Reset button: Keir Starmer gives a speech in Buckinghamshire setting out his Government's "Plan for Change" promising a shift away from Whitehall's "declinist mentality". © PA Images / Alamy Stock Photo
In what the Government denied was a reset, Prime Minister Keir Starmer delivered a major speech in which he threw down the gauntlet to his Government and the wider Whitehall ecosystem. In his Plan for Change, he announced 6 ‘milestones’ by which the Government can be judged to be achieving its 5 missions (growing the economy, creating an NHS fit for the future, making the streets safer, providing opportunity for all, and making Britain a clean energy superpower) by the end of this Parliament. The 6 milestones are: raising living standards in every part of the UK; building 1.5 million homes in England and fast-tracking planning decisions on at least 150 major economic infrastructure projects; meeting the NHS standard of 92% of patients in England receiving elective treatment within 18 weeks; recruiting 13,000 additional officers, PCSOs and special constables across England; making sure that 75% of 5-year-olds in England are ready to learn when they start school; and securing at least 95% clean power by 2030. He admitted that some, especially the housebuilding target, were an “almighty challenge”, while Kemi Badenoch dismissed the "emergency reset" and criticised the exclusion of immigration targets. In case you’ve lost track, we’re now on 3 Foundations, which feed into 5 Missions, which will be achieved by 6 First Steps, 5 of which will be measured by 6 Milestones. Meanwhile, the ‘kickstarting economic growth’ mission rests on 7 pillars, one of which identifies eight growth sectors. Keep up!
The UK will invest “more deeply than ever” in the “special relationship” with the US, Keir Starmer told Donald Trump when they met for dinner in New York in September, the PM revealed in his first major speech on foreign policy at the Lord Mayor's Banquet in London this week. He used the speech to reiterate the importance of NATO, reject the suggestion that “we’re with either America or Europe”, and called Russia an “erratic, increasingly desperate aggressor”. He restated the previous Government’s line on supporting Ukraine “for as long as it takes”, but raised eyebrows when he mentioned putting it in the “strongest possible position for negotiations” with Russia. He pledged to “continue to strengthen” the UK’s Armed Forces and to “set out a clear path to increase spending from 2.3% of GDP today to 2.5%”.
12,400 – the projected shortfall in prisons places by the end of 2027, according to an NAO report out this week
6 hours and 18 minutes – how long martial law lasted in South Korea in the early hours of Wednesday morning before being reversed
73.1 years – men’s life expectancy in Blackpool, the lowest life expectancy rate in Great Britain according to the ONS’ latest stats
90 – days Michel Barnier lasted as Prime Minister of France before being voted out (41 days longer than Liz Truss…)
6 months – how long the British Army would last in a war similar to Ukraine, according to the Veterans Minister.
4,661 – babies named Muhammad in 2023, with the ONS revealing it has overtaken Noah to become the most popular boys name in the UK
19 – days until Christmas
A 2024-centric mini-reshuffle took place to fill the gaps after Louise Haigh’s resignation last week. Sarah Sackman was appointed Minister of State in the Ministry of Justice, to replace Heidi Alexander; whilst fellow 2024-intake Lucy Rigby was in-turn promoted to the frontbench as Solicitor General. In addition, it was confirmed that Minister without Portfolio Ellie Reeves will now attend Cabinet.
Sir Chris Wormald will take over from Simon Case as the new Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Civil Service on 16th December. Sir Chris is currently Permanent Secretary at the Department of Health and Social Care. Announcing his appointment, the Prime Minister praised his wealth of experience, and stated that in order to deliver his plan for change, the Civil Service will require “exceptional leadership” in order to facilitate a “complete re-wiring of the British state to deliver bold and ambitious long-term reform.”
The Defence Secretary pledged to help build a “better, more integrated, more innovative and more resilient defence sector” to support it to innovate at speed to help Ukraine defeat Russia and seize the opportunities presented by the technologies of the future. Addressing the London Defence Conference this week, he outlined the measures published in a new ‘statement of intent’, arguing that a strong defence sector can help provide ‘the foundation for a decade of national renewal’.
Defence Minister Al Carns warned that the British Army would be “expended… in six months to a year” in a largescale war similar to the war in Ukraine, in a speech that garnered headlines this week. Noting Russia’s estimated casualty rate of around 1,500 soldiers per day in Ukraine, the Minister and former Colonel in the Royal Marines called the Reserves “critical” to the future of the Armed Forces in what is expected to be the beginning of a major new recruitment drive over the coming months.
New targets for the removal of dangerous cladding were announced, with Housing Secretary Angela Rayner declaring that the pace of remediation has been “far too slow for far too long”. All unsafe cladding on high-rise buildings must be removed by the end of 2029, while cladding on buildings over 11 metres should either be fixed or have a date for completion.
The Government launched a new Fair Payment Code, through which businesses can commit to make 95% of all payments within 30 days. The Department for Business and Trade also launched the Disability Finance Code for Entrepreneurship, which aims to boost access to finance for disabled entrepreneurs.
South Western Railway will be the first rail franchise to transfer into public ownership the Department for Transport announced this week. SWR is due to be renationalised in May 2025, with C2C to follow in July 2025 and Greater Anglia in the Autumn. Publicly run services will be managed by DfT Operator Limited, whose functions will 'eventually be integrated into Great British Railways'. The DfT also stated it expects the transfer of all passenger services operated under contracts to be completed over the next 3 years.
Welsh Conservatives leader Andrew RT Davies resigned as leader of the Conservative Senedd Group, citing “resistance from some members within the Senedd Group” making it “impossible to offer clarity of message.” After a quick election process Darren Millar has been selected as the party’s new leader in Wales.
South Korea was thrown into turmoil as its president suddenly declared martial law, which he claimed was to combat North Korean "anti-state forces" but seemed instead due to his own political travails. Soldiers closed down the Parliament but MPs still managed to assemble and vote the ruling down, even while protestors grappled with soldiers outside. President Yoon now looks likely to be impeached, or even charged with treason. It was the first time martial law has been ordered since 1979 and has shaken what many citizens and foreigners regarded as a solid democracy.
France fared little better as its government collapsed when Prime Minister Michel Barnier resigned following a no-confidence vote in parliament – the first time this has happened in over 60 years. President Macron rejected calls to resign as well, vowing to stay in post "fully, until the end of the mandate" in 2027. He now faces the awkward task of appointing a new PM ahead of a visit by Donald Trump this weekend.
The Commons was pretty light on legislation this week, with just one Government Bill, the National Insurance Contributions (Secondary Class 1 Contributions) Bill, being debated. Instead, there were debates on the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Report, detained British nationals abroad, and on public transport, while on Wednesday the Conservatives led debates on both farming and the employer National Insurance increase. One piece of legislation of interest (although it has zero chance of becoming law anytime soon) was the Private Members’ Bill put forward by the Lib Dem MP Sarah Olney, which was voted through at first reading by 138 votes to 136. The Elections (Proportional Representation) Bill would introduce PR for parliamentary and local government elections in England, with 59 Labour MPs voting to support it. When it was raised at PMQs by Lib Dem Leader Ed Davey, the Prime Minister confirmed it wasn’t government policy and quipped back that the Lib Dems “did not do too badly under the system as it is.”
Peers in the House of Lords were busy this week, going through numerous pieces of legislation line-by-line as the Football Governance Bill, Great British Energy Bill, Listed Investment Companies (Classification etc) Bill and the Women, Peace and Security Bill all underwent committee stage. They still also managed to find time to debate issues as wide ranging as retail crime, fracture liaison services, housing supply, and physician associate and anaesthetist associate roles.
According to a new Ipsos poll, 75% of Britons describe the current state of the British economy as “poor.” It revealed that 48% believe the Government is doing a “bad job” in managing the rise in the cost of living, and 71% expect the rate of inflation to go up. Despite concerns, Labour continues to lead as the most trusted party to manage the economy, with 34% trusting them compared to 28% trusting the Conservatives.
60% of Britons are unhappy with the results of the 2024 US Presidential Election while 16% are happy, according to a new YouGov poll. When asked about why the respondents were unhappy with President-elect Trump’s re-election, the most common response was linked to concerns regarding his criminal wrongdoing, while the second concerned his reported misogyny.
The planning system should take a page from the Premier League’s Fantasy Football game in order to increase public confidence and engagement, according to a new report from the Adam Smith Institute. The report suggested creating an online interface where residents could select from a range of development sites that planners consider suitable, rather than those that are favoured by the planners.
Spare a thought for Kemi Badenoch’s new Shadow team still finding their bearings in the official Opposition, or… in Richard Fuller’s case, finding their bearings at the Despatch Box. The nerves of his first Treasury OPQs as Shadow Chief Secretary must have got to him on Tuesday, as he managed to back into and sit on colleague Gareth Davies after his first question to the Chancellor.
