Assessing Keir Starmer’s Progress on Promised Reforms

Prime Minister Keir Starmer is encountering mounting pressure from within his own party to either resign or establish a clear schedule for stepping down, a reaction to significant electoral setbacks. Addressing the nation on Monday, the Prime Minister accepted "responsibility for the change we promised for a stronger and fairer Britain." Back in December 2024, he outlined several "measurable milestones," including specific goals regarding housing construction, reductions in hospital waiting times, and improvements to living standards. The question now is: how is his administration faring in achieving these objectives?

Housing Construction

Starmer’s strategy aims to deliver 1.5 million "safe and decent homes" across England by the conclusion of the current Parliament in 2029. Progress is tracked via net additional dwellings, calculated as the difference between new or converted properties and those demolished. While there is no year-by-year quota, reaching the 1.5 million goal would require an average of 300,000 homes annually. Currently, Labour is adding just over 200,000 homes per year. Government ministers argue that the pace will accelerate in the latter stages of the Parliament to meet the final target. However, data indicates that the current delivery rate has actually declined compared to the final years of the previous Conservative administration. Furthermore, escalating costs for building materials and increased energy prices, driven by the conflict in Iran, present additional hurdles to achieving these numbers.

When will we know? Official statistics for the year ending in March will be released in November. In the interim, BBC Verify’s housebuilding tracker utilizes a more immediate indicator: the issuance of the first Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) for new homes. These updates are typically published about a month after each quarter concludes.

Hospital Waiting Times

Regarding healthcare, the government has pledged that 92% of patients in England will be treated within 18 weeks by the end of the Parliament. This specific threshold was last achieved in 2015. Recent data suggests some improvement; NHS figures for February 2026 show that 62.6% of patients scheduled for procedures were seen within the 18-week window. This is an increase from the 58.8% recorded when Labour assumed office in July 2024. The administration has established an interim goal of reaching 65% by March 2026, with this specific metric set to be released on Thursday, 14 May.

When will we know? Waiting list data is generally published approximately six weeks after the close of each month. Individuals can monitor local waiting times using the provided tracker.

Living Standards

Starmer’s agenda includes a commitment to "raising living standards in every part of the United Kingdom." The government is monitoring this through Real Household Disposable Income (RHDI) per person, a metric that accounts for taxes, benefits, and inflation. Notably, RHDI per person failed to grow during the 2019–2024 Parliament, marking the first such stagnation since the 1950–51 term, according to the Resolution Foundation. In the first year of the current government (2024–25), RHDI per person rose significantly by 3.1%. However, forecasts from the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) indicate a sharp slowdown, projecting growth of only 0.1% for 2025–26 and approximately 0.5% annually for the subsequent five years. These projections were issued in March 2026, shortly after the outbreak of the Iran war.

The government also tracks GDP per head, which divides the total economy by population. The Office for National Statistics reports that GDP per capita grew by 1.1% in 2025, following a period of zero growth in 2024.

When will we know? RHDI data is released roughly three months after the end of each quarterly period. GDP per capita figures are published about six weeks after the close of each quarter.

Police Numbers

The pledge involves "putting police back on the beat" by recruiting 13,000 additional officers, police community support officers (PCSOs), and volunteer special constables for neighborhood policing roles in England and Wales by the end of the Parliament. The Home Office has not provided a detailed breakdown of this figure but has stated it...

Source: BBC News Generated at: 2026-05-12 07:59:13 UTC