Who thinks Labour are doing well?

[Murdochcat]

They seem to be doing well at increasing unemployment and business closures

 

[Ivor Windybottom]

Some good things that make our lives better - of course, the press has twisted things to make all this sound like a total disaster.
Even though economy stronger (outperfoming several G7 countries), inflation under better control, interest rates lower...

Economy and Infrastructure​

• National Wealth Fund: The government established a £7.3 billion National Wealth Fund designed to unlock over £70 billion in private investment. This fund specifically targets green industries, including ports, gigafactories, and hydrogen production, to future-proof the UK's industrial base.
• GB Energy: Launched as a publicly owned clean energy company, it received £8.3 billion in funding to accelerate the transition to renewable energy. This is intended to lower household bills long-term and increase energy independence.
• Planning Reform: To tackle the housing crisis, the government overhauled national planning rules with a goal of building 1.5 million new homes over the parliament. This includes a "brownfield first" approach to protect the green belt while boosting construction jobs.
• Fiscal Stability: The introduction of the Fiscal Lock Law was designed to prevent significant uncosted spending or tax changes without independent oversight, aiming to provide the market stability that was volatile in previous years.

Workers’ Rights and Living Standards​

• Employment Rights Act 2025: This landmark legislation introduced several protections, such as:
  • Day-one rights for paternity leave and sick pay.
  • Ending exploitative zero-hours contracts by giving workers the right to a contract that reflects their regular hours.
  • Banning "fire and rehire" practices.
  • Strengthening protections against unfair dismissal (reducing the qualifying period from two years to six months).
• National Minimum Wage Increases: The government pushed for a "genuine living wage," including a significant 16.3% increase for workers aged 18–20 in April 2025 to move toward equalizing pay scales across age groups.
• Pensions Protection: The Triple Lock on the State Pension was maintained, ensuring that pensioner incomes stay in line with inflation or earnings.

Public Services: Health and Education​

• NHS Waiting Times: To address the backlog, the government funded an extra 40,000 appointments per week (2 million per year) by incentivizing staff to work evenings and weekends.
• Resolution of Industrial Action: Within months of taking office, the government ended the long-running junior doctor strikes and rail strikes by reaching pay agreements, which significantly reduced service disruptions.
• Primary School Breakfast Clubs: A nationwide rollout of free breakfast clubs for all primary school children began, aimed at improving attendance and helping with the cost of living for parents.
• Teacher Recruitment: A campaign was launched to recruit 6,500 new expert teachers to address shortages in key subjects and improve standards in state schools.

Housing and Communities​

• Renters' Rights: The government moved to ban "no-fault" evictions (Section 21), providing more security for millions of private renters.
• Rail Nationalisation: The Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Act began the process of bringing rail franchises back into public hands as their contracts expire, with several major lines already transitioned by early 2026.

Is that from the manifesto?

It all looks pretty trivial. I've heard Starmer being mocked that free* breakfasts for kids was his one achievement.

I just don't hear a big picture, a goal we're supposed to be striving towards.

* free = someone else pays

 

[Old Salt]

Governments have spent 179 million pounds and now cancelled the Stonehenge tunnel. If anyone lives nearby you will know it is a huge bottle neck of a single lane road.

Successive governments waste huge amounts of cash with planning inquiries, changes in policy and U thrns. I wish they would make a decision and stick to it.

Keith’s cabinet have changed its mind more times than I change my pants.

 

[Mottie]

Banning "fire and rehire" practices.

How’s that going?

Brewdog accused of 'fire and rehire' approach to ex-workers

The company's brewery and 11 bars were bought by US firm Tilray for £33m after it went into administration.

www.bbc.co.uk

Day-one rights for paternity leave and sick pay.

That is not a good thing.

 

[JP_]

Is that from the manifesto?

no, that's what has been done.

 

[JP_]

How’s that going?

I guess the outcome of the legal action will tell. "the union now planned to take legal action against the company."

A government can't magically stop people doing things, it can only apply the law when they break the rules.

 

[motorbiking]

Some well meaning laws that have done real damage to the U.K.

The employment rights act will need repealing by the next government. It’s hammering our competitiveness and killing jobs particularly for young people.

Labour don’t realise that many high paying UK jobs can be done elsewhere.

 

[motorbiking]

no, that's what has been done.

Brewdog is an excellent example of what happens when you get carried away with cashing out to PE investment. It’s got so much investment debt, it is almost impossible for it to survive.

 

[Elsa TLC]

I think Kier and his team started well, then they started pïssing off the ones that voted them in. Then U turning and leaving skid marks.

You cant brush skid marks under the carpet.

I admire Kier in a way as the country has been left in a state and Donald was never going to make it easy for him.

 

[motorbiking]

He would make a good home secretary or foreign secretary.

 

[blup]

His slightly dull non show boating style is a perfect antidote to Trumpf’s rampant ego. Bliar or Borris would have jumped at the chance to be on the world stage Iraq2 style.

 

[Brigadier]

Some well meaning laws that have done real damage to the U.K.

Do you honestly think that the clusterfudge can be fixed in a matter of months?

Reality check : it'll take many years.

The employment rights act will need repealing by the next government. It’s hammering our competitiveness and killing jobs particularly for young people

Blinkered view.

Without raising the value of employment, lowering the cost of living, and rebuilding the social structure of the country, more sub-subsistence jobs will just increase the in-work-welfare bill.

Labour don’t realise that many high paying UK jobs can be done elsewhere

You're still here, so clearly you don't realise this either.

 

[motorbiking]

Do you honestly think that the clusterfudge can be fixed in a matter of months?

Reality check : it'll take many years.





Blinkered view.

Without raising the value of employment, lowering the cost of living, and rebuilding the social structure of the country, more sub-subsistence jobs will just increase the in-work-welfare bill.




You're still here, so clearly you don't realise this either.

I'm retiring at the end of the month. I will be going from an effective tax rate of just under 50% to Just under 5% in around 2 years and still net 6 figures. Someone else can pay for labour's nonsense. It's what happens when a government keeps targeting those who pay the most. We stop.

 

[warey4life]

They are definitely doing their best and Starmer is a hard worker. But some of their policies have really had a bad impact on the country. Mainly the two budgets and the workers rights.

There is a reason why Labour governments are quite rare.

One of the reasons Labour governments are quite rare is because of the mainly right wing biased news outlets. The Tories were equally as incompetent but with added sleaze and corruption.
Although Starmer's Labour have done some pretty stupid things. The winter fuel payment fiasco, increasing employers NI then wonder why the employment figures suffer, and then offer employers money to employ people !!?? Utter stupidity.
However I cannot ignore sensible things Labour has done, like repair our relationship with European, although they need to go much further IMO, as the most damaging thing to our economy is trade friction with the EU (our largest and closest group of trading nations, 46% of all UK trade, voting to leave the EU was the most stupid and ignorant thing the British electorate ever did).
Hiring more teachers, primary school breakfast clubs, more NHS investment which has reduced waiting times, investments in energy savings and decarbonisation which is saving many hundreds of millions across many NHS organisations (which is what I'm working on at the moment).
To dismiss everything Labour is doing that is good, you need to have a pretty high level of political entrenchment, or ignorance, or both.

 

[Brigadier]

Labour don’t realise that many high paying UK jobs can be done elsewhere

I'm retiring at the end of the month

Pizz and wind then.


And, genuinely, enjoy your retirement