A year of Labour: How has the Starmer government fared in its first year?

A little over year ago, as the general election campaign was in full swing, we published The precarious state of the state with the aim of setting out just how big the task facing the winner would be. That winner – Keir Starmer’s Labour Party, elected with the biggest Commons majority since Tony Blair in 1997 – has now been in office for a year.

We said then that few elections in recent history would have rewarded the winner with challenges of such scale and severity. This has proved to be the case.

Some of those challenges were well understood, like creaking public services and sluggish economic growth. Some erupted early into the new government’s first term almost without warning, like the race riots that spread across England and Northern Ireland in August to put immediate strain on a criminal justice system already in crisis.

Others were more predictable, if no less difficult to navigate, like the return of Donald Trump to the White House and the many trade and international relations balancing acts that has brought.

So, how has the past 12 months gone for the prime minister and his government: what has been the effect of its two first fiscal events – the budget and spending review – and are there signs that this is a ‘missions-led’ government? Has Labour ushered in a ‘devolution revolution’ as promised, or begun the ‘total rewiring’ of the state? And has it been able to use its large majority to push its legislative agenda through parliament? 

Our experts offer their view.