Experts Warn: Keir Starmer’s Strategy to Secure Election Victory Is Already Falling Apart”
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has outlined five key goals he hopes will secure another election win for Labour. These include boosting the economy, reducing crime, increasing green energy production, improving education, and fixing the NHS.
However, concerns have been raised about the clarity and effectiveness of these plans. Critics say the missions are confusing, lack direction, and are failing to inspire government departments.
A report by the Institute for Government highlights that these “mission boards,” meant to oversee progress, overlap with existing cabinet committees, making their purpose unclear. So far, there’s little evidence that these missions have had a real impact on Whitehall.
The civil service has also been criticized for inefficiency. Despite the number of civil servants growing from 390,250 in 2015 to over 505,995 today, the government still spends large sums on hiring outside consultants.
This cost has risen from £409 million in 2019-20 to £688 million in 2023-24. For example, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero saw its consultancy spending jump from £36 million to £102 million in a year.
The report warns that if Sir Keir fails to deliver on these promises, he risks losing public trust and could be voted out. The Labour Party, elected with a relatively small share of votes, must prove it can deliver real results for a public eager for change.
Jack Worlidge, a senior researcher at the Institute for Government, said, “The government needs to go beyond vague plans and take serious action to reform Whitehall if it wants these missions to succeed.”
