British Prime Minister Keir Starmer marked his 100th day in office on Saturday, but there was little to celebrate.
The center-left Labor Party led by Starmer was elected in a landslide on July 4, returning to power after 14 years. But after weeks of reports of feuding, freebies and fiscal downturns, polls show Starmer’s personal support has plummeted, while Labor is only slightly more popular than the Conservatives, who have struggled with years of infighting. and rejected by voters after scandal.
“You really can’t imagine a worse start,” said Tim Bell, a political science professor at Queen Mary University of London. “First impressions matter, and it’s hard to reverse those impressions.”
Starmer won the election on a promise to undo years of turmoil and scandal from his Conservative government, allow Britain’s sluggish economy to grow and restore damaged public services such as the state-funded National Health Service.
His government claims to have made a good start: ending long-running strikes by doctors and railway workers, setting up a public green energy company, scrapping the Conservatives’ controversial plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda and proposing Strengthening the rights of workers and tenants.
Starmer has traveled to Washington, the United Nations and European capitals to try to show that “Britain is back” after years of inward-looking debate over Brexit. But Britain, like its allies, has struggled to have a significant impact on the escalating conflicts in the Middle East and the raging war in Ukraine.
The new government also faces domestic crises, including days of far-right-fueled anti-immigration violence that erupted in towns across England and Northern Ireland this summer. Starmer condemned the rioters as “stupid thugs” and vowed to jail those responsible. So far, more than 800 people have appeared in court and nearly 400 have been jailed.
Starmer’s most difficult problem is the sluggish British economy. Official data shows rising public debt and economic growth of only 0.2% in August, dragging down the economy.
Starmer warned that “things are going to be tough in the short term” before the situation improves. He said public spending would be constrained by the £22 billion ($29 billion) “black hole” in public finances left behind by the Conservatives.
One of the government’s first actions was to deprive millions of retirees of the money they spend on heating their homes during the winter. It was intended to demonstrate determination to take tough economic decisions but sparked a backlash from Labor members and parts of the public.
The company was also embarrassed by revelations that Starmer had accepted thousands of pounds (dollars) worth of clothes and designer glasses from a wealthy Labor Party donor. Starmer insisted the gifts were within the rules, but after days of negative press, he agreed to repay £6,000 (nearly $8,000) worth of gifts and entertainment, including a trip to see Taylor Swift tickets.
Government officials and advisers have blamed Downing Street chief of staff Sue Gray and her reportedly strained relationship with Labor campaign strategist Morgan McSweeney.
Amid intense media scrutiny, Gray, who earns more than the prime minister, resigned on Sunday, saying reports about her “could be distracting”. McSweeney will succeed her as Starmer’s chief of staff.
Anand Menon, director of the British political think tank Changing Europe, wrote on his website that the government had made “avoidable mistakes” that had led to “perceptions of incompetence and dysfunction” taking hold.
The government’s focus is now on October 30, when Finance Minister Rachel Reeves will set out her first budget. The government is relying on a combination of public and private investment to stimulate economic growth, but billions of dollars will be needed to accomplish the task. Reeves ruled out increasing income, sales or corporate taxes, but also said there would be no “return to austerity” – a difficult problem to solve. She is believed to be considering raising wealth taxes such as capital gains or inheritance taxes.
The government hopes to make painful decisions early and then turn things around by demonstrating economic growth and rising living standards. And there’s still time – there won’t be another election until 2029.
Starmer, who is on his 100th day in office in No. 10 Downing Street, insisted he would not “go off track”.
“It’s unavoidable that these days and weeks are going to be fluid,” he told the BBC. “That’s the nature of government.
“It’s a lot harder than anything I’ve ever done before, but it’s also a lot better.”
Bell said voters’ trust could be rebuilt if the government showed “not only that it has inherited a pretty horrific legacy, but that it has plans to improve the country”.
“What’s lacking in some ways is vision,” he said. “I don’t think people have that great sense of what Keir Starmer or Labour is about. That’s something they need to correct very quickly.
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