Labour’s first year in power has, even its supporters will admit, not gone well. So, what’s gone wrong?
A year after Labour’s 1997 landslide, Tony Blair’s approval ratings were in the 70s, and he polled 20+ points ahead of the Conservative opposition. On Keir Starmer’s anniversary of leading Labour to a similarly sized victory, his approval rating is a dismal 34%, and the insurgent Reform Party tops the polls by 6%. Despite a Pyongyang-sized parliamentary majority, Labour’s first year in power has, even its supporters will admit, not gone well. So, what’s gone wrong?
While metaphors abound for the government’s seemingly determined efforts to sink itself politically, the Assisted Dying Bill, legalizing assisted suicide for terminally ill adults, which passed Parliament late last month, is no joke. While not a government bill, its passage would have been impossible without Starmer’s tacit endorsement. Pre-election, the Labour leader himself promised a pro-assisted dying campaigner he would hold a vote on the issue, and now his blithe assurance, made from the comfort of opposition, has come back to bite him.
The bill squeaked through by a majority of just 23, and two of its most vocal ministerial opponents, the Health and Justice secretaries, are the ones tasked with its execution and funding — though it seems there will be no extra money for the responsible departments. For now, the bill will go to the House of Lords for further scrutiny and amendments, but should it become operational, it will be an almighty headache for the government.
Most Labour MPs cut their political teeth opposing the post-financial crisis spending cuts imposed by the Conservative government, arguing austerity was a morally indefensible political choice. Back in government now, funds are tight once again, and they’re being asked to support cuts they find impossible to stomach. But the government seems unable to stick to its fiscal guns and has U-turned on two deeply unpopular and controversial welfare cuts. This has enraged loyal MPs who were forced to defend the measures, only for the leadership to cave in.
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