Red alert after one year of Labour!

WARNING lights are flashing red after a year of Labour in power, the Adam Smith Institute has declared.

- By David Williamson CHIEF POLITICAL COMMENTATOR

The think-tank has devised an "accountability tracker" traffic system, so ministers face the same sort of assessment as business chiefs.

And it cautions that the Government is under-performing when it comes to "growth, inflation, employment and housebuilding".

It claims Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer's Government is "offtrack on its key economic pledges" and the outlook is "bleak".

However, it says Labour is "on track on its pledges to add two million new NHS appointments, hire more mental health staff and is likely to raise defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027".

Sir Keir last year talked of wanting annual growth of 2.5% but the ASI says since July, monthly growth has only been 0.09%.

It adds: "Housebuilding is also falling behind. Between July 2024 and March 2025, just 142,800 homes were completed — an average of 15,900 per month.

"To hit the 1.5 million new homes target by 2029, construction needs to significantly ramp up."

Charles White-Thomson, a senior fellow with the ASI, said: "If we want to improve the performance of our politicians, they need to be subject to the same level of scrutiny the private sector demands.

"The data shows a worrying imbalance. While the Government is largely delivering on its spending commitments it is failing to grow the economy as planned, missing growth, inflation and employment targets. This spells trouble.