Making it count: the figures that say if Labour is working

Three trade deals, five U-turns, record small boat crossings... here are the statistics from Starmer’s first 365 days in office

- ALICJA HAGOPIAN DAVID MADDOX

Sir Keir Starmer is marking his first year in Downing Street after suffering the shortest honeymoon of any prime minister in history, despite winning a massive 411 seats and a working majority of 156.

After 365 days of his premiership, Labour is lingering in the polls at 23 per cent, behind Nigel Farage’s insurgent Reform UK (28 per cent), and one of the defining images of this government so far may be chancellor Rachel Reeves in tears in the Commons earlier this week.

When Starmer took office he promised growth and benefits for “working people”, but his national insurance tax rise has left fewer jobs and an economy that is stagnating. He has, though, pledged a 2.8 per cent increase to the NHS spending budget over a three-year period, amounting to a £30bn rise by 2028.

Sir Keir has been a success on the international stage, with three trade deals and a pivotal role in the war in Ukraine and crises in the Middle East. He will have brought defence spending up to 2.5 per cent of GDP by April 2027 and aims to get to 3 per cent in the next parliament.

The prime minister has become the “Trump whisperer”, winning over the erratic US president while rebuilding Britain’s international relationships and reputation around the globe.

Despite the weakness of his position at home, with some in Labour suggesting he could be ousted as early as May next year, he remains the last reasonable option for a leader with fiscal responsibility at the head of a party that wants to take the brakes off spending and raise taxes.

But he marked his first anniversary with a significant rebellion, which saw him ditch welfare reforms that would have saved his government £5bn a year, largely on disability benefits.

Losing ground in the polls