Starmer Labour government (UK)

Doctrine — stated goals and content

Draws from Blairite Third Way social-democracy updated with a 'securonomics' / modern supply-side framing (Reeves), emphasising growth-through-investment, active industrial policy, and repair of public services — an explicit departure from New Labour's deference to footloose finance and from Corbyn-era redistributive socialism. Positioned on the centre-left — fiscally rules-bound (revised fiscal rule targeting net financial debt rather than PSND; debt must fall as share of GDP in fifth year), regulatorily activist on planning and workers' rights, green-industrial in sectoral policy. Key measures: Budget 30 October 2024 (employer NI rate up 1.2pp to 15% and threshold lowered; capital gains rate increases; inheritance tax extended to pensions and agricultural property; £40bn tax-raising package with £70bn additional spending); Employment Rights Bill 2024-25 (day-one unfair-dismissal rights, ban on exploitative zero-hours contracts, fire-and-rehire restrictions); Great British Energy founding legislation; National Planning Policy Framework revision December 2024 (mandatory housing targets restored, grey-belt release); Renters' Rights Act; nationalisation of passenger rail via Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Act 2024; VAT on private school fees from 1 January 2025. Entered with 33.7% vote share (lowest winning share in modern era); approval declined sharply in first six months (winter-fuel payment withdrawal, farmer protests, Partygate-echo scandals), with net approval turning negative by November 2024 and Labour polling at or below Reform UK through early 2026. Programme is mostly internally coherent on supply-side/planning but fractured on the fiscal side — rules-based restraint colliding with the spending demands of the 'change' mandate.