval opinion polling for the next United Kingdom general election § Keir Starmer
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Starmer visiting the Leonardo Headquarters on the same day as the 2025 local elections, 2 May 2025

Starmer won a landslide victory at the 2024 general election and became prime minister, but with the smallest share of the electoral vote of any majority government since record-keeping of the popular vote began in 1830. The combined vote share for Labour and the Conservatives reached a record low, with smaller parties doing well. The election was noted as the most disproportionate in modern British history,[268] mainly as a result of the first-past-the-post voting system.[269][270][271][272] Starmer had previously received mixed approval ratings as opposition leader, with controversy over continued support for Israel in the Gaza war, which began during his tenure as opposition leader, continuing into his premiership. Despite this Starmer began his premiership with high approval ratings, ending his first week as prime minister as popular amongst the public as Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak were at the height of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout.

By the end of 2024, opinion polling for the Labour Party and Starmer's personal approval ratings had dropped significantly following several controversies including those regarding the abolition of Winter Fuel Payments and alleged trading of gifts for political influence, as well as a series of far-right anti-immigration riots fueled by the perception that his government mishandled its response to the 2024 Southport stabbings, and protests by farmers over a proposed new inheritance tax on their farms. These controversies culminated in an online petition in November 2024 calling for an early general election reaching over 2 million signatures within 2 days.[273][274] Starmer responded to the petition by saying "I'm not surprised, quite frankly, that as we're doing the tough stuff there are plenty of people who say 'well I'm impacted, I don't like it'. But we've got to make the big calls on the NHS and on schools that are really important for the here and now and for the future."[273][274] In December 2024, it was falsely reported online that Starmer had received the lowest approval ratings of any sitting prime minister in modern history, which was dismissed by polling companies who have recorded less favourable opinions of prime ministers past.[275]

By March 2025, opinion polling for the Labour Party and Starmer's personal approval ratings had slightly improved, and despite being critical of his government on issues that matter most to them, Starmer was reported to be favoured as prime minister by the public over Badenoch and Farage.[276][277] The 2025 local elections in England were the first local elections of Starmer's premiership, and saw Labour suffer historical loses alongside the Conservatives, with major gains achieved by Reform UK and the Liberal Democrats.[278][279][280] Starmer responded by saying the message he was taking away from the results was that his party "must deliver that change even more quickly" and argued that evidence of change was beginning to show with NHS waiting lists coming down and more appointments being created. He also defended taking "tough but right decisions" in the first 10 months of his premiership, saying Labour "inherited a broken economy" from the Conservatives: "Maybe other prime ministers would have walked past that, pretended it wasn't there. I took the choice to make sure our economy was stable."[281]

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Ministry

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Main article: Starmer ministry
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Starmer attending his first Cabinet meeting, 6 July 2024

Starmer formed his government throughout 5–7 July, after his party won 411 seats in the 2024 general election, with the new Cabinet first meeting on 6 July and the new Parliament being called to meet on 9 July.[282][283][284] It has been noted for its female political representation, appointing women to a record half of the Cabinet (including Rachel Reeves as the first female Chancellor of the Exchequer in British history) and three of the five top positions in the British government, including Angela Rayner as Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government.[285][286][failed verification]

Starmer also appointed three politically independent experts: scientist Patrick Vallance as Minister of State for Science, rehabilitation campaigner James Timpson as Minister of State for Prisons, Parole and Probation, and international law expert Richard Hermer as Attorney General for England and Wales.[287] The government includes a few ministers from the New Labour governments of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, including Hilary Benn, Yvette Cooper, David Lammy and Ed Miliband in the Cabinet, and Jacqui Smith and Douglas Alexander as junior ministers.[288][289][290]

Changes

Changes from Starmer's final Shadow Cabinet to Cabinet.

Departures

This is a list of departures from the Starmer ministry since forming a government on 6 July 2024.

Cabinet

More information Minister (Cabinet members shown in bold), Office ...

Non-ministerial appointments

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International prime ministerial trips

Main article: List of international prime ministerial trips made by Keir Starmer
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Starmer with President Joe Biden at the White House Oval Office in 2024
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Starmer with President Donald Trump at the White House Oval Office in 2025

Starmer has made 26 international trips to 21 countries during his premiership. As of 24 June 2025, the numbers of visits per country where Starmer travelled are:

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References

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