It’s been fourteen years since we last had a Labour Government, and we are now 100 days into this new chapter. Measuring the first 100 days is a measure adopted from American politics where newly elected presidents enjoy high approval, party unity, and fresh momentum. Think of it like a honeymoon period.
And it felt like the country was in a state of optimism. When Sir Keir Starmer was elected, he had the highest approval rating for any politician in the UK, rising by eight points in favourability ratings. Now, he’s hit a new low with half of Britons disappointed with the Labour Government.
For the UK, saying time is of the essence would be an understatement. The UK requires transformative change by implementing policies which are long-lasting, systemic and sustainable at its core. Structural inequality is a crisis which has long-scarred Black and Minoritised Ethnic communities and requires immediate government intervention to prevent further injustices based on poverty, housing, income disparities, criminal justice, climate change and education on a national scale.
About 100 days ago, Voice4Change England wrote an open letter to the government. In this letter, we outlined the urgency of our new government to create policy frameworks which centre humanity, anti-racism, racial equity and institutional change by suggesting policy recommendations to implement within the first 100 days. By electing a new government, this country was ready for radical change.
And we still are. We want to live in a society where Black and Minoritised communities are not on the other end of ethnicity pay gap, where education is decolonised and decarbonised, affordability for housing is explicitly defined and homes are well-insulated and energy efficient, so people do not feel burdened with anxiety over heating bills during cold winter months whilst protecting our planet.
We know there is a lot to tackle, but we believe with united effort, we could all live in a society that we envision.
In this article, we will summarise the policies that have been implemented within 100 days in Number 10.
Prime Minister's ‘Freebies’ Backlash
£12,000 worth of work clothing, £4,000 of hospitality at a Taylor Swift concert, glasses worth £2,485, accommodation valued at £20,000, £13,000 worth of Premier League tickets, these are just some of the gifts Keir Starmer is under fire for receiving which all amount to £100,000, with majority being from Labour donor and billionaire, Waheed Alli.
This is more than any other prime minister has publicly declared. Starmer's acceptance of complimentary gifts drew attention after the Financial Times reported during the election that he had received £76,000 in hospitality and gifts. The backlash intensified when Sir Keir Starmer was accused of breaching parliamentary rules by failing to declare that Lord Alli bought clothes for his wife.
Starmer has defended his decision, and Labour MPs are allegedly demanding Sir Keir Starmer to stop accepting gifts, accusing him of ‘hypocrisy’ and ‘double standards’. Labour MPs, including health secretary Wes Streeting and education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, were also gifted tickets to see Taylor Swift, at a combined value of £17,102.54. Phillipson defended this decision by saying, “One of my children was keen to go along it’s hard to say no if you are offered tickets in those circumstances.”
It has been reported that Starmer will pay back £6,000 worth of gifts, which includes the Taylor Swift tickets.
UK Race Riots
This isn’t the first summer where the UK witnessed riots. But perhaps, this is the first summer where Black, Muslim and Minoritised Ethnic people felt unsafe and cautious to leave their homes with countries issuing travel warnings to the UK over “dangerous” far-right riots.
In 2024, far-right protesters and anti-immigration demonstrations led to the formation of racist mobs across the country following the murder of three young girls at a Taylor Swift dance class in Southport. The riots were fuelled by a combination of false information spread on social media and the influence of far-right groups, along with rising anti-immigration, Islamophobic, and xenophobic sentiments.
In Voice4Change England’s statement in response to the riots, we stated how much we need the government, the media and other institutions to explicitly identify the root causes of the riots and how social media platforms played a significant role in spreading racist hatred, misinformation and influencing UK politics.
How the Labour Government Responded to the Riots:
Keir Starmer condemned ‘far-right thuggery’ and acknowledged the threat of the far-right and stated that perpetrators will feel the force of the law.
Over 700 arrests were made, with 32 relating to online offences. One man was charged with spreading racial hatred on Facebook. Derek Drummond received the longest sentence and was jailed for three years on violent disorder and assault charges.
More than 300 people were charged.
Over 6,000 riot officers were deployed to manage the unrests.
In an interview with the BBC, Starmer expressed concern over the rise of the far right after the UK race riots, but denied the UK is a racist country.
Release of the Historical Roots of the Windrush Scandal
The Home Office were forced to release a suppressed report on the origins of the Windrush scandal which states the roots of the scandal designed to reduce the UK’s non-white population.
The Windrush Scandal began in 2018, which targeted the Afro-Caribbean population from the Windrush Generation who were heavily mistreated by being wrongly detained, deported and denied legal rights, leaving many stateless. The true scale of those who were affected is still unknown.
The Historical Roots of the Windrush Scandal is a research report in response to Windrush Lessons Learned Review which was published in March 2020. The scandal represented a failure of governmental policies by creating a hostile environment for people who gave their best lives to Britain. It highlighted how structural inequalities stubbornly persist by shadowing the historical policies that still affect Black and Minoritised communties.
The Historical Roots of the Windrush Scandal research report revealed that:
The Windrush Scandal was caused by a failure to recognise that changes in immigration and citizenship law in Britain since 1948 had affected Black people in the UK differently than they had other racial and ethnic groups. As a result, the experiences of Britain’s Black communities of the Home Office, of the law, and of life in the UK have been fundamentally different from those of white communities.
Major immigration legislation in 1962, 1968 and 1971 was designed to reduce the proportion of people living in the United Kingdom who did not have white skin.
The relationship between the Home Office and organisations set up to deal with race relations was dysfunctional in the second half of the twentieth century. The work of various governmental bodies in combatting discrimination in the UK was separate from the task given to the Home Office to reduce immigration. This led to a paradoxical situation in which immigration policy assumed that too many immigrants from a minority ethnic background were bad for society, but race relations policy promoted the idea of racial equality.
You can read more here.
Immigration Policies
In recent years, immigration control has become a central theme in key policy changes. The political landscape has focused on addressing illegal immigration through measures such as Brexit, “Stop the Boats”, and the Rwanda deportation scheme. These policies have sparked debates across the country and, in some cases, contributed to heightened rhetoric and concerns about divisiveness.
The Labour Government has made border security of its top priorities in the government:
On Sir Keir Starmer’s first full day as prime minister, Starmer confirmed the Rwanda deportation scheme is ‘dead’ and ‘buried’.
Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, deployed 1,000 staff who had been working on the Rwanda scheme and created a new immigration enforcement raid programme over the summer, by targeting illegal workers in car washes and beauty shops, with some of the workers ethnically from Vietnam.
It is also worth noting that UK immigration policies have disproportionately impacted Black and Minoritised people. Even if Black and Minoritised people have the right to remain in the UK, many staff are subjected to racial targeting and harassment and causing trauma and harm to legitimate businesses. Read more on human rights lawyer, Jacqueline McKenzie’s personal experience on an immigration raid in South London.
Winter fuel allowance
The Winter fuel allowance was announced in 1997, to help older people with their heating costs during colder months. The allowance is either £200 or £300 and is applied to all older people, regardless of income or wealth.
In July, Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced that the payment would only be given to older people who received pension credit, meaning the very poorest pensioners. This is expected to reduce the number of people who are eligible from 11 million to about 1.5 million.
The decision has been seen as controversial, as many older people with vulnerable health conditions may struggle to afford heating without the allowances. Disability Rights UK has estimated that 1.6 million disabled pensioners will lose out on the payments. One of the main criticisms is how abruptly the payment was scrapped, with no prior engagement or consultation.
At the Labour Party Conference, the leadership lost a motion for the reversal of the allowance, sparking opposition. Sir Keir Starmer has defended this ‘tough’ decision because of the state of the country’s finances.
Labour Cabinet and MPs
The 2024 General Election broke numerous records for parliament and cabinet. With Labour winning the election landslide, we saw a record number of Black and Minoritised MPs elected, and the first female Chancellor elected.
In contrast, Labour’s win has been described as ‘shallow victory’ and a ‘loveless landslide’ due to only 52% of the nation voting, compared to 67% in 2019. Worryingly, the turnout shows an increased absence of ethnic minority supporters and lower-income earners. Since Labour’s presence in Number 10, a few changes have erupted parliament.
In July, Keir Starmer suspended seven Labour MPs for defying the party whip and voting in favour of a Scottish National Party amendment to scrap the two-child benefit limit. The two-child limited has been widely criticised, particularly those concerned about child poverty. This disciplinary move was aimed at maintaining the party unity and the consequences of rebelling. This move was controversial with Labour, with some MPs and observers arguing that the suspension was overly harsh and fails to facilitate a healthy culture.
Rose Duffield, MP for Canterbury, resigned from the Labour Party in September 2024. She has cited her reasons on the Starmer’s Labour Party being about ‘greed and power’ referencing austerity measures and his scandal from accepting expensive freebies from donors. “It is so profoundly disappointing to me as a Labour voter and an activist … to see this is what we have become.”
On 6 October 2024, Sue Gray resigned as Sir Keir Starmer’s chief of staff after facing intense political scrutiny, criticisms over her management style and leaked salary. Gray stated her resignation was to avoid becoming a distraction from the government’s work.
National Strikes
2023 was a year of many things, including the widespread disruption with the mass refusal of employers refusing to work. An estimated 5.05 million working days were lost to strikes in the UK - the highest total for any 19-month period in over 30 years.
Schools, train services and several medical services were reminiscent of a lockdown. Teachers, train drivers and junior doctors, who are incredibly essential to our national infrastructure were clearly unhappy with their work conditions and withdraw their labour, demanding more from the government.
In September 2024, junior doctors in England voted to accept the government’s pay offer of a 22.3% pay increase, bringing an end to one of the longest disputes of eighteen months in recent NHS history.
In the same month, train drivers reached a pay deal of backdated pay rises for the years ahead which saw the end of a two-year strike action.
Housing
If you were to ask someone on the street to list the top three issues that are affecting the UK, high chances are they may mention housing.
Housing prices have been soaring for decades, rough sleeping has risen to 27%, over 100,000 families are living in temporary accommodation, social housing is at its lowest rate in decades and the renter's market – the only other option for many - unaffordable, unstable and has hazardous properties.
In our statement addressing the Labour Government for navigating their first 100 days, we advised the government to implement the private rental sector with the Renter Reform Bill. We are pleased to announce that in September 2024, the Bill was introduced to Parliament, which would ban the ‘no fault’ evictions and further protections for tenants. The Bill also includes more accountability for landlords by newly introducing the Decent Home Standards for the private rental sector and fining landlords who fail to address serious hazards in respect of Awaab’s Law.
In July, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Angela Rayner MP announced the government’s intention to build a long-term housing strategy. Key announcements in Rayner’s speech included mandatory local housing targets, reviewing the Green Belt land, delivering affordable homes and addressing local planning.
The Labour Government has pledged an ambitious target to create 1.5 million homes in the UK. It is estimated that building 250,000 new homes is estimated to upkeep with the demand of new homes. However, it is unclear what actions has been implemented from the plan so far. We do acknowledge that building housing can be a lengthy process and requires various stakeholders for planning, labour and materials. Equally, the housing crisis is a national emergency that desperately requires radical reform and regulation by addressing the definition of affordable housing, loosening restrictions on building and applying fierce regulation to provide the UK public with housing.
The Chancellor’s next Spending and Review Budget is taking place on 30 October.
Renewable Energies
As part of their mission for a better country, Labour has pledged to make Britain a clean energy superpower with cheaper, zero-carbon electricity by 2030.
In July, the Labour Government officially removed the ban on new onshore wind farms in England, a move welcomed by environmental and energy experts. This change aligns with Labour’s commitment to enhance the UK’s energy independence and reduce energy bills, support skilled jobs, achieving climate goals and positions the UK as a leader in renewable energy.
New Tipping Laws
The hospitality sector has been fighting to stay afloat, due to Brexit, Covid and the cost-of-living crisis. Hospitality workers are feeling the pressure with reduced tips, fewer hours, and poor mental health.
Introduced through a Private Members’ Bill last year, the Employment Act will allow workers to receive 100% of their tips, gratuities and service charges as of October 2024. It is estimated that £200 million back in the pockets of hospitality workers. This means:
No tip deductions (other than taxes)
Fair tip distribution
Access to fair tips policy and report
No delay in workers receiving tips
Employment Rights
Work culture and labour has seen some significant changes in the UK, from remote working and hybrid working to an increased focus on mental health and wellbeing to even introducing four day workweek trials.
In October 2024, Unions welcomed the UK government plans to give greater rights to millions of workers in the UK which will be actioned from week commencing 14th October.
This bill will grant workers’ rights to sick pay, maternity pay, protection against unfair dismissal from their first day on the job with the aim to enhance job quality and increase living standards across the UK. Currently, women must wait six months for maternity pay. Fathers are also expected to get more rights to paternity pay.
However, the proposed ‘right-to-switch-off’, which gives workers the right to not engage in work correspondence outside of work contracted hours, is expected to be dropped, with businesses encouraged to create their own guidelines instead.
EU Mobility Scheme
The division Brexit caused still casts a shadow on British society. It was a tight vote, with the UK voting to leave the EU by 52% to 48%.
Keir Starmer has vowed to reset the relationship with the EU. In autumn, Starmer visited Brussels, and it will be signalled that:
Migration rights for under-30s and fishing access will be a priority issue in the upcoming Brexit reset talks with the EU
During discussions with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Starmer emphasised strengthening economic and security cooperation
Fishing rights, including access to UK waters, are also part of the negotiation
Starmer’s talks aimed to set a cooperative tone, with further meetings planned for autumn.
Tuition Fees
The higher education sector in the UK is facing a financial crisis. International student recruitment has decreased sharply, many universities are freezing budgets and merging departments midst a cost-of-living crisis difficulties for students and staff. To preserve the importance of education in our society, it is clear governmental support and intervention is needed.
University tuition fees for home students in England are reportedly set to rise by 13.5% according to new government plans. This is due to the current system being viewed as unsustainable. Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary, has warned the value of the current £9,250-a-year tuition hasn’t changed in a long time and due to the rising costs and inflation, it has eroded in value.
The government may also reintroduce maintenance grants of £3,500 to help students from low-income backgrounds.
Summary
Sir Keir Starmer's removal of the shameful Rwandan deportation scheme on his first day in office marked a positive start for the Labour Government. The Renters Reform Bill represents a generational change, offering renters more stability, security, and quality homes whilst pushing landlords to meet higher standards. Immediate action against rioters also signaled that racial hatred, anti-immigration sentiment, and Islamophobia should not be tolerated in the UK. Ending months of strikes, granting workers more rights and enforcing a law that ensures hospitality workers receive all their tips demonstrates solidarity with the value of labour.
However, the freebies controversy, Starmer’s suspension of seven Labour MPs, and the winter fuel allowance issue have left many people with a deep sense of frustration and disillusionment.
For the future of Britain, Voice4Change England strives for a government driven by transformative reform that centers on humanity, sparking hope across the country. In the next five years, we hope to see a robust housing plan that tackles homelessness, social housing shortages, and rent control. The Renters Reform Bill is pivotal for renters across the country but deeper issues around land hoarding and affordability remain. We urge the government to forge a stronger partnership with local authorities, who remain key players in planning, development, and social housing enforcement. Addressing the national housing crisis requires coordinated action at all levels of government.
We also call for justice for the Windrush Generation, who suffered under hostile, xenophobic immigration policies. The Labour Government’s focus on ethnicity pay disparities during Black History Month is relevant as racial justice cannot be achieved without economic justice, but we remain concerned whether this will drive systemic change, especially when factors like education, geography, gender, age, and nationalitywiden the pay gap.
Societal change takes time, and the Labour Government must engage with stakeholders, representatives, local communities and civil society to create lasting impact. Civil society plays a crucial in representing vulnerable members in our society, addressing food insecurity, poverty, racism, climate change, and housing, contributing £15.8 billion annually. Yet so many charities are struggling to stay afloat. We hope the Labour Government strengthens its relationship with civil society by providing more funding and resources, ensuring the voices of vulnerable communities can finally be heard.
To achieve structural equity, the government must represent underserved and overlooked populations.
And perhaps one day, we’ll live in a country where the period of optimism and hope for change isn’t so short-lived.
Christabelle Quaynor,
Policy and Influence Officer
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