(VOR News) – British Prime Minister Keir Starmer observed one hundred days of rule on Saturday with little to celebrate.
Starmer’s center-left Labour Party returned to power after 14 years in a landslide on July 4. Surveys show that Keir Starmer’s popularity has declined, and Labour is just marginally more popular than a Conservative Party that was rejected by voters after years of scandal and infighting, following weeks of feuding, freebies, and financial catastrophe.
“It’s hard to imagine a worse beginning,” said Queen Mary University of London political science professor Tim Bale.
“Your first impression of Keir Starmer matters.”
Keir Starmer won the election by promising to end years of turmoil and corruption under the Conservative regime, resuscitate the dying British economy, and fix public institutions like the NHS.
His administration claims to have made a good start by ending medical and railroad worker strikes, establishing a publicly traded green energy company, shelving the Conservative plan to send asylum seekers back to Rwanda, and protecting employee and tenant rights.
After years of Brexit debate, Keir Starmer has visited Washington, the UN, and major European capitals to show that “Britain is back”. However, the UK and its allies have struggled to impact the Middle East’s rising conflicts and Ukraine’s horrific war.
The new government had to deal with far-right-fueled anti-immigrant violence in England and Northern Ireland this summer. Keir Starmer called the rioters “mindless thugs” and pledged to arrest them. Out of over 800 court appearances, around 400 have been imprisoned.
The British economy, plagued by rising public debt and sluggish growth—0.2% in August, according to official statistics—is Starmer’s biggest challenge.
Before things improve, Keir Starmer warns they will be “tough in the short term.” He argues the Conservatives’ 22 billion pound ($29 billion) “black hole” in the public budget will curtail spending.
One of the government’s first measures was to eliminate a stipend to help millions of retirees stay warm in winter. Labour members and the public reacted strongly to it, even though it was designed to indicate that the administration was ready to make tough economic decisions.
Keir Starmer stole costly eyewear and apparel from a wealthy Labour donor.
Keir Starmer agreed to reimburse the guests for 6,000 pounds (nearly $8,000) in gifts and hospitality, including Taylor Swift tickets, despite her assurance that the presents were legal.
Advisors and government officials have blamed Downing Street Chief of Staff Sue Gray and her apparent conflicts with Labour campaign strategist Morgan McSweeney for the rocky start.
Gray resigned on Sunday after media attention revealed that she earned more than the prime minister. The information regarding her “had the potential to serve as a source of distraction.”
McSweeney succeeded her as Keir Starmer director of staff.
On the U.K. in a Changing Europe website, director Anand Menon said the administration made “avoidable mistakes” that propagated a “perception of incompetence and dysfunction.”
Treasury Chief Rachel Reeves’ first budget, due October 30, is now the government’s focus. The government hopes public and private investment will encourage economic growth, but billions are needed to complete the project. Reeves has refrained from hiking corporation, sales, or income taxes but has ruled out a “return to austerity”—a tricky balance. She may raise inheritance and capital gains taxes.
The administration hopes a strong economy and growing living standards will allow it to make tough decisions early and turn things around. Another election won’t be needed until 2029.
On his 100th day in office, Keir Starmer maintained his position at 10 Downing Street and refused to be “knocked off course.”
“There’s no avoiding these days and weeks when things are choppy,” he said. Governments work that way.
“It has significantly improved, but it’s also considerably more challenging than any prior experience.”
Bale believes the administration can regain trust by showing “not only that it has a plan to improve the country, but that it has a pretty dire inheritance.”
“In certain aspects, the vision has been deficient,” he stated. “I believe there is a lack of understanding among people regarding Keir Starmer or Labour.” Corrective action must be taken immediately.
SOURCE: CNBC
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