Don't call it a reset

When a Prime Minister delivers a speech on plans for change that broadly echo earlier commitments while arguably revising some and touching on difficulties in getting there, you know that a party is well and truly into government. The surprising thing about this reset that isn’t a reset however is that Labour are only five months into governing. That Sir Keir Starmer feels the need to refresh his pitch to the public this early on is telling. 

The move however is not without some understandable context. Labour’s considerable lead in the polls during the run-up to the election extended over such a period of time that by polling day, it felt more like a belated coronation than a seismic shock. Rather than having to wait a year or two for the incumbency factor to kick in -warts and all- it already seems as if Starmer and Labour have been in power for an eternity. Indeed, its policy machine was already in overdrive as a true government-in-waiting. 

Additionally, the painfulness associated with the Budget and tough decisions taken therein have unsurprisingly made Labour keen to restress the more positive priorities that the fiscal medicine is aimed at unlocking. “This is what our choices are going to make possible” seems to be the framing of Starmer’s speech, giving more milestone specificity to the ‘mission’ buckets Labour has long set out for their approach to government.

The targets are ambitious, from waiting lists to clarifications around clean power generation. And Starmer was at pains to stress the challenge and risk associated with laying down clear milestones, even if many align with broader promises from Labour. 

1.5 million homes being built by the end of next parliament has been a party pledge since 2023, while raising living standards in every part of the UK to achieve the highest G7 growth sounds fairly similar to the inclusive economic growth focus that has long been Labour’s number one mission for government. 

The aim of having 75% of all five-year old’s in England being “ready to learn” when they start school gives more detail to Labour’s manifesto and mission priority to giving children the best start in life. Although it's worth noting that in 2015, early years foundation stage profile figures showed that 70% of children achieved at least the expected level in all early learning goals in literacy and 75% in maths.

There were also some additional specifics on planning and infrastructure reform, with a goal of fast-tracking planning decisions on at least 150 major economic infrastructure projects – which those are and what constitutes “major” left open to question for now. Indeed, government ministers today have already been pressed for more detail on how some of Starmer’s new milestone targets will be measured. 

But perhaps the most contentious of the Prime Minister’s “plan for change” pledges was putting the UK on track to achieve 95% clean power by 2030, with a debate already raging about whether this has been a revision downwards from 100% or not. At the heart of the contention seems to be whether this is a change from pre-election pledges to reflect the post-election NESO clean energy report commissioned by Labour in government which concluded that “at least 95%” was needed to deliver clean power. 

All things taken together, Labour are fast finding out again after almost 15 years in opposition that governing is hard, and ambitious change harder still. Starmer’s “plan for change” notably contained no reference to immigration, but when questioned by the media he insisted that bringing migration down was still a priority. With numbers in this space continuing to hit record levels, he perhaps wanted to avoid a ‘cap trap’, but the continuing rise of Reform may yet force his hand in the future. 

What remains to be seen is whether Labour’s incumbency factor proves to be a net positive or negative as the polls potentially shift in the coming months and years. For now, one suspects that this may not be the last ‘refresh’ we see. Watch this space.