\n<\/p>\n
For Aiden Robertson, a 35-year-old consultant from Burnley, Labour\u2019s first year back in government can only be summed up as \u201cincredibly disappointing\u201d.<\/p>\n
The year had been marked, he felt, by \u201cdreadful communication, a lack of clear purpose, zero vision\u201d, while Labour had been \u201cpandering to Reform voters who will never back them\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis just feels like continuity Tories. As a man who has voted Labour at every single election since 2010, this is the first time where I now feel I can no longer support them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Robertson was among hundreds of people who shared their verdict of Keir Starmer\u2019s first year in No 10 with the Guardian.<\/p>\n
The responses \u2013 many of them excoriating \u2013 hammered home why the government is struggling to win the approval of a deeply divided public. While hundreds of people on the left branded the prime minister\u2019s approach so far as a \u201cbetrayal\u201d and an alienation of Labour\u2019s traditional socialist base, hundreds of others expressed scathing disappointment about the new government\u2019s failure to use its substantial parliamentary majority to reform the country and balance the books more.<\/p>\n
Unsurprisingly, many retired respondents, unpaid carers, or people in receipt of welfare support clamoured for tax increases to better fund benefits, public services and radical socialist reform. Overstretched workers, middle class professionals, business owners and families meanwhile wondered why their income continued to be taxed harshly instead of the wealth and assets of \u201cthe rich\u201d \u2013 and lamented the perceived absence of fiscal discipline and meaningful economic upswing.<\/p>\n
Progressive voters decried the government\u2019s approach to Donald Trump and Reform voters, its stance on Israel, attempted welfare reforms, lack of convincing solutions to tackle the climate crisis, the housing crisis and education, and the prime minister\u2019s \u201cisland of strangers\u201d speech. But others believed that Labour had failed to limit immigration \u2013 an issue many respondents described as a top concern.<\/p>\n
<\/span>Keir Starmer. Some voters who felt positively about the government\u2019s achievements over the past 12 months said that \u2018grownups\u2019 were now back in charge.<\/span> Photograph: Jordan Pettitt\/PA<\/p>\n Of those who felt positively about the government\u2019s achievements over the past 12 months, many felt that \u201cgrownups\u201d were now back in charge, citing their agreement with Labour\u2019s attempts to reform the welfare state, its rail nationalisation plan, Starmer\u2019s performance on the international stage \u2013 such as his handling of Trump being a factor in the reduction of tariffs for Britain \u2013 resolved public sector strikes after increased pay awards, and the commitment to higher defence spending.<\/p>\n A widely held view was that an overly critical press was \u201cundermining\u201d the new government and \u201cplaying into the hands of Reform\u201d.<\/p>\n Mary, a 61-year-old local council employee from near Hull, felt the Starmer government had faced a lot of unfair criticism.<\/p>\n \u201cI agree with the change in tax for farmers and also winter fuel payments,\u201d she said. \u201cI live in a wealthy area and know so many people who absolutely do not need that money. All benefits should be means tested and not given out willy-nilly. I accept that the threshold of \u00a311,500 was too low, but feel \u00a335,000 is too high.<\/p>\n \u201cChange in Pip (personal independent payments) is also needed as the growth in the number of people receiving it has been off the scale \u2013 something obviously isn\u2019t working with the assessment process. This all seems common sense to me. I personally think Starmer is the best leader we have had in a very long time \u2013 he has integrity and he does the right thing even when that\u2019s difficult. He\u2019s navigating the relationship with Trump and the EU really well.\u201d<\/p>\n Starmer has attempted to rewire the British economy in favour of those in work<\/p>\n \u201cI think they\u2019re doing a good job,\u201d said James, a 21-year-old from South Tyneside. \u201cStarmer represents a serious break from gerontocracy, and has attempted to rewire the British economy in favour of those in work.<\/p>\n \u201cDealing with a public which wants lower taxes, higher spending and lower debt, an insurgent populist right and a rowdy backbench, Starmer has secured three trade deals, reduced NHS waiting lists, and ended the Rwanda deal [to name a few]. He is doing a good job, if [people] let him.\u201d<\/p>\n Jonathan Dyson, 65, a pensioner from Huddersfield, stressed that Labour had been burdened by \u201can extremely difficult inheritance\u201d.<\/p>\n <\/span>Jonathan Dyson, from Huddersfield, believes Labour simply needs more time to deliver the change mandate.<\/span> Photograph: Jonathan Dyson\/Guardian Community<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s going to take several years before any significant progress can be seen, despite the constant demand for Deliveroo policies,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think that they are getting enough credit for what they are trying to achieve,\u201d said Melanie, an architect from Edinburgh. \u201cThey\u2019re tackling emotive issues that have to be addressed. I still have faith in them and I think that they could accomplish significant change.\u201d<\/p>\n Although various people described the Labour leader as \u201cunprincipled\u201d or \u201cflip-flopping\u201d, others felt drawn to the prime minister\u2019s approach. \u201cI like the idea of Starmer not having a fixed ideology, but instead going around fixing things,\u201d said Chris Hurd, a 48-year-old accountant and small business owner from Wiltshire.<\/p>\n Dozens of people felt that the government had been spectacularly poor at controlling the narrative and making the case for many of its policies, among them Noel, a retired college principal from Otley, West Yorkshire.<\/p>\n \u201cThe very policies they are being criticised for, inheritance tax rises, winter fuel allowance cuts, welfare reform, etc, are the right policies, but they were introduced badly without sensitivity and without being sold properly. Each could have been widely supported,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cBasically Labour need to do much more to sell their policies and crow about the achievements.\u201d<\/p>\n Where are the exciting ideas for the future?<\/p>\n Craig, 44, a father of three and data analyst living in Leicester, was one of many who felt that no coherent change agenda for an ambitious future had been communicated.<\/p>\n \u201cI was excited to see Labour come to power. I remember the hope and optimism the last time Labour won under Blair,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cThis time, though, it just feels like there\u2019s no plan. I\u2019m really concerned about the country\u2019s finances, that we\u2019re continuing to pay more and more in debt interest because of our deficit. I worry about the country my kids will grow up in.<\/p>\n \u201cI do believe some hard decisions need to be made to balance the books more. But Labour hasn\u2019t offered a bold message to address this. Where are the exciting ideas for the future? Where\u2019s the investment now that pays off later?\u201d<\/p>\n Respondents who felt decidedly negative about the government\u2019s first year were split into those who desired a far more radical socialist governing approach and those who felt the government had ignored the will of the public in favour of left-wing concessions.<\/p>\n We voted Labour and got the Conservatives, but nastier<\/p>\n Much of the outrage was aimed at the government\u2019s attempts to cut winter fuel for elderly people and Pip for some disabled people, and keeping the two-child benefit cap.<\/p>\n \u201cI think they\u2019ve leaned too heavily into trying to appease the right,\u201d said Holly, a 24-year-old from London who works in PR. \u201cAs a young, disabled and neurodivergent woman I despair at these [planned] cuts \u2013 I even cancelled my Pip application because I thought the chances of me getting it were so low.<\/p>\n <\/span>Holly, 24, from London, is bitterly disappointed by the first year of Labour\u2019s new reign.<\/span> Photograph: Holly\/Guardian Community<\/p>\n \u201cI miss when we had a real opposition \u2013 this government has left me feeling like we don\u2019t live in a functioning democracy. Even without the authoritarian crackdown on legal and peaceful protest, who can I vote for that actually represents me and has a chance of getting into parliament?\u201d<\/p>\n Holly said she would in theory vote for the Greens or a new party led by Jeremy Corbyn but would vote tactically for Labour if she lived in a seat \u201cat risk of going Conservative or Reform\u201d.<\/p>\n skip past newsletter promotion<\/p>\n Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what\u2019s happening and why it matters<\/p>\n Privacy Notice: <\/strong>Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.<\/span><\/p>\n after newsletter promotion<\/p>\n \u201cWe voted Labour and got the Conservatives, but nastier,\u201d said Richard Jewell, 56, a carer from Northampton.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a real danger we could end up with Nigel Farage as PM at the next general election. The thought fills me with dread, but if it should happen we all know who will be to blame \u2013 Keir Starmer.<\/p>\n \u201c[This government] seems to have no moral compass when it comes to either foreign or domestic affairs,\u201d said 60-year-old Timothy Willcocks, a school administrator from Hastings. \u201cIt is avoiding taxing wealth and hitting the poorest and most vulnerable [ \u2026 ] trying to \u2018out reform\u2019 Reform, rather than pursuing solid socialist policies to counter the far right. The first year has been utterly disappointing, made even more so by the significant majority Labour enjoy.\u201d<\/p>\n Paola Adeitan, 31, a mother of three and law graduate from Wiltshire, described the new government as \u201ctreacherous\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cAdopting a Trumpian approach on the issue of human rights and the government\u2019s rhetoric and support of Israel\u2019s airstrikes against Iran makes me hate politics,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n <\/span>Paola Adeitan, 31, from Wiltshire, is outraged by the UK government\u2019s Middle East politics.<\/span> Photograph: Paola Adeitan\/Guardian Community<\/p>\n Seventy-seven-year-old Howard Gould, a retired civil servant from south London, was among scores who said they had been Labour voters for years but would not vote for the party again.<\/p>\n \u201c[I\u2019m] appalled at the approach over Gaza, the snuggling up to Trump, [the] cutting [of] overseas aid and welfare cuts. [I] cannot understand why taxes [are] not raised. It has left me so frustrated over who I can vote for \u2013 certainly not Labour as of now, and never for Tories or Reform. But I understand why some are similarly frustrated and willing to consider Reform.\u201d<\/p>\n While many complained about Labour\u2019s move to the right on immigration, many others felt the prime minister had not done nearly enough to reduce net migration, particularly illegal immigration.<\/p>\n I don\u2019t know one single person who is not voting Reform at the next election<\/p>\n \u201cWithin my circle of friends and family and beyond I don\u2019t know one single person who is happy with the state of this nation, one single solitary person who is not voting Reform at the next election,\u201d said Lizzie Quinlan, 64, a retired registered nurse from the West Midlands. \u201cI think it\u2019s without exception the worst ever first year of any government I can recall.\u201d<\/p>\n Quinlan was among scores who questioned why the government had targeted welfare budgets for elderly and disabled people at a time of record small boat arrivals.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat leader punishes the elderly, disabled and disadvantaged in favour of legal and illegal [people] arriving on these shores? The next election cannot come quickly enough.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/span>Sally Scarfe, an unpaid carer from Lincolnshire, is in disbelief over the government\u2019s priorities.<\/span> Photograph: Sandy Scarfe\/Guardian Community<\/p>\n \u201cTheir policies are cruel and ill thought out,\u201d said Sally Scarfe, 64, from Edlington, Lincolnshire, who used to work as a hairdresser, in retail, catering and as a cleaner before becoming a full-time carer for her mother.<\/p>\n She was one of many who felt the prime minister had prioritised his role on the world stage while neglecting the struggles of his electorate at home.<\/p>\n \u201cStarmer is weak, and nearly every time you put the news on, he\u2019s somewhere other than in the country. He\u2019s enjoying the big role of the statesman but doesn\u2019t seem to realise the crisis that this country\u2019s in. He doesn\u2019t listen to how worried and angry we are about mass illegal immigration \u2013 which we\u2019re paying for, while they\u2019re trying to make welfare cuts.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI voted them in hoping for change, mainly on immigration \u2013 small boat crossings. I don\u2019t see change and in fact, the issue is worsening with no real plan put forward,\u201d said Damien Seaborne, 42, <\/strong>who works in a laundry factory, from Caerphilly, south Wales.<\/p>\n \u201cI was also hoping a new government would be less wasteful on our taxes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBusiness confidence has collapsed,\u201d said Jason Clark, a restaurant owner from Stockton-on-Tees, who was among scores of respondents who felt the new government had damaged Britain\u2019s economic outlook with an \u201canti-growth\u201d agenda.<\/p>\n \u201cRachel Reeves\u2019 crazy anti-business budget was like a hammer. Many businesses in this area are now no longer recruiting new staff. I thought about closing and various business friends are contemplating the same, off the back of the employers\u2019 national insurance (NI) hike.<\/p>\n <\/span>Jason Clark, a restaurant owner from Stockton-on-Tees.<\/span> Photograph: Jason Clark\/Guardian Community<\/p>\n \u201cLike many others, I\u2019ve reduced my trading hours to manage costs, so my wage bill is going to be 12 to 15% lower this year. People\u2019s spending power has reduced in the last 12 months, footfall is down a third, while costs are amazingly high. Some months I\u2019m not taking a salary. Why would you take the risk of starting a business? For many, it\u2019s just no longer viable to take on staff.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe tax levels are the worst,\u201d said a 54-year-old professional in the tech sector from London. \u201cThe government made a couple of early errors by treating the private sector as a piggybank and increasing [employer] NI rates, but giving out large pay awards to public sector workers. It shows how little they understand how to grow the economy.\u201d<\/p>\n We need real change, not fiddling at the edges<\/p>\n Ruth, a professional in her 60s from Cambridge, felt Labour\u2019s first year in government had been \u201ctragic\u201d amid \u201cmisfiring good intentions\u201d.<\/p>\n The country, she said, needed \u201ca mature debate about the trade-offs involved\u201d in its desire to improve public services, increase defence spending and not increase taxes. \u201cWe cannot continue pretending the big issues can be solved by three-word slogans,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Michael Morwood, 40, a disabled author from London, predicted political consequences for Labour and the country that chimed with remarks of hundreds of others.<\/p>\n \u201cWe need real change, not fiddling at the edges,\u201d he said. \u201cAdding X million into the NHS won\u2019t fix it. Reforming planning permission laws won\u2019t solve the housing crisis. These are things that need to happen, but they\u2019re inadequate given the scale of the problems.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re often told we need to get on board with Labour or we\u2019ll wind up with a Reform government. The thing is, if Labour continue as they are, we\u2019ll wind up with Reform sooner or later, guaranteed. The UK is in real, serious trouble, and Labour don\u2019t have the clarity of vision, the principles, or the spine to actually fix any of the systemic problems.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d love for Labour to discover a bold new vision for the country, but the current leadership don\u2019t seem to even understand why such a vision is needed.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" For Aiden Robertson, a 35-year-old consultant from Burnley, Labour\u2019s first year back in government can only be summed up as \u201cincredibly disappointing\u201d. The year had been marked, he felt, by \u201cdreadful communication, a lack of clear purpose, zero vision\u201d, while Labour had been \u201cpandering to Reform voters who will never back them\u201d. \u201cThis just feels<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10155,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[48],"tags":[270,2979,2978,134,1121,455,2980,1569],"class_list":{"0":"post-10154","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-politics","8":"tag-change","9":"tag-edges","10":"tag-fiddling","11":"tag-labour","12":"tag-labours","13":"tag-real","14":"tag-voters","15":"tag-year"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10154","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10154"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10154\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/10155"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10154"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10154"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10154"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}